Captain State is a unique experience that is hard to define. It moves slowly, especially for a haunting alien invasion film. Yet, in the film’s final coda it achieves something which is either accidental brilliance or a slow burn worthy of greatness.
The film, from Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), chronicles life on Earth (specifically Chicago) in the mere moments before a full-on alien invasion enslaves our planet. Then we fast forward nine years later. There is a relatively passive alliance between humans in power, who are ruled by their alien overlords. Humans have dug deep underground homes for our occupiers while fellow citizens do their dirty work and run the world topside. One of those is John Goodman’s William Mulligan. He’s an agent for the occupiers. While Mulligan is trying to stop the resistance from breaking this fragile peace, he also is looking in on the younger son of his former partner who perished during the initial attack. Gabriel Drummond (Ashton Sanders) is a street wise kid who is doing all he can just to survive in this “new normal” world he lives in. He mourns his brother Rafe Drummond (Jonathan Majors), who he believes dead at the hands of our captors.
The plot through the first two acts just kind of plods along, but tense enough to maintain our attention. Wyatt has crafted a film that places fact after fact after fact with very little emotional resonance for the viewer. We identify with this situation, but not necessarily the characters living in it. But there is something that keenly holds our attention throughout, there is a fire that is threatening to torch this world as the story progresses. Something big is about to happen, but what it is, what it looks like, what form it will take and even who will be the person to break free of this Captive State is a complete and utter mystery throughout. Which must be on purpose, surely it could not have been written that way. That is why I say that sometimes the film gives off the impression that it is accidentally brilliant. It’s hard to say without getting into the heads of Wyatt and his co-screenwriter Erica Beeney.
Sanders is a sensational. Following up his powerful turn in Moonlight with Captive State is an interesting move, but what it does is show his incredible breadth of talent. He is a conflicted soul caught between following the rules or following in the steps of his revolutionary older brother. Holding him to the party line is Mulligan, who always seems to be dropping in on him when he is about to head down the wrong road. The thing that is fascinating is how Mulligan is playing this system. He is someone that the “legislators”—what the alien invaders, our new leaders, are called—have put full faith in to do their bidding up on earth. But he reports to someone who is actually in charge of this city and he is the only person that the invaders will negotiate with. That would be Commissioner Eugene Igoe (Kevin Dunn), a commanding leader who keeps his associates (like Mulligan) at arm’s length as to maintain his position of power. If you sense that Captive State is as much a study in political posturing as it is an alien invasion movie, you’d be correct.
Who’s fooling who is the question, and it is not answered literally until the film’s final moments. In that sense, Captain State is by all accounts brilliant. It not only keeps you guessing throughout, but by blatantly referring to the Trojan Horse story from history repeatedly during the film’s narrative, the audience is waiting for that moment to arrive.
Who is the Trojan Horse, or what form will a Trojan Horse take? One of the characters even has a painting of the Trojan Horse on their wall! It is all answered in the end and done in a manner that will have you saying, “Oh, my G-d” out loud. But as soon as you realize what just happened, don’t be surprised if you feel the need to go back over the entire affair to see if it all adds up. Of course, that will have to come with a future viewing because there is so much to digest along the way it all cannot be inhaled all in one sitting. But even if you come in and out of full on attention (this movie does not hold your hand), there is enough ammunition in Captive State that when a single spark is lit at its conclusion, one realizes that the entire house of cards will burn.
Grade: B