Captive State (2019)

Alien invasion movies tend to focus on the invasion. It's an excuse for action and, most often, explosions. It usually ends in humans defeating the invaders and sending them on their way to a triumphant musical crescendo. But these movies, while they can be great as entertainment, often miss something that should be inherent in the genre.

Alien invasion is about colonialism. A technologically advanced society comes to where they are not invited and asserts control through violence. It is the story of colonialism. Interestingly it is the colonialist societies which tell these tales and celebrate the resistance of the "freedom fighters." Perhaps it is about purging some unconscious guilt? We often tell ourselves the stories we want to to make ourselves feel good.

Then along comes a little movie which focuses not on the invasion, but the occupation, and the resistance to that occupation. Interestingly it is criticized for not being inspiring enough, perhaps for not telling the narrative we want from these films, about the triumph of the humans over the aliens. Perhaps because it shows some humans picking the sides of the aliens, collaborators who benefit from the occupation. Perhaps because Captive State explores a very human like response to invasion, one that is complicated and difficult and more like actual colonialism.

Writer/director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) attempts to make a different sort of alien movie. One where the humans aren't all heroic and triumphant. He puts in some action sequences but limits them to when the story needs them. His focus remains on the story of a resistance, how they operate, how they interact with the collaborators. And he makes an interesting movie. I found his tale fascinating and inspiring. But what I appreciated most is the way he ties resistance to colonialism as heroic. It's not about a military resistance force as we're used to seeing. It's about resistance and the way that manifests, often on the fringes, with the marginalized.

I enjoyed his visual palette. He films the movie in documentary style (hand held camera, long shots, as if filmed by someone actually in the story) but still manages to find a way to bring colour and beauty into his scenes. There are gorgeous shots throughout. He's made a visually stunning film which also screams cinema verite.

The film isn't perfect but it is ambitious and gives one a lot to chew on. Its pacing may be a bit uneven but despite this I found it engrossing throughout. Wyatt has given us something meaty here and I'd even be interested in finding out more about what happens in this world.

Captive State
Starring: John Goodman, Ashton Sanders, Machine Gun Kelly, Vera Farmiga, Kiki Layne
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Writers: Erica Beeney, Rupert Wyatt