Captive State is a gritty sci-fi take on complacency and terrorism. Set a decade after the fall of Earth, Captive State tells the story of a world that waved the white flag to an invading alien race. Would you conform or resist? Captive State portrays the story from both sides. Many are merely trying to survive in a world that is no longer their own, while few go underground to resist. The American freedom fighter in you may like to tell yourself what side you would like to be on, however Captive State does a great job of portraying the struggle to merely survive in a world orchestrated to pit ourselves against each other.

John Goodman (William Mulligan) plays his role as a tormented officer in the new world excelently. He is a broken man trying to save his community by playing along with the planets captors. He truly appears to carry that weight the entire movie. His counterpart played by Ashton Sanders (Gabriel Drummond), struggles with living under the thumb of an alien race and dreams of escaping it by any means necessary. The movie revolves around these two characters but are also supported by some strong acting from Vera Farmiga (Jane Doe), James Ransone (Patrick Ellison), Alan Ruck (Charles Rittenhouse), and Jonathan Majors (Rafe Drummond). Each cast member plays a cog in the wheels of complacency versus resistance. This makes for a very compelling story.

If you are a fan of movies such as V for Vendetta and District 9, then you are sure to enjoy this movie. Being from Chicago I was pleased that they featured many parts of the city that are not so well known and showed the perseverance us Chicagoans are molded from and many can relate to. Captive State is an adult film not due to the swearing or the mild violence, but for the very adult theme of terrorism versus freedom fighting. A young adult may be able to grasp the heavy tone but not a child. Captive State does a great job of connecting with the audience from the start of the movie. They give you just enough backstory to know exactly what is going on, but not enough detail to drag the movie down to a snail’s pace. All the sci-fi is easily understood without much explanation. You are assumed to be an intelligent audience that doesn’t need their hand held through every detail which is appreciated. Captive State is able to draw up many emotions throughout all 3 acts and you really find yourself immersed in this bleak future. There are many good films out now and in the coming weeks but don’t let this film sneak under the radar. Captive state is worth your time as much as any other film running in theatres alongside it.

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