Captive State (Review)
Captive State is Not the Sci-Fi Movie You Think It is.
Captive State manages to do a lot of things right in its execution. It’s a smart movie that relies on subterfuge to tell a tale of revolutionaries defying hostile alien rule. I found the film to have an impressively crafted narrative, but in trying so hard to employ the kind of deception that the characters in the movie rely on, Captive State encounters a ton of issues when it comes to its story structure and is a bit of a mess at times. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie quite like this.
The film starts at the tail end of an alien invasion and little explanation as humans surrender to the rule of ‘The Legislators,’ a terrifying breed of extraterrestrials that are some of the strangest I’ve ever seen on the big screen. However, this is where I encountered my first problem with Captive State. The vast majority of the movie feels like it’s the second act to a film that I must have missed the first thirty minutes of. This continues throughout as characters come and go that are never really introduced and a plan is set in motion that the audience never gets a chance to have explained to them. It’s clear that director Rupert Wyatt is treating the audience as though they were a cell in a revolutionary (or terrorist, depending on which side of the fight you’re on) network. In other words, we’re never let in on the bigger picture, which is a bold choice but one that comes with plenty of risks. Unfortunately, I feel as though it’s a choice that won’t pay off when it comes to the vast majority of audiences and ends up making Captive State feel a bit too convoluted.
If you’re expecting an action-packed adventure form Captive State then you will be sorely disappointed. There are no epic shoot outs. There’s no war in the streets. Instead, this is a story about the few coming together in order to deal a blow to an enemy that is impossible for them to actually defeat. However, that’s never the goal of the network we see at play here. Instead, they hope to inspire others around the world to take up the fight again against them. In that regard, Captive State is an inspiring film that shows anyone can take a stand against injustice in the world no matter how greatly outnumbered or outgunned they might be. However, the inspiration stops at the concept since you never really get a chance to know the characters who so bravely take part in this fight.
As creative as Captive State gets with it’s deceptive and cunning narrative, it becomes pretty clear exactly what’s going on about halfway through the film. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a pretty smart movie, but it’s not one that manages to “Keyser Soze” audiences, especially if they’ve been paying attention. The thing is that it’s hard at points to maintain your focus on what’s going on because the pacing is pretty glacial even when things start heating up. The biggest problem is that because it never takes the time to really introduce the characters there’s no emotional connection to any of them, which means it’s hard to really care if they succeed or fail. The film eventually reveals who they are, but by the point, it’s too little too late. Don’t get me wrong, the performances are pretty solid throughout the film, but without knowing who the characters are or why we should care about them, it’s difficult to become invested in them.
Essentially my problem with Captive State is that it’s a bit too cold for a film about people fighting for the future of mankind. It’s a film that doesn’t have as much heart as it needs to in order to gain the traction it needs to be a truly great movie. It’s certainly well executed, but the foundation on which it’s built isn’t solid enough for it to pull off its intentions. Even despite this though I found myself enjoying watching everything play on screen. Wyatt and Erica Beeney are incredibly detail oriented when it comes to the plan the characters set in motion. They seem to cover all the bases and I can’t find any flaws or moments where I didn’t believe what was happening could work in the world the characters inhabit.
Captive State is one of those rare films that is well made and quite good, but not necessarily enjoyable. I don’t want to discourage anyone from going to see this movie, if only for how unique it proves to be. However, I want to temper expectation for those sitting down to watch it. Several people walked out of the showing I attended, but I have a feeling if you can make it through to the very end it’s a movie that will give a bit of satisfaction. More importantly, it’s a film that makes you think. After all, every freedom fighter is essentially a terrorist depending on which side of the line you’re on. Captive State is an eye-opener when it comes to that and because of that, I think it’s an incredibly effective bit of filmmaking overall.
