Captive State (film)
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''Captive State'' is a 2019 American science fiction thriller film directed by
Rupert Wyatt Rupert Wyatt (born 26 October 1972) is an English screenwriter, director and producer. He made his directorial debut with the 2008 film ''The Escapist (2008 film), The Escapist'', which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His second film wa ...
and co-written by Wyatt and Erica Beeney. The film stars John Goodman,
Ashton Sanders Ashton Durrand Sanders (born October 24, 1995) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of teenage Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film ''Moonlight'' (2016). Early life Sanders was born in Carson, California. He attended Grand Ar ...
, Jonathan Majors,
Colson Baker Colson Baker (born April 22, 1990), known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is noted for his genre duality across alternative rock with Hip hop music, hip hop. Machine Gun Ke ...
, and
Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...
, and follows a young man who participates in a conspiracy to rebel against an alien race that had invaded Earth and forced strict martial law on all humans almost a decade prior. It was released in the United States on March 15, 2019, by
Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in th ...
. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, grossing just $8 million against its $25 million budget.


Plot

In 2019, Chicago is placed under martial law after a global extraterrestrial invasion. As the Drummond family attempts to flee the city, they break through a barricade but are confronted by the aliens, who
vaporize Vaporization (or vaporisation) of an element or compound is a phase transition from the liquid phase to vapor. There are two types of vaporization: evaporation and boiling. Evaporation is a surface phenomenon, whereas boiling is a bulk phenomeno ...
the parents but leave their sons Gabriel and Rafe alive. By 2027, the world has capitulated to the alien "Legislators", submitting to their governance. Humans are conscripted to build "Closed Zones", underground habitats for the aliens with access only granted to and by high government officials. Gabriel Drummond, living in the impoverished Pilsen neighborhood, is confronted by Chicago Police Special Branch Commander William Mulligan, who had partnered with Gabriel's father before the invasion. Mulligan is convinced that the Phoenix resistance group has not been neutralized, contrary to what the public has been told, but Gabriel offers him no information. Gabriel meets with a member of Phoenix to sell a hand-rolled cigarette containing secret information received from a coworker. The man takes him to Wicker Park, where he meets his brother Rafe, the leader of the resistance. Rafe takes the coded cigarette and directs Gabriel to leave as Phoenix is planning to attack the upcoming Unity Rally at Soldier Field. Rushing to his apartment and hastily packing, Gabriel is again confronted by Mulligan, who had him under surveillance. Gabriel evades Mulligan and hides underground. The cigarette’s code allows Rafe's team to access Chicago's surveillance system and the deployment patterns of law enforcement units. Rafe and other Phoenix members attack the Unity Rally, using an invisible alien explosive device against the aliens when they arrive. The attack initially appears successful, but the city is subsequently locked down and swarmed by security forces in response. Angered by the attack, the aliens bring in hunters from off-world to seek out the perpetrators, finding Rafe and his accomplices Anita and Daniel. Anita is vaporized and Daniel ingests a cyanide pill to avoid capture, but Rafe is shot and arrested by Mulligan before he can ingest his cyanide pill. Gabriel emerges from hiding but is taken into custody during a police raid. Mulligan shows him his brother being tortured for information and convinces him to send a message through the Phoenix network in hopes of meeting the supposed ringleader, Number One. Gabriel is eventually led to Jane Doe, a prostitute running a brothel in Pilsen, who acknowledges Gabriel by name, to his confused surprise. Police raid the house, and Doe is killed. The subsequent investigation reveals that Doe bugged her own residence to record conversations with Special Branch members and glean classified information. The tapes reveal that Police Commissioner Eugene Igoe divulged sensitive information about the aliens' arrival to Soldier Field which allowed Phoenix to develop their attack strategy. Igoe, along with Rafe and many others, are deported off-world and Mulligan, declaring the Chicago threat neutralized, is promoted to Acting Commissioner. Mulligan meets with Gabriel privately, with Gabriel lamenting that Rafe's plan failed. Mulligan, retrieving a box earlier received from Doe, reveals a BlackBerry phone, giving the memory card to Gabriel and suggesting that maybe failure was the plan. Gabriel reviews the card’s contents — a video depicting his own baby shower, and revealing Jane Doe taught at the same school as his mother. It was at the shower that she was introduced to Mulligan, with several Phoenix members present, and the video closes with Mulligan leaving a message for Gabriel, inspiring him to carry the torch of Phoenix. Meanwhile, Mulligan is cleared to meet underground with the Legislators. As he descends, the invisible substance of the powerful alien explosive envelops him, indicating he is part of the resistance and that the whole 'failed' plan was orchestrated to allow him to deal a fatal blow to the Legislators. During the credits, a map details that the Chicago Closed Zone was successfully destroyed, with other resistance strikes and protests having broken out in cities all over the world, indicating that the opening exhortation to "light a match and ignite a war" has led humanity to attempt to overthrow their alien oppressors.


Cast

* John Goodman as William Mulligan *
Ashton Sanders Ashton Durrand Sanders (born October 24, 1995) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of teenage Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film ''Moonlight'' (2016). Early life Sanders was born in Carson, California. He attended Grand Ar ...
as Gabriel Drummond * Jonathan Majors as Rafe Drummond *
Colson Baker Colson Baker (born April 22, 1990), known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is noted for his genre duality across alternative rock with Hip hop music, hip hop. Machine Gun Ke ...
as Jurgis *
Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...
as Jane Doe / Priscilla Scott * Alan Ruck as Charles Rittenhouse *
Kevin Dunn Kevin Dunn (born August 24, 1956) is an American actor who has appeared in supporting roles in a number of films and television series since the 1980s. Dunn's roles include White House Communications Director Alan Reed in the political comedy '' ...
as Police Commissioner Eugene Igoe * David J. Height as Master of Ceremonies *
Madeline Brewer Madeline Kathryn Brewer (born May 1, 1992) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Tricia Miller in the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy award-winning series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013), her role in ''Hemlock Grove (TV series ...
as Rula *
James Ransone James Finley Ransone III (born June 2, 1979) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of the drama series ''The Wire'', United States Marine Corps Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the war drama min ...
as Patrick Ellison * Yasen Peyankov as Ivan Leviev, the hacker *
Rene L. Moreno Rene L. Moreno (born December 26, 1969) is an American actor best known for his role as Private Joseph Ramirez in the television mini-series ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers'', in 2001. Early life Moreno was born on December 26, ...
as Raul Casillas, the courier * Avery Lee as Harrison Ma, the surgeon * Caitlin Ewald as Anita Hölderlin, a driver for the Union Day attack *
Ben Daniels Ben Daniels (born 10 June 1964) is a British actor. Initially a stage actor, Daniels was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Never the Sinner'' (1991), the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for ''900 Oneonta'' ( ...
as Daniel Larkin, a co-ordinator for the Union Day attack * Lawrence Grimm as Evan Hayes, a driver for the Union Day attack * Guy Van Swearingen as Eddie the Priest, a co-ordinator for the Union Day attack * Chronicle Ganawah as Michael Posner, a driver for the Union Day attack * Eric C. Lynch as Nelson Macauley, the morgue attendant *
D. B. Sweeney Daniel Bernard Sweeney (born November 14, 1961) is an American actor. Early life Sweeney was born in Shoreham, New York, on November 14, 1961. He attended both Tulane and New York University. Career In 1990, Sweeney starred as Treplev in Jeff Co ...
as Levitt * Kevin J. O'Connor as Kermode *
KiKi Layne Kiandra "KiKi" Layne (born December 10, 1991) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in such films as the romantic drama ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' (2018), the drama ''Native Son'' (2019), the action superhero film ...
as Carrie * Marc Grapey as Mayor Ed Lee


Production

On August 24, 2016, it was announced that
Rupert Wyatt Rupert Wyatt (born 26 October 1972) is an English screenwriter, director and producer. He made his directorial debut with the 2008 film ''The Escapist (2008 film), The Escapist'', which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His second film wa ...
would direct a
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...
titled ''Captive State'', from a screenplay he had written with Erica Beeney. Later that month, it was reported that
Participant Media Participant Media, LLC is an American Film industry, film production company founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Skoll, dedicated to entertainment intended to spur social change. The company finances and co-produces film and television content, as well as ...
had won a heated bidding war for the rights to the film and would produce alongside
Amblin Partners Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC, doing business as Amblin Partners, LLC., is an American entertainment production company, which succeeded the live-action counterpart of DreamWorks and is led by Steven Spielberg. It develops and produces fi ...
.
Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in th ...
would distribute the film domestically and
Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...
is distributing in other markets, including Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. In November 2016, John Goodman signed to star in the film. The following month,
Ashton Sanders Ashton Durrand Sanders (born October 24, 1995) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of teenage Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film ''Moonlight'' (2016). Early life Sanders was born in Carson, California. He attended Grand Ar ...
joined the cast.
Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...
, Machine Gun Kelly, and newcomer Jonathan Majors joined the cast on January 25, 2017. On February 2, 2017,
Kevin Dunn Kevin Dunn (born August 24, 1956) is an American actor who has appeared in supporting roles in a number of films and television series since the 1980s. Dunn's roles include White House Communications Director Alan Reed in the political comedy '' ...
was cast in a supporting role.
Madeline Brewer Madeline Kathryn Brewer (born May 1, 1992) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Tricia Miller in the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy award-winning series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013), her role in ''Hemlock Grove (TV series ...
was added as a love interest of Sanders' character on February 21, 2017. In March 2017,
Ben Daniels Ben Daniels (born 10 June 1964) is a British actor. Initially a stage actor, Daniels was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Never the Sinner'' (1991), the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for ''900 Oneonta'' ( ...
confirmed his casting via his Twitter account. Principal photography began on February 15, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois. Production was primarily based at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, and a large amount of filming took place in the Lower West Side neighborhood of Pilsen. In March 2017, production spent two days on location in Edgewater, Chicago. Machine Gun Kelly sustained a hairline fracture on set toward the end of filming, reportedly from repeated punches to the chest from an unnamed person playing a police officer. The actor stated that when he complained to a crew member about the incident, he was told to "suck it up."


Music

In March 2018, it was reported that
Rob Simonsen Rob Simonsen is an American composer based in Los Angeles. Early life Simonsen began playing the piano by ear at an early age. His grandmother was a voice teacher and music was around him in his family home. He later studied music at Southern Or ...
would compose the film's score. A soundtrack album was released on compact disc by Sony Classical, and digitally by Masterworks.


Release

''Captive State'' was released in the United States on March 15, 2019, by Focus Features. It was originally scheduled to be released on August 17, 2018, but was pushed back to March 29, 2019, before finally being moved up two weeks to its current release date. The film's UK theatrical release was cancelled shortly before its set date of March 29, 2019. Wyatt has claimed that local distributor,
Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...
, refused to tell him why they pulled the release. The film was finally released in the UK on digital platforms on March 8, 2021.


Reception


Box office

In the United States and Canada, ''Captive State'' was released alongside '' Wonder Park'' and '' Five Feet Apart'', and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,200 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $1.3 million on its first day, including $300,000 from Thursday night previews. It debuted to $3.1 million, finishing seventh. Ultimately, the film was a box office bomb, grossing only $8.8 worldwide against a $25 million budget.


Critical response

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average score of . The website's critical consensus reads, "This sci-fi thriller may not necessarily leave viewers in a ''Captive State'', but it offers reasonably diverting alien invasion action with ambitious political undertones." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale, and filmgoers at PostTrak gave it 2 out of 5 stars. In a middling review for '' The A.V. Club'', A.A. Dowd wrote "It's not unreasonable to expect something like excitement out of a story about freedom fighters plotting to take back the planet. ''Captive State'' does not clear that fairly low bar." Frank Scheck of '' The Hollywood Reporter'' gave the film a negative review, describing it as " sually murky, choppily edited and lacking both narrative clarity and well-defined characterizations," while the '' Los Angeles Times''s Gary Goldstein was also critical of the film, writing: "In ''Captive State'' aliens have taken over the world (as they will), but it's the viewers stuck watching this messy, lugubrious sci-fi thriller who may feel like the ones being held captive."


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Captive State (film) Alien invasions in films American dystopian films Amblin Partners American science fiction thriller films Films about extraterrestrial life Films about rebellions Films about terrorism in the United States Drone films Films directed by Rupert Wyatt Films scored by Rob Simonsen Films set in 2019 Films set in 2027 Films set in Chicago Films set in the future Films shot in Chicago Focus Features films Participant (company) films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films