Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extraterrestrial force, 'Captive State' explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents.
In the wake of humanity's extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news.
The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.
Director:
Michael Dougherty
Stars:
Kyle Chandler,
Vera Farmiga,
Millie Bobby Brown
Beneath Anna Poliatova's (Sasha Luss') striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.
Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.
A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They've secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon's toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive. Forced to contend not only with the forest's other ruthless inhabitants, but with her own ... See full summary »
Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.
Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix, causing the X-Men to decide if her life is worth more than all of humanity.
Director:
Simon Kinberg
Stars:
James McAvoy,
Michael Fassbender,
Jennifer Lawrence
Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extraterrestrial force, 'Captive State' explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents.
Security camera footage of Gabriel's interrogation indicates the events of the film are happening in July, but the costumes and scenery throughout the film clearly indicate the story is taking place during winter. See more »
Crazy Credits
During the beginning of the end credits, a map of the world is shown with listed locations where human rebellions have achieved victory against the aliens, across America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. See more »
Stardust
Written by Mitchell Parish and Hoagy Carmichael
Published by EMI Mills Music Inc. and Songs of Peer, Ltd (ASCAP)
Performed by Nat 'King' Cole (as Nat King Cole)
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises See more »
Written and Directed by Rupert Wyatt, CAPTIVE STATE follows several characters and multiple perspectives in a Chicago neighborhood in a world completely operated by an extraterrestrial force known as 'The Legislators'. The film portrays numerous aspects of this alien occupation, and chronicles the both sides of a brewing conflict between the human race and the aliens.
This is an extremely unique and likely very polarizing movie. Rather than a blockbuster-actioner laden with huge visual effects, CAPTIVE STATE is a somber look at 9 years after the major war has already occurred. What would usually be our primary focus is the framework of the story, which instead is much more of a political-espionage thriller with sci-fi elements. This automatically may be a turn off for some, but I found myself consistently intrigued and excited by the events that play out in the story. Aliens appear throughout the film but only in glimpses and from a far, usually. However, when we do see them up close, the effects work is actually quite impressive for a film made on $25 million. Not all the CG work is great but for the most part, much of it is very seamless and realistic in appearance. The creature design is also very well-done. The Legislators are extremely intimidating antagonists that, despite rarely seeing them in full, maintain a presence over the entire film. Some characters refer to the beings as 'Roaches', due to their insectoid behaviors and language, which consists of strange clicks, gurgles and buzzing. The sound design for these aliens is particularly effective, with many sequences upping the suspense due simply to the offscreen sounds of The Roaches, especially during a key scene toward the third act. The film succeeds in making us very intimidated of The Roaches, despite their infrequent appearances.
It's unfortunate that Captive State has a very unfocused structure. Scenes jump from character to character, with the closest thing resembling a lead being John Goodman's character Bill Mulligan. We never really manage to feel invested in every one of these characters, and instead can only attach to a few. Goodman easily has the best part, with his ambiguous morals and stern demeanor keeping him a very believable, restrained character that steals most of his scenes. Ashton Sanders is very good as another sorta-lead, Gabriel, and several character actors (Alan Ruck, James Ransone, Kevin Dunn) turn in very layered, realistic performances. It's the performances, really, that come through in the end and make us care. Director Wyatt seems much more interested in focusing on the event and entire system of society under alien oppression, rather than the lives and details of each and every one of his characters. In some ways, this is a detriment, as it makes some payoffs feel very numb and sorta empty. But in other ways (which I will not spoil), the restraint on developing the characters pays off completely, as we manage to attach ourselves to them based solely on subtle performances and small character ticks that recur throughout the film. Some dialogue is admittedly clunky, and again, some emotional weight is removed with some of these character's fates when we hardly know some of their names. However, Rupert Wyatt clearly respects his audience, using visuals and limited information a create a very gloomy, suspenseful atmosphere that consistently kept me on edge. The lack of detail on the alien species and their capabilities puts us in the same position as the human characters -- in the dark, scrambling to make it in this ruthless setting.
This, as well as the numerous other pros and a hefty load of solid social commentary, are enough to redeem CAPTIVE STATE of it's scripting faults and jumbled structure. An enthusiastic 7/10.
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Written and Directed by Rupert Wyatt, CAPTIVE STATE follows several characters and multiple perspectives in a Chicago neighborhood in a world completely operated by an extraterrestrial force known as 'The Legislators'. The film portrays numerous aspects of this alien occupation, and chronicles the both sides of a brewing conflict between the human race and the aliens.
This is an extremely unique and likely very polarizing movie. Rather than a blockbuster-actioner laden with huge visual effects, CAPTIVE STATE is a somber look at 9 years after the major war has already occurred. What would usually be our primary focus is the framework of the story, which instead is much more of a political-espionage thriller with sci-fi elements. This automatically may be a turn off for some, but I found myself consistently intrigued and excited by the events that play out in the story. Aliens appear throughout the film but only in glimpses and from a far, usually. However, when we do see them up close, the effects work is actually quite impressive for a film made on $25 million. Not all the CG work is great but for the most part, much of it is very seamless and realistic in appearance. The creature design is also very well-done. The Legislators are extremely intimidating antagonists that, despite rarely seeing them in full, maintain a presence over the entire film. Some characters refer to the beings as 'Roaches', due to their insectoid behaviors and language, which consists of strange clicks, gurgles and buzzing. The sound design for these aliens is particularly effective, with many sequences upping the suspense due simply to the offscreen sounds of The Roaches, especially during a key scene toward the third act. The film succeeds in making us very intimidated of The Roaches, despite their infrequent appearances.
It's unfortunate that Captive State has a very unfocused structure. Scenes jump from character to character, with the closest thing resembling a lead being John Goodman's character Bill Mulligan. We never really manage to feel invested in every one of these characters, and instead can only attach to a few. Goodman easily has the best part, with his ambiguous morals and stern demeanor keeping him a very believable, restrained character that steals most of his scenes. Ashton Sanders is very good as another sorta-lead, Gabriel, and several character actors (Alan Ruck, James Ransone, Kevin Dunn) turn in very layered, realistic performances. It's the performances, really, that come through in the end and make us care. Director Wyatt seems much more interested in focusing on the event and entire system of society under alien oppression, rather than the lives and details of each and every one of his characters. In some ways, this is a detriment, as it makes some payoffs feel very numb and sorta empty. But in other ways (which I will not spoil), the restraint on developing the characters pays off completely, as we manage to attach ourselves to them based solely on subtle performances and small character ticks that recur throughout the film. Some dialogue is admittedly clunky, and again, some emotional weight is removed with some of these character's fates when we hardly know some of their names. However, Rupert Wyatt clearly respects his audience, using visuals and limited information a create a very gloomy, suspenseful atmosphere that consistently kept me on edge. The lack of detail on the alien species and their capabilities puts us in the same position as the human characters -- in the dark, scrambling to make it in this ruthless setting.
This, as well as the numerous other pros and a hefty load of solid social commentary, are enough to redeem CAPTIVE STATE of it's scripting faults and jumbled structure. An enthusiastic 7/10.