Captivity

I liked the movie for what it is, a movie to pass the time on a rainy afternoon.

Unfortunately, the story is not that great. And with an avalanche of similar themed movies recently, this one really needed to shine to stick its head out above the rest. Don't expect too much of it. One known actress doesn't make a good movie, so don't blame one person for the script etc. Still worth seeing if you're invited by someone else to see it.

The end of the movie could have been with a bit more suspense I thought.

Captivity is a movie that had me waiting in suspense. This movie had a good fright around every corner and was nothing that I saw before. I really enjoyed the way the film was made and thought that the attention to the billboards and everything really distracts from the gore of the movie. The Mpaa was right in asking them to bring down the billboards, but still this movie has it all. I heard they are doing reshoots but I think this movie is fine without them. I think that the actors in this one did excellent and I can't believe that they are saying that the movie is going through rating trouble. For true horror fans and movie fans alike , it will be wrong to not give it a rating cause then less people will watch it.

I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have gone to cinema to see this film if it wasn't for all the unneeded controversy surrounding it's marketing campaign in the USA, but I guess that's a good thing as it shows that the people who initiate that sort of thing usually just end up helping the film in question to reach a wider audience. I have to say that whoever it was that made such a fuss about the posters did me a favour, as while Captivity isn't exactly a modern masterpiece; it's certainly a decent little horror thriller, and I'm glad I went to see it. The film focuses solely around Jennifer Tree, an actress who is abducted and thrown into a basement dungeon from which there is no escape and she is continually watched over by the psychopath who abducted her; a man who also enjoys putting her through all manner of sadistic and brutal torturing. Hope arises when she finds a man in the cell next to her, and together they attempt to escape from the dungeon. But as they face more sadism and torture, it turns out that the situation isn't all it seems.

This film is obviously catching on to the 'torture porn' film type that seems to be dominating the horror genre recently (films such as Hostel and Saw being at the forefront), but while this doesn't add anything new; it is entertaining to watch, and that is really all that is important from this sort of film. The film is, surprisingly, directed by experienced director Roland Joffé, whose only other film I've seen is the Oscar nominated "The Killing Fields" - and this is nothing like it! (Though I'd say that's a good thing...). The screenplay was written by the great Larry Cohen, who you can always count on for an entertaining thrill ride, and while this isn't one of his best attempts; I'd pretty much say he delivered (it's better than Cellular, too). The twist in the middle can be seen coming a mile off, but that's not important either as the handling after the twist is good and with this, Cohen succeed in racketing the film up a notch. Captivity is very short at just 85 minutes, but I'd rather it be on the short side than feature a bucket load of filler like many films these days do. Overall, I won't say this is brilliant or a classic; but it's a more than decent horror thriller and I definitely recommend seeing it.

Keywords of movie: Horror/Torture; Facing of ones own fears and strengths.

Story Genre: a Torture Horror; a Suspense Thriller; a Psychological Thriller

The Story centers around two young people as they Endure endless tests of their inner strength, It is disclosed that the tests hold a much deeper meaning, as fears must be faced, those unthinkable situations are presented.

The movie held my interest, as I learned more about their backgrounds, and the very small hints only to the identity of the bad guy(s) The characters were nicely portrayed and the plot was smoothly played out. Elisha Cuthbert;The main female character was beautiful, she had a helpless kitten way about her, yet knew underneath she had a tiger that could emerge and attack. Daniel Gillies;The lead male, wow now this guy is going to go far, he can surly act with the best of them. He is built he has a confidant take charge manner, with a gentle touch. He has an air about him, almost aloof.

I only felt a mild sense of boredom towards the middle, it seemed more focused on trying to get a sex scene in the movie than the actual story line. And I found the many actual torture scenes to be enough to keep me squirming in my seat.

The ending blew my mind, I thought I had it figured out middle way through, but was totally wrong, Lol, very well done.

Even though the actual plot is not totally unique, I felt this time the character was much better able to keep the facade going longer thus keeping the audience in suspense longer.

I felt very entertained after viewing the movie, the rest of the night was spent in discussion of the movie pointing out each characters strong points and how each scene played out. I know I will be telling all my friends about the movie, and seeing if they won't watch the movie and join the discussion and appreciation of the work of art.

Elisha Cuthbert was perfectly fine in the recent House of Wax (which was the same kind of role), but occasionally seems totally adrift here. This is the fault of the director (Roland Joffe - who was once a decent film-maker), but it's hard to single him out for criticism as every single aspect of this film seems to be just as lousy and half-arsed as the next. The look of the film, the story, the characters and the dialogue have no personality or life of their own and instead are clearly uninspired wholesale rip-offs of those found in the likes of the Hostel and Saw films and then reassembled into this dull, turgid, mess. If you want an example of an inept, unloved, souless, studio-funded zeitgeist cash-in flick then here it is. Avoid.