Nyle Coleman InSession Film May 2, 2024 B

This new take on alien invasion took a moment for me to accept but in the end, Captive State is a brilliant film.

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Manuel São Bento MSB Reviews (Ghost.io) Jul 24, 2023 C-

One of those movies that come out every year showing tremendous potential, an innovative and intriguing premise, but in the end, it just isn’t able to succeed.

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Josh Parham Next Best Picture Jun 4, 2022 5/10

The world building provided could have been stronger, but it’s enough of a foundation to be informative and interesting.

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Kevin Harley Radio Times Sep 14, 2021 3/5

Plenty of well-developed twists hold the attention, even if a few more scary encounters with the spidery ETs might have lifted the rather dour mood.

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Taylor Baker Drink in the Movies Sep 14, 2021 36/100

Episode 32: Captive State / Pandorum / Mirror Image / Us

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Charles Koplinski Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam Nov 14, 2020 3.0/4.0

The first major surprise of 2019, Rupert Wyatt's sleeper is an uncommonly smart piece of science fiction that, like all great genre pieces, has a potent subtext.

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Víctor López G. Espinof Oct 19, 2020 2.5/5

Captive State's performances and lucid production design aren't enough to save it. [Full Review in Spanish]

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CJ Sheu Critics at Large Jun 30, 2020

And it would've made for an entirely satisfying dialectical film, too, if it weren't for those meddling writers and their need to shed moral clarity on Mulligan's actions.

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Christian Toto HollywoodInToto.com Mar 25, 2020 2/4

The sci-fi thriller offers a few neat thrills and plenty of nagging questions.

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Brigid Presecky FF2 Media Aug 19, 2019 3.5/5

It meets expectations with the help of a compelling cast, who elevate the material with their performances as the world falls apart around them.

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Nicolás Delgadillo Cultured Vultures Aug 17, 2019 3/10

Captive State offers some unique and thoughtful concepts but lacks any sense of character or story to back it all up.

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Sean Chandler Sean Chandler Talks About Jul 10, 2019 C

I did not enjoy the process of watching this film.

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Ryan Syrek The Reader (Omaha, NE) Jun 18, 2019 B-

Featuring a truly great alien character design and at least 45 truly quality minutes, Captive State is a modestly entertaining affair with an aftertaste so delicious, you'll be frustrated the meal you ate didn't taste as good as your belch afterwards.

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Brian Gill Mad About Movies Podcast May 8, 2019 C+

There are some good ideas at the heart of Captive State and sometimes they work well. But too often, the good gets tangled and twisted up in unnecessary B-story and plotting that ruminates when it should be on the move.

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Dustin Chase Texas Art & Film Apr 30, 2019 D+

A small budget movie trying to tell a large scale post-apocalyptic story that's beyond the filmmakers budget and capabilities.

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John Lui The Straits Times (Singapore) Apr 10, 2019 3/5

While entertaining, the film suffers most from a lack of introspection.

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Hernán Ferreirós La Nación (Argentina) Apr 8, 2019

The film finds a credible way to tell the story of a global conquest. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Nicolás Ruiz Código espagueti Apr 4, 2019 6.9/10

Captive State is a frustrating movie: it could have been one of the great sci fi surprises of the year, unfortunately it didn't live up to its own ambition. [Full review in Spanish]

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Sergio López Aguirre Cine Premiere Apr 3, 2019 2/5

An original proposal among a sea of sequels, adaptations and spin-offs, however, it is lost among the ambition to achieve a sci-fi political thriller. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Kevin A. Ranson MovieCrypt.com Apr 3, 2019 1/4

... too much story to tell with no affordable way to tell it... what we ended up with was a low-budget Battlefield Earth.

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