Captive State – 3 out of 5
Alien invasion stories are pretty standard sci-fi staples. They’ve been told over and over again and with different leanings and tones. Sometimes it can be hard to find something new in this trope because there are so many out there that have done the same thing and have displayed tales we’ve seen in some forms quite a few times. On paper, Captive State feels like a different take and it does succeed in this department. The sad part is it falters in other aspects.
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| I don't know what these things are but I'm gonna assume they are alien lighthouses. |
In the year 2019, aliens landed on the planet and mankind surrendered to them and making them the governing body of the entire planet. During their initial invasion, brothers Gabriel (Ashton Sanders) and Rafe Drummond (Jonathan Majors) lose their parents. Eight years later, Rafe becomes a member of a resistance group against the aliens but is believed to be dead while Gabriel lives an impoverished life where he is constantly harassed by police officer William Mulligan (John Goodman) while he secretly plans on fleeing with his girlfriend and best friend Jurgis (Machine Gun Kelly). Gabriel soon learns that his brother is alive and is working with the resistance to strike at the alien’s governing body through an attack at an upcoming event but with Mulligan on Gabriel’s tail the entire resistance is threatened to be exposed and eliminated.
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| Even though aliens have taken over Chicago there are still people being defiant... defiant in not calling the Sears Tower the Willis Tower. |
Captive State has a great idea working in its favor. I really liked the concept of an underground resistance trying to take out an oppressive form of alien government and the story has some great thriller and mystery elements that enhance this. When this film is on the right track it was insanely good but when this film’s problems surface I found the narrative to be dragging and the product start to get boring. The biggest issue this film had is the development of the characters.
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| "It wasn't always like this. It all started when we foolishly stormed Area 51..." |
Mystery is a big component to Captive State. What is the final plan of the resistance and who is even in the resistance are the big questions that you are left wondering as you see the story unfold. There’s even a line of dialogue that states that resistance members don’t even know who else is a resistance member in order to protect one another. This is show in a very engaging way as the plan to attack a rally is put into play. You see the secret messages going out and the players involved getting ready and putting the whole thing in motion. The sequence is incredibly enthralling and terrifically executed. You know nothing about the characters except for their involvement in the resistance and it really submerges you into what the resistance is. This is very cool…to an extent. After this sequence we are then left following characters we literally know nothing about and are expected to feel for them as their actions cause repercussions. You are then left with a lack of development and the mystery being purposely sealed off with no hints that any reveals in story will be shown or anything to be unfolded and it really kills the film’s momentum and my overall interest. The narrative quickly turned boring as no questions are answered and you’re left with no exploration of the characters or conflict and then are given a data dump in the closing seconds as it ties up all the loose ends that were established. This left for a very disappointing conclusion and a third act that felt like it was meandering.
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| Will Smith punched this one and said, "Welcome to Earth" but stopped short when it's porcupine skin punctured his fist. |
From a performance perspective, the film is solid and has a tremendous cast. I mean, you have John Goodman on the roster and that man always gives his all and only seems to get better with age. I will admit there were some acting choices that I found a touch peculiar and couldn’t quite figure out what the actor was going for with their character but these moments are few and far between. Overall, however, the cast is doing great in this one.
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| Goodman makes films noticeably better...this film might have received a 2 out of 5 if he wasn't in this. |
I really wanted to like Captive State because the premise is solid, the film is shot amazingly, and it has a great cast but it showcases just how difficult a good mystery is to craft. You need to explore the questions deep enough and feather out answers at a pace that keeps the audience interested and invested. Deciding to drop all the answers at the end with very little hints as the plot progresses feels like an insult and when you add in that the story barely develops characters and you are left with a film that initially grabbed me with its concept and a fantastic tactical attack sequence but lost me due to a feeling of detachment from the product. Finally, not to nitpick, but the aliens weren’t the coolest thing that’s been in this sci-fi subgenre. It’s not an overtly bad film but one that definitely felt very promising and, sadly, never lives up to said promise.
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