Film Preview: Captive State (2019)

Page Revisions:

(December 16, 2018) Original
(March 10, 2019) New Posters (#3-#4)

Release Date:

March 29, 2019

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, Captive State explores the lives on both sides of the conflict – the collaborators and dissidents.”

Poster Rating: C / C / B- / C+

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) The red smoke doesn’t seem to have a purpose and while it creates an interesting pattern, it doesn’t have any urgency. (#2) The transmission distortion on this poster design is ill-fitting and the overall construction isn’t appealing.

(#3) Staring at the world in chaos is a stirring image even if it has a hazy surreal quality that doesn’t feel right. (#4) Inserting the red dust from a previous design into the third poster design doesn’t work at all.

Trailer Rating: B- / C+ / B-

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) The first trailer positions itself as a expression of the Ingsoc-esque era on display in this dystopian film. It doesn’t give the audience enough information to understand what the film’s about, but that might not be necessary.

(#2) The second trailer doesn’t quite know what to do with itself. It starts out similarly to the first, but then tries to make itself out to be a strange alien invasion/human rebellion film without any soul.

(#3) Blend the unusual nature of the first trailer and the narrative explanation of the second trailer and make everything feel more organically combined definitely helps. It also helps that the creativity on display in the third trailer makes it seem like this could be a surprisingly good movie with reservations.