Captive State

Captive State is a surprise for me. I went into this with low expectations, but ended up getting engrossed in the story and digging the film. Even though it has a PG 13 rating, it does not diminish the dark tone or seriousness of the movie. Captive State is a post alien invasion movie which deals with the aftermath of the aliens as an occupying force that infiltrated the government and controls society. This is a bleak setting with most of the populace living in poverty and squalor and is focused on the underground opposition trying to overthrow the occupying force. The acting is good with a lesser known cast with John Goodman as the lead. The special f/x are good, but this movie is more about the story and the characters fortunately. Captive State is based on The French Resistance in WW2, but the film brings this in a sci fi setting, with plot twists and a gritty style brings to mind lots of great classic dystopian science fiction and that is certainly not a bad thing in my book.

Just skip the negative reviews and bear in mind one thing: do not expect an action sci-fi movie. This is telling the story of people fighting against oppression. The context is just a marketing excuse to make you more attracted. But this story applies to what we have already seen in the past century. It's basically a modernized sci-fi-ed version of a great rebellion some of our grandfathers' took part to. Just don't watch it waiting for the monsters and the aliens with super hi-tech in independence-day style fights. Good movie indeed! If you find it boring at the beginning hold-on, the middle gets more animated and the ending is solid. People who disliked such an interesting approach to fights versus authoritarism deserve Transformers...

Personally, I am glad such movies are made. "Rare" doesn't always mean "good" but in this case it does. That said, it certainly is far from entertaining and hardly suitable for some light-hearted Saturday night family past-time. Also, don't expect a sci-fi action - it's a (political) thriller and the alien invasion here could be replaced with any dictatorship. It is not fully clear whether the film-makers chose aliens for dramatic effect or just to make it easier for the audience to decide who the bad guys are. Sadly, history proved that not all freedom fighters make their country a better place. As for the story, acting, cinematography - everything works well together to create the atmosphere of oppression, hopelessness and despair. There have been complaints that the script is messy. Well, it is not. If you accept the fact that there is no main character, no hero, no saviour, no deus ex machina and just watch closely, you are in for a decent detective story as well where each scene has a purpose and makes sense (honestly, I was able to predict the final "twist" something like 30% into the movie and still enjoyed sitting it through). All in all, Captive State is bound to be misunderstood by those who want to unwind and is a rare gem for those who are open to a dark and thought-provoking story and are fed up with superhero extravaganza

Captive State is a sci-fi movie directed by Ruper Wyatt who decides to take it easy and tell a completely different story than the typical Hollywood blockbuster. It is in this decision where the film gains strength. But let's be clear, Captive State is not a perfect movie, far from it. But it is an extremely imaginative film, with such intriguing concepts as revolution and aliens. It is a master class that explains how a revolutionary cell operates in a fictitious situation and gives us a thriller that makes us tense at times and intrigues us in others. Despite not having fully explored characters, the film builds an intriguing world with well-shot scenes and an ending that will leave you glued to your seat and asking for more. Captive State is not perfect, but it is definitely a recommendation.

A powerful alien invasion. A surrender to avoid an ineluctable annihilation. The whole humanity under alien domination.

After this quick introduction, we elliptically switch nine years later, without really understanding how the human/alien cohabitation works. But this is definitely unimportant. Captive State (2019) is indeed a suspenseful thriller full of undercover agents, spies, policemen and a few aliens, with a profoundly dark and hardly optimistic atmosphere. The story takes place in Chicago in the near future and that, in some respects, looks like Paris, between June 14, 1940 and August 24, 1944, with resistance fighters and collaborators, and with aliens instead of German soldiers.

Thus, Captive State (2019) is obviously not an action/war movie, in a science-fiction context. And absolutely not a pop corn movie! The actors (especially John Goodman), the photography, the special effects, the atmosphere, ... that's heavy! Nevertheless, the script is a bit messy. We must wait for the very last scene in order to stick the pieces back together and have a global picture. The making is sometimes clumsy which may confuse the audience. Besides, some people left the movie theater during the screening I attended. Personally, it took me a while to understand and appreciate this story. Slightly frustrating.

As a synthesis: 6/7 of 10.