Movies
[Review] ‘Captive State’ Takes Sci-Fi Conspiracy to Dizzying Level
In 2011, director Rupert Wyatt surpassed expectations with a very human and emotionally driven take on the Planet of the Apes reboot with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. An origin story to the pending takeover by advanced intelligence primates, it took its time developing the bond between human father figure to central chimp Caesar while simultaneously furthering the divide between humans and primates that would culminate in war. In Captive State, the primates are traded for a bug-like alien race, and Wyatt swaps out deliberate pacing for dizzying speed.
After a tense opening sequence that sees a family of four trying to speed away from a Chicago currently under siege by a terrifying alien invasion, Captive State cuts to 10 years later. The bug-like alien race has taken up residence deep beneath the ground and the city fully under their command. Neighborhoods that once dared to fight off their oppressors now lay in ruins, and citizens remain under constant vigilance not just by the aliens but their human collaborators – mostly in the form of government officials. Captive State seeks to explore both sides of the conflict; the collaborators and those still looking to rebel and reclaim their freedom.
Co-written with Erica Sweeney, Wyatt turns a microscopic lens onto a growing conspiracy of dissidents and those who would seek to stop them. We’re introduced to Gabriel (Ashton Sanders), one of surviving children from the opening sequence’s family of four. It’s through him that we get a feel for what it’s like living under an oppressive regime as we follow his daily routine. But he soon finds himself caught in between the oppressors and the dissidents when he’s introduced to a group of rebels and subsequently tasked to provide intel by Police Officer Mulligan (John Goodman). From there the audience is plunged into the deep end of a dizzying conspiracy under serious time constraints.
Wyatt keeps the larger picture at bay for most of the runtime, opting to parcel out key info piecemeal as we’re introduced to the sprawling cast of characters and the roles they have to play in the grand conspiracy. It’s a complex plan that waits for the final act to come together, and until then Wyatt keeps the players zipping along at warped speed as they race to complete their portions of the plans. The hyper-focus on the specific rundown neighborhoods and the detached drive the characters have to complete their objectives is a clever way to force perspective in a setting rife with political turmoil. It also means that there’s not any one central character to latch onto. At best, Mulligan is the common thread between both sides of the captive state, but his motives remain so murky that he doesn’t engender himself to the audience well.
Unlike Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this isn’t a character drive piece at all, but one motivated by a complicated web of deceit and freedom. Wyatt doesn’t just move the plot along at a breakneck speed, he uses a pulse-pounding soundtrack to maintain the high energy levels needed for this adrenaline-fueled thriller. The alien invasion itself takes a back seat to the political. We get glimpses of the aliens, and a few intense moments of confrontation. A scene that sees the larval bug implants in humans being removed is particularly gruesome. Beyond that, though, we never learn too much about them as the rebellion scheme remains the focus.
The cast is stacked with actors who bring their A-game to small roles; Vera Farmiga, James Ransone, Madeline Brewer, Alan Ruck, and Ben Daniels are all standouts despite their very limited screen time. Goodman, as always, remains a presence that commands attention. But their entire identities are shaped by their situation and difficult to root for as such.
For those looking for a fast-paced thriller that crafts an exhilarating, complicated web, Captive State has a lot to offer. The political themes of class warfare can be heavy-handed, but the unique nature of this alien race helps soften it a bit. If characters with satisfying arcs are more your style, well, it’s best to sit this one out. Captive State is so tonally and stylistically opposite from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, though, that it’ll be interesting to see what Wyatt does next.
Movies
Popcorn Frights 2026 First Wave Includes ‘Colony’, ‘Train to Busan’, Interactive Screenings, and More
Get ready for one of summer’s bloodiest events when the 12th annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival returns August 6-16 for 11-day of horror fun in South Florida.
The feat has unveiled its first wave of programming, kicking off with an opening double feature from master filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, who will present the premiere of Colony, and the 10th anniversary of Train to Busan, in a breathtaking new 4K restoration.
Popcorn Frights is rolling out the red carpet for some special guests, too. Stephen Lang will be in attendance for a trio of screenings, including Don’t Breathe and Remains, the latest film from his son, Noah Lang. Actor Michael Ironside will be in attendance for the 45th anniversary screening of Scanners and the 4K restoration screening of Total Recall.
Also keep your eyes peeled for interactive screenings, new premieres, and the return of Popcorn Frights’ virtual offerings.
A second wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 titles with more than two dozen additional feature film premieres for in-theater and virtual programming will be announced next week.
In the meantime, read on for the packed first wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 programming:
IN-THEATER FEATURE FILM LINEUP
OPENING NIGHT DOUBLE-BILL
Colony
Florida Premiere
South Korea | 2026 | 122 Min. | Dir. Yeon Sang-ho
A professor attends a biotech conference, only to witness it spiral into catastrophe when a rapidly mutating virus is unleashed. As the outbreak spreads and the infected begin to transform, authorities seal off the entire facility.
OPENING NIGHT DOUBLE-BILL
Train to Busan
10th Anniversary Presentation
South Korea | 2016 | 118 Min. | Dir. Yeon Sang-ho
While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
Best Served Cold: How a Revenge Film Was Buried for Decades
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 106 Min. | Dir. Eric Zaldivar
A documentary tracing the stranger-than-fiction saga of THE FARMER (1977), a forgotten independent revenge thriller that vanished into obscurity only to become one of the most sought-after cult films of the 21st century.
Gator Face
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. Padraig Reynolds
A Florida vacation becomes a blood-soaked fight for survival when a group of friends are hunted through the swamps by a savage cult that feeds its victims to ravenous alligators in the name of an ancient reptilian god.
Hallowarrior
Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. Ben Sottak
Desperate for companionship on a post-apocalyptic Halloween night, the Last Girl on Earth gets more than she bargained for when something far more sinister arrives on her doorstep.
Imposters
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 102 Min. | Dir. Caleb Phillips
After a couple’s baby is taken, the desperate mother learns of a way to get their baby back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she brought back isn’t their son.
Marrow
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 96 Min. | Dir. Mitch McLeod
A true crime Vodcast host declining in popularity receives the career opportunity of a lifetime when a mysterious stranger invites her into its dangerous world.
Sender
South Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Russell Goldman
After receiving a series of packages containing unnervingly personal items, a woman tumbles down a paranoid rabbit hole to find her mysterious sender.
VIRTUAL FEATURE FILM LINEUP
Armageddon Road
US Premiere
Canada | 2026 | 85 Min. | Dir. Karen Lam
A hopeless romantic with big dreams is hired to chauffeur a mob boss’ girlfriend for a night. He’s blissfully unaware that his passenger has died and is now possessed by one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Broken Beak
Southeast US Premiere
New Zealand-USA | 2026 | 90 Min. | Dir. Christian Carroll
After the murder of her uncle, an activist Maori photographer returns to New Zealand to claim her inheritance. There she has visions of a monster called Broken Beak, and as more family members die, she is compelled to vengeful action.
If It Bleeds
Florida Premiere
USA | 2026 | 97 Min. | Dir. Matthew Hersh
A young and ambitious news reporter and her skilled cameraman delve into a series of gruesome murders that unfold throughout a chaotic and violent day.
Incubation
Florida Premiere
USA | 2026 | 91 Min. | Dirs. Victor Fink & Joshua Land
A teenager raised in pandemic isolation must fight to save his family when a violent stranger invades their cabin.
Mary Kwon Mary Kwon
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Josh Park
A poet travels to her childhood home in the woods, hoping to uncover the cause of her mother’s disappearance in the same house. Two visitors unexpectedly drop by.
Variations of Violence
Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 71 Min. | Dir. Zachary Nichols
Consumed by the distant violence he witnesses daily, a military drone pilot drifts toward self-destruction, leaving his sister to face the intimate cost of war fought far away.
Woozy
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 89 Min. | Dir. Joey Bicicchi
A man’s structured life to cope with mental health issues unravels when a horrifying apparition called Woozy starts tormenting him, forcing him to confront his fears.
IN-THEATER RETRO LINEUP
Band of the Hand
40th Anniversary Presentation
United States | 1986 | 109 Min. | Dir. Paul Michael Glaser
Five juvenile lost causes are sent to the Florida Everglades where a war veteran tries to reform them using survival tactics. Their new skills and resolve are tested when a Miami drug lord targets them for trying to clean up their neighborhood.
Don’t Breathe
10th Anniversary Presentation
United States | 2016 | 88 Min. | Dir. Fede Alvarez
Three delinquents break into the house of a war veteran who is blind to steal his money. However, they discover that the man is not as defenseless as he seems.
Little Shop of Horrors
40th Anniversary Presentation with Live Shadowcast
United States | 1986 | 103 Min. | Dir. Frank Oz
A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.
Polyester
45th Anniversary Presentation in Odorama, 4K Restoration
United States | 1981 | 86 Min. | Dir. John Waters
A suburban homemaker’s world falls apart when she finds that her pornographer husband is serially unfaithful to her, her daughter is pregnant, and her son is suspected of being the foot-fetishist who’s been breaking local women’s feet.
Scanners
45th Anniversary Presentation, 4K Restoration
Canada | 1981 | 103 Min. | Dir. David Cronenberg
A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called “scanning” to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners.
Total Recall
4K Restoration
USA | 1990 | 90 Min. | Dir. Paul Verhoeven
When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real–or is he?
Individual tickets and All-Access Badges for the in-theater experience—hosted at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Classic Gateway Theater—are now available. Virtual All-Access Passes can also be purchased for streaming access to the full digital lineup. To order an In-Theater All-Access VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.