Captive State (2019)

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt | 110 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: John Goodman, Ashton Sanders, Jonathan Majors, Vera Farmiga, Kevin Dunn, James Ransone, Alan Ruck, Madeline Brewer, Machine Gun Kelly, Kevin J. O’Connor, Ben Daniels, Caitlin Ewald, Lawrence Grimm, Guy Van Swearingen, Elena Marisa Flores, DB Sweeney

‘Captive State’ by director Rupert Wyatt (‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’) represents action, adventure and drama. Not necessarily in that order. It’s an intriguing mix of styles. Science fiction, political thriller? Yes, ‘Arrival’ meets ‘Armageddon’ or ‘District 9’ which cheats with ‘1984’. No easy fare and the gloomy, dark tones do not represent ‘popcorn entertainment’. The story? Chicago, nine years after an alien invasion. They are now the legislature, the so-called ‘Legislators’. There are collaborators and dissidents, so to speak the haves and the have nots. The have nots try to resist and the haves (politicians/police apparatus) must report to the totalitarian, alien regime that resides underground.

John Goodman (previously working with Wyatt in 2014’s ‘The Gambler’) steals the acting show as a police inspector trying to map the rebel cell. Two brothers, the young Gabriel (an excellent Ashton Sanders) and the chaste Rafe (Jonathan Majors) and their various cronies, try to hollow out the regime from within. Each with his/her own task and talent. But because every resident of Chicago has a GPS tracker on his neck, every step of everyone is tracked by big brothers with cameras. We see how inventively the rebels try to avoid this. We also see an unexpected plot twist. Until then it is a puzzle: how, what, why, who? What’s up? In short: concentration is required from the somewhat sober beginning, but then you are presented with a film that shudders and makes you think. With pleasant supporting roles from Alan Ruck (‘Twister’, ‘Speed’), Ben Daniels (‘The Crown’) and Vera Farmiga (‘The Departed’, ‘Orphan’).

Although there is little to see ‘alien activity’ in ‘Captive State’, the few moments in which they appear are very strong. The aliens themselves are uniquely designed, a plus for a film that had to do with a limited budget of 25 million dollars. ‘Captive State’ shows ordinary people who – despite everything – take up arms against the system. Freedom as a great good in the midst of corrupt politicians, rich versus poor and exploitation. Again, it takes a while for the film to unfold, due to its many one-dimensional characters, but all in all it’s very captivating.

An original work by Wyatt, with a hypnotic film score and an intriguing storyline. Solve the puzzle or not. Anyway: a special movie experience!