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.
441 Reviews
If you know what you are watching, great movie!
Mattiamarcon4 December 2019
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...
I was somewhat captivated..
alexqueens30 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
There seems to be a lot of hate for this one, whereas to me, it was a decent and gritty little slice of dystopian fiction that came out of nowhere.
I mean, it's not great, but I've seen worse. Way worse.
The story is basically The Man in the High Castle but with strange aliens rather than human invaders. So there's a secret band of insurgents working individually towards an opportunity to fight back. Nothing new there.
Character development also suffers because there are too many players and too little time. This should have been a limited series at best, but to what end, since we've seen it all before and, as mentioned, we already have Philip K. Dick's inspired The Man in the High Castle, for those who are interested in the long game.
Despite all that, I thought the actors did a decent job in their respective roles, and I'm really liking John Goodman's choice in movies this decade.
However, I did not expect the final twist at the end à la a Trojan Horse. That was either very clever or very dumb of me to not see it coming.
Also, the fact that we, the audience, did not get a chance to even catch a glimpse of the so-called Closed Zone, was such a cop-out. How dare they force me to use my imagination when whatever it was they were cooking up in there could've been anything!
The story is basically The Man in the High Castle but with strange aliens rather than human invaders. So there's a secret band of insurgents working individually towards an opportunity to fight back. Nothing new there.
Character development also suffers because there are too many players and too little time. This should have been a limited series at best, but to what end, since we've seen it all before and, as mentioned, we already have Philip K. Dick's inspired The Man in the High Castle, for those who are interested in the long game.
Despite all that, I thought the actors did a decent job in their respective roles, and I'm really liking John Goodman's choice in movies this decade.
However, I did not expect the final twist at the end à la a Trojan Horse. That was either very clever or very dumb of me to not see it coming.
Also, the fact that we, the audience, did not get a chance to even catch a glimpse of the so-called Closed Zone, was such a cop-out. How dare they force me to use my imagination when whatever it was they were cooking up in there could've been anything!
Twist ending climax of sci-fi alien occupation allegory is great despite long-winded, convoluted second act
Turfseer27 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Captive State is a film that I went back and saw a second time because there was so much I missed the first time around. Many reviewers focused on the film as an allegory about authoritarianism but missed the core of what the narrative was really all about-a Twilight Zone-like sci-fi thriller with a powerful twist ending. If you don't realize that there's a twist ending involved here, much of the story will appear quite convoluted--the pronouncement in fact of many reviewers who simply couldn't follow a good deal of the plot. I'm going to go ahead and reveal what the twist is all about here so if you haven't seen the film, you might wait until you do and then read this review.
Some of you might recall the film Alien Nation or the TV series of the same name. Captive State is sort of a reverse Alien Nation-instead of the aliens arriving on earth and ending up as a discriminated minority, the aliens here immediately crush the military might of all the countries on earth and set themselves up as a group of deadly overseers, much akin to the Nazi occupiers in Vichy France during World War II.
The story is set in Chicago in the year 2027, nine years after the alien invasion. The aliens have constructed a "closed zone" in the middle of the city and exist way underground, rarely making an appearance on earth's surface (the aliens look like giant, powerful insects who communicate by using a clicking sound which has been utilized in a host of other past sci-fi productions featuring insect-like aliens).
Just as in Vichy France, the populace is ruled by a group of collaborators, who enforce the rules of the aliens who have dubbed themselves "legislators." The aliens have outlawed all digital communication, so the media utilized are reminiscent of the kind of analog communication that went on in the 70s and 80s, prior to the advent of smart phones and the internet (for example, pictures are taken with Polaroid cameras).
One of the protagonists, Gabriel (Ashton Sanders), works on a factory that saves the digital data for the aliens but destroys the chips and media card the data is stored on. The part of Gabriel is a weak one and notably at a certain point in the film, the character disappears for twenty minutes and you wonder what happened to him. Suffice it to say, Gabriel is protected by a former police detective and now head of internal security for the collaborators, William Mulligan (played by a taciturn but rather good John Goodman). Mulligan proves to be the most interesting character in the film. He's trying to protect the rebellious Gabriel from falling afoul of alien rule as Mulligan was friends with Gabriel's father, also a detective prior to the invasion.
The real bulk of the action concerns a conspiracy of rebels who communicate with one another often by placing print ads in newspapers. They refer to a "Number One," the leader of the group who is to somehow become unwittingly the alien's trusted agent and set off a bomb while welcomed into their lair. Most of the conspirators are unaware who Number One is. The twist is that Mulligan, who appears to be the #1 collaborator, is actually the #1 conspirator, entrusted with setting off the bomb deep in alien headquarters underground.
A good part of the film involves the conspiracy to set off a bomb at Soldier field, where a collaborator unity rally is being held. The allegorical nature of the story is made clear during this rally where a complacent public is depicted as submissive, lulled into believing the aliens have brought unity to the planet.
This is where the film loses focus--because if you don't realize that the conspirators are all on a suicide mission and their plan is designed to fail, you will find a good deal of what happens before you, confusing (to put it mildly). It's Mulligan who is made to look good as he seemingly uncovers the conspiracy and eliminates it-all designed to impress the aliens, who put him in charge as Acting Commissioner at the surprising climax. Since the Commissioner is the only one allowed to enter the Closed Zone, Mulligan is seen at film's entry headed down into the alien lair, about to set off his bomb.
Captive State has a great twist ending but might have worked better as a one hour cable TV episode as part of a sci-fi series. In the end, the second act machinations are too convoluted and confusing with the entire plot involving the conspiracy (which turns out to be a staged set-up) proving to be not so exciting with rather predictable scenes of annihilation by alien entities who have come out of their cocoon deep underground.
Captive State is filled with clues throughout to suggest things aren't really what they seem. Look for the "trojan horse" illustration on the wall at the prostitute's home. Also note that Mulligan tells Gabriel right before his final mission, that "maybe" the plan all along, was DESIGNED to fail. And finally, traces of the bomb (made out of phosphorescent material) are seen flashing briefly on Mulligan's back right before he goes into the contraption that sends him into the belly of the beast.
Captive State is certainly worth a look (or even a second one), despite a poorly edited and drawn out second Act, since the climax wields a powerful punch.
Some of you might recall the film Alien Nation or the TV series of the same name. Captive State is sort of a reverse Alien Nation-instead of the aliens arriving on earth and ending up as a discriminated minority, the aliens here immediately crush the military might of all the countries on earth and set themselves up as a group of deadly overseers, much akin to the Nazi occupiers in Vichy France during World War II.
The story is set in Chicago in the year 2027, nine years after the alien invasion. The aliens have constructed a "closed zone" in the middle of the city and exist way underground, rarely making an appearance on earth's surface (the aliens look like giant, powerful insects who communicate by using a clicking sound which has been utilized in a host of other past sci-fi productions featuring insect-like aliens).
Just as in Vichy France, the populace is ruled by a group of collaborators, who enforce the rules of the aliens who have dubbed themselves "legislators." The aliens have outlawed all digital communication, so the media utilized are reminiscent of the kind of analog communication that went on in the 70s and 80s, prior to the advent of smart phones and the internet (for example, pictures are taken with Polaroid cameras).
One of the protagonists, Gabriel (Ashton Sanders), works on a factory that saves the digital data for the aliens but destroys the chips and media card the data is stored on. The part of Gabriel is a weak one and notably at a certain point in the film, the character disappears for twenty minutes and you wonder what happened to him. Suffice it to say, Gabriel is protected by a former police detective and now head of internal security for the collaborators, William Mulligan (played by a taciturn but rather good John Goodman). Mulligan proves to be the most interesting character in the film. He's trying to protect the rebellious Gabriel from falling afoul of alien rule as Mulligan was friends with Gabriel's father, also a detective prior to the invasion.
The real bulk of the action concerns a conspiracy of rebels who communicate with one another often by placing print ads in newspapers. They refer to a "Number One," the leader of the group who is to somehow become unwittingly the alien's trusted agent and set off a bomb while welcomed into their lair. Most of the conspirators are unaware who Number One is. The twist is that Mulligan, who appears to be the #1 collaborator, is actually the #1 conspirator, entrusted with setting off the bomb deep in alien headquarters underground.
A good part of the film involves the conspiracy to set off a bomb at Soldier field, where a collaborator unity rally is being held. The allegorical nature of the story is made clear during this rally where a complacent public is depicted as submissive, lulled into believing the aliens have brought unity to the planet.
This is where the film loses focus--because if you don't realize that the conspirators are all on a suicide mission and their plan is designed to fail, you will find a good deal of what happens before you, confusing (to put it mildly). It's Mulligan who is made to look good as he seemingly uncovers the conspiracy and eliminates it-all designed to impress the aliens, who put him in charge as Acting Commissioner at the surprising climax. Since the Commissioner is the only one allowed to enter the Closed Zone, Mulligan is seen at film's entry headed down into the alien lair, about to set off his bomb.
Captive State has a great twist ending but might have worked better as a one hour cable TV episode as part of a sci-fi series. In the end, the second act machinations are too convoluted and confusing with the entire plot involving the conspiracy (which turns out to be a staged set-up) proving to be not so exciting with rather predictable scenes of annihilation by alien entities who have come out of their cocoon deep underground.
Captive State is filled with clues throughout to suggest things aren't really what they seem. Look for the "trojan horse" illustration on the wall at the prostitute's home. Also note that Mulligan tells Gabriel right before his final mission, that "maybe" the plan all along, was DESIGNED to fail. And finally, traces of the bomb (made out of phosphorescent material) are seen flashing briefly on Mulligan's back right before he goes into the contraption that sends him into the belly of the beast.
Captive State is certainly worth a look (or even a second one), despite a poorly edited and drawn out second Act, since the climax wields a powerful punch.
Better than i anticipated
brent198421 December 2019
Goodman Owns This
damianphelps11 January 2021
Very stylish and cool movie that really makes you feel like you are there, under pursuit/surveillance, in danger, fighting for your existence.
This could be any 'state' where a region is occupied by an aggressive agent, this time it happens to be aliens.
Throws up some great moments that I won't spoil.
However the element I really want to stress is the performance of Goodman, he is simply stellar in this!
This could be any 'state' where a region is occupied by an aggressive agent, this time it happens to be aliens.
Throws up some great moments that I won't spoil.
However the element I really want to stress is the performance of Goodman, he is simply stellar in this!
Omg, John Goodman be my daddy!
oyshalt11 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
My review is by no means to objectively. The movie is not the sci-fi adventure I would normally find appealing. Though it has quite a few interesting and original features, and is absolutely worth watching.
For me, it's all about John Goodman's character and the sympathy and love I felt about him at the end. Beautiful!
The only thing they held Captive was my patience while watching this movie
DJesusUncrossed21 March 2019
After seeing the first trailer for this movie, I thought this would be thought provoking sci-fi movie. That being said, this movie does not provoke any thoughts at all. It's badly written, directed, edited, and shot. The movie itself is ambiguous, without subtlety, or care for the craft being put onto the screen.
What does this mean? Well for starters, the editing is just plain bad, cutting to different angles every two seconds to pointless close-up reactions of characters, which brings no impact to a scene whatsoever. There's a huge lack of shots that go beyond 10 seconds, making it a headache to know or notice certain elements of the set. It reminded of the god awful "Oscar winning" Bohemian Rhapsody, which couldn't stand switching angles at each word being said. There's no focus on a single character in each scene, often talking about set pieces that we can't even see due to the obnoxious editing the movies has.
Speaking of no focus, the writing in this movie was just held captive by the amount of pointless montages, characters, and unneeded ambiguity to the overall story being told. Often times when a character is introduced we focus on him/her for a few scenes before disappearing and showing up after 20 minutes. There's also just so many pointless montages in the movie, like most of the second act is just convoluted with scenes that just make no sense at all. Which brings me to my biggest point in the writing. What was the point at all? The writing is needlessly ambiguous and mysterious that it's seemingly all over the place. I know that too much exposition is bad, but having no exposition at all in a movie that's the sci-fi equivalent of Liam Neeson's Taken, just makes me scratch my head. Like where did this come from? What is that thing he has there? Who is this character who just appeared? Why are they in this place now? It's all just so mysterious and fast paced at the same time, that it just doesn't make any sense at all.
This brings me to the biggest flaw of this movie, the directing. When you have a screenplay as ambiguous as this one, you'd expect a little more subtlety in the visuals, shot compositions, pacing, and overall flow of the story. Instead it's all just so heavily fast paced that is counteracts with the ambiguity the screenplay has set the movie up. Often times the movies would just be trapped in this roundabout of shots, that just seem so uninteresting and repetitive. And I know this film has a short budget, and if that would be the case, then why would most of the visuals be so "in your face" at times. And these visuals are not good looking as well, a lot of the times they are badly rendered, looking like a villain from a Power Rangers show. These flaws just make the story and script look so much worse, a good director would've have had tried to make all that work at visually or technically.
Captive State is a movie that will want you test your patience with a film that's ironically holding itself captive. The editing almost gave me a headache, the screenplay was somehow over and underwritten at the same time, and the directing is just so awful that it just breaks the movie apart even more.
I was pissed because the story and the world had potential, but everyone who worked on the movie didn't want to use that potential. If you like John Goodman, sci-fi movies, or the two combined (my reason for watching this movie) then go watch it. But overall, this movie was more disappointing than my divorce. I'd give this shit show a 3/10.
What does this mean? Well for starters, the editing is just plain bad, cutting to different angles every two seconds to pointless close-up reactions of characters, which brings no impact to a scene whatsoever. There's a huge lack of shots that go beyond 10 seconds, making it a headache to know or notice certain elements of the set. It reminded of the god awful "Oscar winning" Bohemian Rhapsody, which couldn't stand switching angles at each word being said. There's no focus on a single character in each scene, often talking about set pieces that we can't even see due to the obnoxious editing the movies has.
Speaking of no focus, the writing in this movie was just held captive by the amount of pointless montages, characters, and unneeded ambiguity to the overall story being told. Often times when a character is introduced we focus on him/her for a few scenes before disappearing and showing up after 20 minutes. There's also just so many pointless montages in the movie, like most of the second act is just convoluted with scenes that just make no sense at all. Which brings me to my biggest point in the writing. What was the point at all? The writing is needlessly ambiguous and mysterious that it's seemingly all over the place. I know that too much exposition is bad, but having no exposition at all in a movie that's the sci-fi equivalent of Liam Neeson's Taken, just makes me scratch my head. Like where did this come from? What is that thing he has there? Who is this character who just appeared? Why are they in this place now? It's all just so mysterious and fast paced at the same time, that it just doesn't make any sense at all.
This brings me to the biggest flaw of this movie, the directing. When you have a screenplay as ambiguous as this one, you'd expect a little more subtlety in the visuals, shot compositions, pacing, and overall flow of the story. Instead it's all just so heavily fast paced that is counteracts with the ambiguity the screenplay has set the movie up. Often times the movies would just be trapped in this roundabout of shots, that just seem so uninteresting and repetitive. And I know this film has a short budget, and if that would be the case, then why would most of the visuals be so "in your face" at times. And these visuals are not good looking as well, a lot of the times they are badly rendered, looking like a villain from a Power Rangers show. These flaws just make the story and script look so much worse, a good director would've have had tried to make all that work at visually or technically.
Captive State is a movie that will want you test your patience with a film that's ironically holding itself captive. The editing almost gave me a headache, the screenplay was somehow over and underwritten at the same time, and the directing is just so awful that it just breaks the movie apart even more.
I was pissed because the story and the world had potential, but everyone who worked on the movie didn't want to use that potential. If you like John Goodman, sci-fi movies, or the two combined (my reason for watching this movie) then go watch it. But overall, this movie was more disappointing than my divorce. I'd give this shit show a 3/10.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
FrenchEddieFelson5 April 2019
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.
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.
Captive State: When metaphor replaces story
nkgenovese-118 March 2019
This movie had the potential to be a good alien invasion film: Set several years after aliens conquer Earth, this film focuses on a Chicago neighborhood where a resistance cell is planning to fight back.
The problem is that the film is too grim and cheerless for its own good. Admittedly, there are a lot of excellent sci-fi films that have a similar tone (see Blade Runner). However, those movies also had strong character beats and great performances.
Meanwhile, this film can't even decide who the main characters are. The film begins by following John Goodman and Ashton Sanders' respective characters. There is a ten minute long sequence introducing a mostly new cast of characters over a half hour into the film. We don't spend enough time with any one character to get emotionally invested in them and, as a result, there's no emotional investment in the final product. This makes the film a rather dreary affair, no matter who lives or dies, the audience doesn't care.
The problem is that the film is too grim and cheerless for its own good. Admittedly, there are a lot of excellent sci-fi films that have a similar tone (see Blade Runner). However, those movies also had strong character beats and great performances.
Meanwhile, this film can't even decide who the main characters are. The film begins by following John Goodman and Ashton Sanders' respective characters. There is a ten minute long sequence introducing a mostly new cast of characters over a half hour into the film. We don't spend enough time with any one character to get emotionally invested in them and, as a result, there's no emotional investment in the final product. This makes the film a rather dreary affair, no matter who lives or dies, the audience doesn't care.
A rare movie
danielostrovsky24 August 2019
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
This is NOT an action movie, and that's a good thing.
ThePlagueLegion15 March 2019
Written and Directed by Rupert Wyatt, CAPTIVE STATE follows several characters and multiple perspectives in a Chicago neighborhood in a world completely operated by an extraterrestrial force known as 'The Legislators'. The film portrays numerous aspects of this alien occupation, and chronicles the both sides of a brewing conflict between the human race and the aliens.
This is an extremely unique and likely very polarizing movie. Rather than a blockbuster-actioner laden with huge visual effects, CAPTIVE STATE is a somber look at 9 years after the major war has already occurred. What would usually be our primary focus is the framework of the story, which instead is much more of a political-espionage thriller with sci-fi elements. This automatically may be a turn off for some, but I found myself consistently intrigued and excited by the events that play out in the story. Aliens appear throughout the film but only in glimpses and from a far, usually. However, when we do see them up close, the effects work is actually quite impressive for a film made on $25 million. Not all the CG work is great but for the most part, much of it is very seamless and realistic in appearance. The creature design is also very well-done. The Legislators are extremely intimidating antagonists that, despite rarely seeing them in full, maintain a presence over the entire film. Some characters refer to the beings as 'Roaches', due to their insectoid behaviors and language, which consists of strange clicks, gurgles and buzzing. The sound design for these aliens is particularly effective, with many sequences upping the suspense due simply to the offscreen sounds of The Roaches, especially during a key scene toward the third act. The film succeeds in making us very intimidated of The Roaches, despite their infrequent appearances.
It's unfortunate that Captive State has a very unfocused structure. Scenes jump from character to character, with the closest thing resembling a lead being John Goodman's character Bill Mulligan. We never really manage to feel invested in every one of these characters, and instead can only attach to a few. Goodman easily has the best part, with his ambiguous morals and stern demeanor keeping him a very believable, restrained character that steals most of his scenes. Ashton Sanders is very good as another sorta-lead, Gabriel, and several character actors (Alan Ruck, James Ransone, Kevin Dunn) turn in very layered, realistic performances. It's the performances, really, that come through in the end and make us care. Director Wyatt seems much more interested in focusing on the event and entire system of society under alien oppression, rather than the lives and details of each and every one of his characters. In some ways, this is a detriment, as it makes some payoffs feel very numb and sorta empty. But in other ways (which I will not spoil), the restraint on developing the characters pays off completely, as we manage to attach ourselves to them based solely on subtle performances and small character ticks that recur throughout the film. Some dialogue is admittedly clunky, and again, some emotional weight is removed with some of these character's fates when we hardly know some of their names. However, Rupert Wyatt clearly respects his audience, using visuals and limited information a create a very gloomy, suspenseful atmosphere that consistently kept me on edge. The lack of detail on the alien species and their capabilities puts us in the same position as the human characters -- in the dark, scrambling to make it in this ruthless setting.
This, as well as the numerous other pros and a hefty load of solid social commentary, are enough to redeem CAPTIVE STATE of it's scripting faults and jumbled structure. An enthusiastic 7/10.
This is an extremely unique and likely very polarizing movie. Rather than a blockbuster-actioner laden with huge visual effects, CAPTIVE STATE is a somber look at 9 years after the major war has already occurred. What would usually be our primary focus is the framework of the story, which instead is much more of a political-espionage thriller with sci-fi elements. This automatically may be a turn off for some, but I found myself consistently intrigued and excited by the events that play out in the story. Aliens appear throughout the film but only in glimpses and from a far, usually. However, when we do see them up close, the effects work is actually quite impressive for a film made on $25 million. Not all the CG work is great but for the most part, much of it is very seamless and realistic in appearance. The creature design is also very well-done. The Legislators are extremely intimidating antagonists that, despite rarely seeing them in full, maintain a presence over the entire film. Some characters refer to the beings as 'Roaches', due to their insectoid behaviors and language, which consists of strange clicks, gurgles and buzzing. The sound design for these aliens is particularly effective, with many sequences upping the suspense due simply to the offscreen sounds of The Roaches, especially during a key scene toward the third act. The film succeeds in making us very intimidated of The Roaches, despite their infrequent appearances.
It's unfortunate that Captive State has a very unfocused structure. Scenes jump from character to character, with the closest thing resembling a lead being John Goodman's character Bill Mulligan. We never really manage to feel invested in every one of these characters, and instead can only attach to a few. Goodman easily has the best part, with his ambiguous morals and stern demeanor keeping him a very believable, restrained character that steals most of his scenes. Ashton Sanders is very good as another sorta-lead, Gabriel, and several character actors (Alan Ruck, James Ransone, Kevin Dunn) turn in very layered, realistic performances. It's the performances, really, that come through in the end and make us care. Director Wyatt seems much more interested in focusing on the event and entire system of society under alien oppression, rather than the lives and details of each and every one of his characters. In some ways, this is a detriment, as it makes some payoffs feel very numb and sorta empty. But in other ways (which I will not spoil), the restraint on developing the characters pays off completely, as we manage to attach ourselves to them based solely on subtle performances and small character ticks that recur throughout the film. Some dialogue is admittedly clunky, and again, some emotional weight is removed with some of these character's fates when we hardly know some of their names. However, Rupert Wyatt clearly respects his audience, using visuals and limited information a create a very gloomy, suspenseful atmosphere that consistently kept me on edge. The lack of detail on the alien species and their capabilities puts us in the same position as the human characters -- in the dark, scrambling to make it in this ruthless setting.
This, as well as the numerous other pros and a hefty load of solid social commentary, are enough to redeem CAPTIVE STATE of it's scripting faults and jumbled structure. An enthusiastic 7/10.
Meh!
TakeUpReel25 March 2019
There is no character development. I didn't care what happened to any of the characters, because I didn't learn a lot about most of the characters.
The script/plot is a jumbled, boring mess.
The ending was obvious, but by the time things started to come together, it didn't matter.
This could have been an interesting story, but the execution fell flat.
The script/plot is a jumbled, boring mess.
The ending was obvious, but by the time things started to come together, it didn't matter.
This could have been an interesting story, but the execution fell flat.
A Must Watch Intelligent Thriller!
Ender_News5 July 2022
This film went above my expectations, going into it blind I thought it would be a good alien film. But it's not what you expect it's a film that you need to watch 2 times to understand but the concept is quite brilliant. The music, acting, effects are all very well done and keep the film intense. It's a film that keeps you thinking and never makes you look away. But I definitely recommend paying attention cause every little detail and scene has a meaning and a future purpose to unfold. I highly recommend this film it's a hidden classic!
My Name is Captive State and i am not going to hold your Hand
wolffmarcel-5161630 April 2023
The Tone of the Movie is dark and grim from start to finish. No light Moments, no silly jokes, no plotarmor.
Conversations are the bare minimum and the story keeps itself always in focus of what it wants to tell you.
Aliens took over the World but the true enemies we see in the movie are most of the time the willing helpers and traitors of their own kind, other Humans.
But keep in mind, this is not an action movie.
The story follows several members of an underground unit that tries to get something done against the aliens and their human accomplices.
The plot is not realy predictable, the tone and music is concistent and fits the theme very good.
The Movie has a bit of 1984, Equilibrium, V and children of men.
Just tiny bits of each, put together in a refreshing way.
I dont say it reachs the same level like one or the other, depending of your likings. But it sure was entertaining.
I´m not gonna say anything else about the plot and the twist, experience that yourself.
One thing is for sure. It was a pleasent surprise and deserve a better score than 6/10.
I want more Movies that treat me like a thinking person who can put 1+1 together by myself and not a braindead drone like most of todays Hollywood Movies.
Worth a watch.
Conversations are the bare minimum and the story keeps itself always in focus of what it wants to tell you.
Aliens took over the World but the true enemies we see in the movie are most of the time the willing helpers and traitors of their own kind, other Humans.
But keep in mind, this is not an action movie.
The story follows several members of an underground unit that tries to get something done against the aliens and their human accomplices.
The plot is not realy predictable, the tone and music is concistent and fits the theme very good.
The Movie has a bit of 1984, Equilibrium, V and children of men.
Just tiny bits of each, put together in a refreshing way.
I dont say it reachs the same level like one or the other, depending of your likings. But it sure was entertaining.
I´m not gonna say anything else about the plot and the twist, experience that yourself.
One thing is for sure. It was a pleasent surprise and deserve a better score than 6/10.
I want more Movies that treat me like a thinking person who can put 1+1 together by myself and not a braindead drone like most of todays Hollywood Movies.
Worth a watch.
A very interesting, often timely concept, with many effective touches (major spoilers!)
peterrcory25 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this movie quite a lot. I see a lot of reviews for it that suggest its rather mediocre, but its really quite an original concept. Alien invasion is nothing new, but the idea of humans being totally complicit with the aliens is interesting. Add to this the total surveillance of nearly everyone. The aliens and their human helpers (police, intel services, etc) can electronically track anyone with implanted chips.
The way that John Goodman's character is secretly working with the resistance while appearing to be a total turncoat against humanity is quite brilliantly done. The musical score is intense and effective throughout. And the scene at the end when Mulligan (played by Goodman) goes into the decent chamber is wonderfully creepy and compelling. The audio portion of that sequence is an actual recording of a space launch to the moon, which kind of suggests that this is the start of a massive effort to overtake the alien captors.
There are some pointless scenes, like some alien attack sequences that just seem to be fluff. And I would like to have had more background detail about the invasion and maybe have seen the aliens a bit more up close. But overall this was a good movie. 7 stars.
The way that John Goodman's character is secretly working with the resistance while appearing to be a total turncoat against humanity is quite brilliantly done. The musical score is intense and effective throughout. And the scene at the end when Mulligan (played by Goodman) goes into the decent chamber is wonderfully creepy and compelling. The audio portion of that sequence is an actual recording of a space launch to the moon, which kind of suggests that this is the start of a massive effort to overtake the alien captors.
There are some pointless scenes, like some alien attack sequences that just seem to be fluff. And I would like to have had more background detail about the invasion and maybe have seen the aliens a bit more up close. But overall this was a good movie. 7 stars.
Quite decent movie which makes you think deeper
yki-pantteri29 May 2021
Overall this movie reflects alternate future reality well. Who knows what will happen in 20 years or so? This is kind of happening allready in the globe, althought we are the aliens to each other. This movie contains one of the most memorable and intence scene at the end. John Goodman is fantastic and the music, the whole sound athmosphere makes it absolutely great. I will warch this scene many times in the future.
A painful waste of 1 hour and 40 minutes
josephdrew-1462329 May 2019
I don't know where to start because this movie doesn't even know where it's going. The first hour of the movie has no action or aliens yet the trailer made it look like some cool action movie. There is absolutely no character building so you don't give a crap about the cast to the point where you don't even know who is who or what the character's names are. Do yourself a favor if you are thinking about watching this movie and don't. A waste of time, money and film.
Good sci fi, a nice surprise
dworldeater5 August 2019
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 another film misrepresented by its own trailer.
nicholass10922 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
For the past few months, I've been getting bombarded with trailers for this film. Making it seem like a sci-fi action thriller with really interesting characters plotting a way to survive an alien invasion. What it's really about, is Chicago surviving alien occupation, if you came for epic battles or even more than 3 or four scenes of action, you'll be sorely disappointed.
The film starts out as a shakey-cam action movie, showing a car desperately trying to escape a cordoned off Chicago. This is where I felt most mislead, you're following this family around as they're running from cops, breaking through roadblocks and you're aching to find out why, obviously you know this movie has something to do with aliens, and you're hoping it's not another cloverfield or other cheap alien movie where you never see who the hell the enemy is, and then you're greeted by one of the creepiest aliens ever conceived by a concept artist. Relief instantly comes over you as you realize you're not going to sit for 2 hours just to see stock footage of public disasters and a giant alien leg and you think "ok this can't be that bad if I've already seen some aliens". Then the worst happens. A flash forward, nearly 10 years later you're in dystopian Chicago, waiting nearly an hour to see some kind of action. The entire movie is about a resistance cell planning to rid the city of the aliens once and for all. But the individual scenes don't really connect that well, one moment you're watching John Goodman drive through the Chicago streets like he's the newest member to the fast and the furious cast, then you're watching him get felt up by some woman and you can't even understand why, then you're watching the protaganist wander from place to place seemingly aimlessly, then you're watching a heist-film-like planning operation take place, then BOOM explosions-gunfire yada yada yada. More melodrama. Aliens land. Catch the resistance scum, generic torture scene, protaganist helps the bad guy to save his friend, bla bla bla, main bad guy was just a double agent the whole time, epic explosions (off screen) and the credits roll as you watch a Tom Clancy map of the world being taken over again by humans. Yay earth. What a waste of time. If you're like me and you don't like waiting two hours to find out what you're watching, then don't waste your time on this film. I'm upset that I spend 33 bucks to take myself and my girlfriend to see this film. We were both disappointed.
The film starts out as a shakey-cam action movie, showing a car desperately trying to escape a cordoned off Chicago. This is where I felt most mislead, you're following this family around as they're running from cops, breaking through roadblocks and you're aching to find out why, obviously you know this movie has something to do with aliens, and you're hoping it's not another cloverfield or other cheap alien movie where you never see who the hell the enemy is, and then you're greeted by one of the creepiest aliens ever conceived by a concept artist. Relief instantly comes over you as you realize you're not going to sit for 2 hours just to see stock footage of public disasters and a giant alien leg and you think "ok this can't be that bad if I've already seen some aliens". Then the worst happens. A flash forward, nearly 10 years later you're in dystopian Chicago, waiting nearly an hour to see some kind of action. The entire movie is about a resistance cell planning to rid the city of the aliens once and for all. But the individual scenes don't really connect that well, one moment you're watching John Goodman drive through the Chicago streets like he's the newest member to the fast and the furious cast, then you're watching him get felt up by some woman and you can't even understand why, then you're watching the protaganist wander from place to place seemingly aimlessly, then you're watching a heist-film-like planning operation take place, then BOOM explosions-gunfire yada yada yada. More melodrama. Aliens land. Catch the resistance scum, generic torture scene, protaganist helps the bad guy to save his friend, bla bla bla, main bad guy was just a double agent the whole time, epic explosions (off screen) and the credits roll as you watch a Tom Clancy map of the world being taken over again by humans. Yay earth. What a waste of time. If you're like me and you don't like waiting two hours to find out what you're watching, then don't waste your time on this film. I'm upset that I spend 33 bucks to take myself and my girlfriend to see this film. We were both disappointed.
Finally an alien film with some substance!
oldchunkofcoal8 November 2019
Not sure why this movie got so much hate. I'm very picky when it comes to movies, but I thought captive state was great. Maybe people didn't like it because it wasn't your typical "Alien movie" like war of the worlds for example, it had more substance to it. So i would definitely recommend it to any sci fi fans out there.
Patience pays off beautifully
Kausan119 August 2021
A refreshing change to the scifi dross I've watched lately.
Needs a bit of patience at the start, but once things get going it's an engrossing, well crafted, thriller.
Ignore the poor reviews if you like something that doesn't treat the audience like idiots.
Would have given a higher mark if the start had been more engaging.
Needs a bit of patience at the start, but once things get going it's an engrossing, well crafted, thriller.
Ignore the poor reviews if you like something that doesn't treat the audience like idiots.
Would have given a higher mark if the start had been more engaging.
The fracking overlords
Prismark1015 June 2019
Captive State should had been an interesting alien resistance movie. Director Rupert Wyatt turns it into a listless dour movie with a fuzzy plot.
There has been alien invasion and the governments of the world realise they cannot defeat the invaders so they cooperate with them. The humans of planet Earth has been colonised and made to work hard.
Captive State is set nine years later in Chicago. William Mulligan (John Goodman) is the detective who is after an insurgent group. One of whom is presumed dead but turns up alive. These resistance fighters have an elaborate plan to destroy the aliens during a unity rally. The aliens what we see of them who look a bit like spiky spider type creature.
The film keeps many of the characters shallow, the plot is kept murky so it can deliver its plot twist. After a sombre beginning the film does pick up pace eventually.
There has been alien invasion and the governments of the world realise they cannot defeat the invaders so they cooperate with them. The humans of planet Earth has been colonised and made to work hard.
Captive State is set nine years later in Chicago. William Mulligan (John Goodman) is the detective who is after an insurgent group. One of whom is presumed dead but turns up alive. These resistance fighters have an elaborate plan to destroy the aliens during a unity rally. The aliens what we see of them who look a bit like spiky spider type creature.
The film keeps many of the characters shallow, the plot is kept murky so it can deliver its plot twist. After a sombre beginning the film does pick up pace eventually.
Colony meets The French Connection.
Safetylight3 October 2020
First off...
We're spoiled! -As media consumers... If this film had come out thirty years ago, people would still be talking about it today, teaching it in college film classes. The visuals and set designs were extremely well produced, the actors believable, (Goodman's weary detective partner was only in a couple of scenes, but his performance was so much fun to watch).
Sure, Captive State wasn't inventing anything new, (so maybe it wouldn't actually be taught in film history), but it knows all its metrics and uses them well. The production values were top notch, Chicago looked as bombed out and rutted with ruin as you could ever want for a post-war film set on modern American soil.
And that's hard! Visuals which have insightful backstories but which are not spoon fed to the viewers? If the observant and interested viewer might ask, "Whoa. What was that I just saw the camera breeze over back there?", I suspect the set designers and prop masters would be able and possibly even eager to explain it fully.
In the real world, every object, by virtue of simply existing in reality, makes sense in its presence. It has a series of causes and effects which served to place it there. -In a movie, however, the true reason an object appears on set is that the film crew put it there, (or chose not to hide it), and that means limited human minds were responsible for inventing a plausible narrative for its appearance. And humans aren't always very good at the job. -Which is particularly challenging for the sci-fi genre, whose viewership is often made up of obsessively knowledgeable and observant sorts.
For instance.., there's one shot in a bunker, with a kid is sitting on top of a bank of filthy car batteries. Just a quick glimpse, only a one or two seconds on screen. -But they were not arbitrary set dressing; they were probably powering the bank of salvaged computers being used by the story's resident hacker. (Also only on screen for no more than ten seconds). But by this point in the film, after seeing the exquisite attention to detail, I was willing to bet that if the hacker bunker were a real place, then the number of batteries necessary to run the operation would be accurate to the amp hour. Somebody worked it all out. It wasn't just a mythological wall of blinking lights and dials like you see in some generic Bat Cave. The set pieces were probably only a short distance away from actual functionality. (I hope the team responsible for designing the sets reads this: Great Job!)
Another of my favorite points:
Much of the story was told through television news clips, and man, they did a bang-up job with those! The fog of background news chatter seemed very authentic, had the newscaster voices and visual patterning any ongoing network coverage of war and disaster might feel like today. -It was not the focus, but put there deliberately to have that exact effect of filling the void with history, all well observed and well accomplished! Again.., Great Work!
However.., there were a couple of points in the story itself which I thought were a little too precisely thought out. -The execution of the elaborate underground bombing mission, without the allowance of any open coms, requiring the exactly timed actions of a half dozen rebel agents to not trip or miss their marks seemed a bit unlikely. -Like, when the calls for action came down, if just one participant had been taking a washroom break, or even just in the next room over, the whole operation would have stuttered.
But I can excuse that. It was cool to see an underground rebellion operation work flawlessly even if the mechanism seemed a little wishful in their perfection. In the depressing, hope-deprived environment of their soot-covered world, it's hard to begrudge a little sunshine by way of excellent human agents. And who knows? I've never lived under the heel of an authoritarian alien oppressor government, so perhaps it's only human to rise to the challenge. I'm willing to be the creators of this film would put up a stiff argument for why their protagonists were operating well within expected human capacities. Maybe I'm just soft.
Though.., at the ending, -and I mean the very ending, where the credits are rolling, the viewer is presented with a series of images which suggest how the story continues for the human race, and does so in positive, "Yay! We won!" kind of way. That seemed more than a little wishful to me, given what we had seen already and what we know historically regarding technologically superior colonizing forces. But in the realm of sci-fi, where cutting the red wire three seconds before the clock runs down, and where internet computer viruses reliably save the day, I'm not going to cast judgement on a little wanton hope at the end of this film. And anyway, it wasn't overt; most people would be filing out of the cinema at that point. Besides, who wants to watch a film where the bad guys win at the end?
Otherwise, I was really quite pleased to have seen this film. I hadn't been expecting much, and was rewarded with a much smarter script than this sort of fare normally offers along with a beautifully designed and produced visual experience with lots to chew on for the curious observer.
We're spoiled! -As media consumers... If this film had come out thirty years ago, people would still be talking about it today, teaching it in college film classes. The visuals and set designs were extremely well produced, the actors believable, (Goodman's weary detective partner was only in a couple of scenes, but his performance was so much fun to watch).
Sure, Captive State wasn't inventing anything new, (so maybe it wouldn't actually be taught in film history), but it knows all its metrics and uses them well. The production values were top notch, Chicago looked as bombed out and rutted with ruin as you could ever want for a post-war film set on modern American soil.
And that's hard! Visuals which have insightful backstories but which are not spoon fed to the viewers? If the observant and interested viewer might ask, "Whoa. What was that I just saw the camera breeze over back there?", I suspect the set designers and prop masters would be able and possibly even eager to explain it fully.
In the real world, every object, by virtue of simply existing in reality, makes sense in its presence. It has a series of causes and effects which served to place it there. -In a movie, however, the true reason an object appears on set is that the film crew put it there, (or chose not to hide it), and that means limited human minds were responsible for inventing a plausible narrative for its appearance. And humans aren't always very good at the job. -Which is particularly challenging for the sci-fi genre, whose viewership is often made up of obsessively knowledgeable and observant sorts.
For instance.., there's one shot in a bunker, with a kid is sitting on top of a bank of filthy car batteries. Just a quick glimpse, only a one or two seconds on screen. -But they were not arbitrary set dressing; they were probably powering the bank of salvaged computers being used by the story's resident hacker. (Also only on screen for no more than ten seconds). But by this point in the film, after seeing the exquisite attention to detail, I was willing to bet that if the hacker bunker were a real place, then the number of batteries necessary to run the operation would be accurate to the amp hour. Somebody worked it all out. It wasn't just a mythological wall of blinking lights and dials like you see in some generic Bat Cave. The set pieces were probably only a short distance away from actual functionality. (I hope the team responsible for designing the sets reads this: Great Job!)
Another of my favorite points:
Much of the story was told through television news clips, and man, they did a bang-up job with those! The fog of background news chatter seemed very authentic, had the newscaster voices and visual patterning any ongoing network coverage of war and disaster might feel like today. -It was not the focus, but put there deliberately to have that exact effect of filling the void with history, all well observed and well accomplished! Again.., Great Work!
However.., there were a couple of points in the story itself which I thought were a little too precisely thought out. -The execution of the elaborate underground bombing mission, without the allowance of any open coms, requiring the exactly timed actions of a half dozen rebel agents to not trip or miss their marks seemed a bit unlikely. -Like, when the calls for action came down, if just one participant had been taking a washroom break, or even just in the next room over, the whole operation would have stuttered.
But I can excuse that. It was cool to see an underground rebellion operation work flawlessly even if the mechanism seemed a little wishful in their perfection. In the depressing, hope-deprived environment of their soot-covered world, it's hard to begrudge a little sunshine by way of excellent human agents. And who knows? I've never lived under the heel of an authoritarian alien oppressor government, so perhaps it's only human to rise to the challenge. I'm willing to be the creators of this film would put up a stiff argument for why their protagonists were operating well within expected human capacities. Maybe I'm just soft.
Though.., at the ending, -and I mean the very ending, where the credits are rolling, the viewer is presented with a series of images which suggest how the story continues for the human race, and does so in positive, "Yay! We won!" kind of way. That seemed more than a little wishful to me, given what we had seen already and what we know historically regarding technologically superior colonizing forces. But in the realm of sci-fi, where cutting the red wire three seconds before the clock runs down, and where internet computer viruses reliably save the day, I'm not going to cast judgement on a little wanton hope at the end of this film. And anyway, it wasn't overt; most people would be filing out of the cinema at that point. Besides, who wants to watch a film where the bad guys win at the end?
Otherwise, I was really quite pleased to have seen this film. I hadn't been expecting much, and was rewarded with a much smarter script than this sort of fare normally offers along with a beautifully designed and produced visual experience with lots to chew on for the curious observer.
The second half beats the first one
patrick-9164016 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The second half is where the movie begins to shine. It binds all the loose ends together and has a rather clever resolution/ending. With that ending many characters develop further and become more relatable.
The first half on the other hand is clearly the weak spot of the movie. Too many characters, too fuzzy story telling and sometimes an even bad pacing. I was close to skipping this one after the first 30 minutes have passed. Glad I didn't.
Besides that there are some major deficits. For example that we nearly see nothing of the alien forces or why they are so welcomed by the humans. In the eye of extinction I would have expected a lot more resistance. Besides that this is a tremendous waste of opportunity because the alien design seems to be decent enough and worth a closer look.
All in all the second half and the ending carry the movie. At least if you don't except an action or dci fi movie. Captive state is none of that but a mostly clever character centered political thriller with an intense atmosphere.
The first half on the other hand is clearly the weak spot of the movie. Too many characters, too fuzzy story telling and sometimes an even bad pacing. I was close to skipping this one after the first 30 minutes have passed. Glad I didn't.
Besides that there are some major deficits. For example that we nearly see nothing of the alien forces or why they are so welcomed by the humans. In the eye of extinction I would have expected a lot more resistance. Besides that this is a tremendous waste of opportunity because the alien design seems to be decent enough and worth a closer look.
All in all the second half and the ending carry the movie. At least if you don't except an action or dci fi movie. Captive state is none of that but a mostly clever character centered political thriller with an intense atmosphere.
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