Captive State

If you're expecting an action-packed sci-fi film filled with constant shootouts between humans and aliens, this film might disappoint you. However, Rupert Wyatt has created something different and fresh. The comparison to District 9 is apt, and I agree with most people on that. Blomkamp highlighted how aliens are under human control, while Wyatt turned this idea 180 degrees and presented a film where extraterrestrials have settled on our planet, initiated the oppression of the human race, and we humans merely serve as a means for their comfortable life underground. It’s an excellent concept and even better executed. Wyatt managed to detail the glimpse into the resistance, which naturally does not want to accept this new role of humanity, down to the finest detail. Yes, apart from a few characters (Goodman excels again), they are not the main protagonists, but perhaps that’s part of the film’s charm. Members of the rebel organization known as Phoenix mostly function as foot soldiers, so delving deeper into their characters or storylines wouldn’t really make sense. The design of the aliens known as The Legislators thrilled me. They appeared infrequently, which I understand, but on the other hand, their moments in the spotlight were incredibly impactful, and as a viewer, I felt a bit of satisfaction after the wait. The planned bomb attack by the rebels, the arrival of specialized Hunters to find these resistance members—these are moments I’ll remember due to the top-notch execution. The ending was also satisfying; it wasn’t rushed and yet delivered a small surprising shock. Subjectively, I would give it four stars and 85%, but due to the underestimation on this site, I’ll add one extra star. (07/12/2019)

Rupert Wyatt, director of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, delivers an intimate sci-fi film about the alien occupation of our earth. More was definitely expected from Rupert and the reception here has been rather disappointing, but abroad they cautiously give a thumbs up and I am not downright disappointed either. Very attractive stuff that is quite realistically filmed, the aliens have look cool and are properly dangerous, and I enjoyed watching the growing underground resistance, but it's a shame that the director didn't pick go further and included action scenes that would have been useful, because the premise offered a lot of potential for a big event. Decent, but it could have been better. 60% (06/10/2019)

It may not be entertaining or exciting, but it’s a very, very interesting look at what the world would look like after an alien invasion. And it's brutally underrated here, because if the Czech viewer doesn't get an Emmerich-esque silly tale about aliens flying and throwing green farts out of their eyes, the average moviegoer isn't interested, or, like the stupid LIVINGDEAD, they throw it straight into the garbage. This is a maniacally precise anatomy of a state supporting a dictatorship, with the imminent annihilation of humanity by aliens and the anatomy of human resistance by a few heroes. I like the idea it raises that without human collaboration at the state level, an alien invasion would actually be pointless. I may use a strong simile now, but it’s all the more accurate – humanity, or more precisely the state establishment after the invasion, is here in the role of a kind of Sonderkommando, without whom the Nazi concentration camps would not have existed. Here it’s similar: a collaborating state with Big Brother at its back. Thank you, Rupert Wyatt, for a different take on an old topic. (07/01/2019)