“Long as we fight back, we got a chance.”

From Captive State.

When high-tech alien invaders take over earth in 2019, the people of earth collectively submit to their power and control to live in essentially captivity for almost nine years. With each human tagged and tracked both by alien drones and the human police force that ensures peaceful cooperation, the world is a disaster. After witnessing the death of their parents while trying to escape Chicago, Rafe (Jonathan Majors) and Gabriel Drummond (Ashton Sanders) were left to fend for themselves; Rafe joined the resistance movement and unsuccessfully tried to take out the invader’s underground headquarters while Gabriel lives on the edge of law-abiding. When Rafe suddenly tells Gabriel to get out of the city immediately because he and his team of rebels (including Ben Daniels, Lawrence Grimm, and Caitlin Ewald) have a new plan to destroy the aliens, Gabriel just wants to get out of the city but his somewhat-illegal activities have made him the focus of his father’s old partner William Mulligan (John Goodman), a member of the special police division. While Mulligan tries to hunt down Rafe and the other members of the resistance movement, he finds himself following leads throughout the city, even with a prostitute (Vera Farmiga). As Rafe and the others put their assassination attempt into action, the city is thrown into a chaotic lockdown that places the entire city in danger. As the battle rages overnight, it’s a race against time between Mulligan, the Drummond brothers, and the resistance movement; lines will be crossed, allegiances will be broken, and dedication will be tested.

While this sci-fi thriller has an interesting premise and some amazing special affects, the movie really struggles to find its stride. The cast is filled with major stars, but the movie’s timing is just off, leaving major portions of the movie dialogue-free when all it needs is an explanation for background development. There are several high-action scenes that draw the audience in, but these are far outweighed by the majority portions that are just left hanging. There is a clever twist at the end that may make Captive State worth the rental fee, but overall it’s too little too late.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 109 minutes |Genre: thriller/sci-fi |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 2* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 1 of 10|Gore: 3 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|