If you haven't heard of Captive State you are not alone. When I told one of my friends I was taking my son to see the film this past weekend, he responded with, "Oh that is in theaters? I thought it was a straight to Netflix movie." The fact that it only took in approximately $3.2 million for its opening weekend seems to indicate my buddy was not alone.
Although he was incorrect, he shouldn't have been. Captive State is not a movie meant for a theatrical release. There simply isn't enough meat to warrant spending significant time or money on consuming this film. In fact, I think this would have made a much better installment of the new Twilight Zone on CBS All Access. This movie was way too long for what it is. I believe Captive State included approximately 50 minutes of interesting content. Unfortunately, the movie makers disagreed and included another 50 minutes of unnecessary filler.
Since it is a bit obscure, here is a quick spoiler free primer on the movie. Captive State is set in Chicago ten years after an alien invasion. Unlike many sci-fi movies based on this premise, these aliens do not seem to be systematically killing Earth's human inhabitants. Instead, they have taken over every government and are bringing order to the planet... but at what cost? No seriously. I was hoping you could tell me.
After we left the theater, my son and I questioned why the characters were so adamant about killing the aliens. Although it was true they had taken over and were operating in secret, there was never any evidence the aliens were any worse than a human government. Luckily, he and I both have very active imaginations so we decided to let this go and simply assume the revolutionaries had good reason to risk their lives.
The movie centers around a group of seemingly unconnected strangers who comprise a secret organization known as "The Phoenix". This organization has sworn to stop the aliens from... doing something. I'm not being vague in the name of remaining spoiler free. I honestly don't know what the aliens were doing or why it needed to be stopped.
During the first act of the movie, the creators establish the main character Gabriel as a good kid whose father was a police detective. Like his brother who is a fallen hero of "The Phoenix", Gabriel does not want to bow down to the aliens. He does comply enough to keep he and his girlfriend safe.
After this formulaic set-up, the movie picks up... briefly. The middle of the movie is dominated by "The Phoenix" plotting and carrying out a "terrorist" attack against the aliens. The 30 minutes of set up and execution were actually quite exciting. The writers included some original ideas. The fact that we know nothing about the conspirators was actually pretty cool. I had the feeling that the creators were trying to convey the concept that a Revolution is faceless. The individuals do not matter. The Movement matters. Unfortunately this middle act was thwarted by the cliche set-up and ending.
This mishmash was the main problem I had with the movie. It could not pick a lane. It either needed to be one 50 minute episode of Twilight Zone where none of the conspirators had a real identity, or it needed to be a 10 episode series that fully fleshed out each and every character. The combination of the two into one movie simply did not work. A story that began with nameless characters plotting against evil overlords combined with a nice twist of an ending could have been interesting. Likewise, learning more about each conspirator could and the events leading up to a "gotcha" ending could have been compelling. Unfortunately, by trying to accomplish both, the film accomplished almost nothing.
Please note, I said almost nothing. Even in its current form, this movie is not terrible. The caper, John Goodman's performance, and attempt at a clever (yet painfully obvious) ending was enough to save it from being a complete train wreck. The fact that my son and I attended a 1/2 price matinee certainly didn't hurt either.
If you were paying attention, you may have noticed I have not commented on the special effects. That is because there are almost none. If I were to guess, I would say the aliens were on screen for less than 3 minutes total. This is not an action packed sci-fi adventure. It is a story about a revolution.
Although I certainly cannot recommend anyone spend their time on this movie, it might be worth it to check out on Netflix sometime when you have nothing else to do.
Geeky Guy's Movie Guide
No need for one. The movie is meh. Don't bother spending money on it. If you think it looks interesting, wait to watch it for free on Netflix. I assure you that you won't have to wait very long.
For a little added fun, there is a website that has some added content. It is nowhere near as detailed as the Cloverfield ARG but it was amusing to check out before the movie. https://thelegislaturegov.com/captivestate/