Captive State Movie Review

The following is a movie review “Captive State” by Marc Primo.

Release date: March 15, 2019 (United States)

Directors: Rupert Wyatt

Language: English

Production Company: Dreamworks, Amblin Partners, Lightfuse & Gettaway, Participant Media

Producer: Jonathan King, Ron Schmidt, Jeff Skoll

As for coherence, this new sci-fi offering from director Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, The Gambler) does have its own hidden gems that, unfortunately, get buried under the film’s complicated themes and ideas. From its muddled editing to some organizational issues, audiences might easily tire if not for a glimmer of hope that things might turn around later on.

We’ve seen it all before: aliens wreaking havoc on Earth as an apocalyptic future looms. Captive State takes us to that precise moment when the smoke clears and we are left contemplating what happens next. The lead Gabriel is played by Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), who resides in one of the most challenging areas post-alien invasion where he works for a digital data-erasing factory. The first complication sets in as his brother Rafe, played by Jonathan Majors (The Last Man In San Francisco) leads a resistance group against the state. John Goodman adds star power to the impressive cast as Mulligan, a cop who takes Gabriel under his wing but remains suspicious of another ensuing rebellion, as suggested by Gabriel’s actions.

While we get the answers to all the questions the film raises about aliens, the film falls short in the action department and overly compensates through its plot, despite having a handsome budget of $25 million. There are some good highlights, though, within its sequences that make Captive State likeable and the alien special effects succeeded in making me feel a bit uneasy. With the scarcity of sci-fi ideas these days, the film somehow gives its audiences something worthy to think about no matter how complex its storytelling can be. Give this one a chance and forgive it for its minor faults.

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