Can you imagine living after a global alien invasion? Do you trust the aliens or fight back for humanity? That is the decision before Gabriel (Ashton Sanders) in CAPTIVE STATE, available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital from Participant Media and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Note: I received product sample for review purpose. Any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

Filled with unexpected twists and shocking revelations, CAPTIVE STATE on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital features exclusive insight from cast and filmmakers, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, taking fans deeper into the world of this sci-fi adventure.

The Story-line

“What happens if your rights were taken away by this huge occupying force?” Producer Crockett shares. “Would you just sit by and live-and-let-live, let it happen, or would you be somebody who takes a stand? I think this story really explores that without making a judgment one way or the other. I don’t think anybody really knows how they would react to a situation like this until it happens.”

“I also think Captive State fits in well with Participant Media’s body of work because it not only tells a great story, but also addresses issues that the world faces today,” Crockett adds about his producing partners, Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King. Participant Media, the media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change.

“Our story’s set nine years in the future, and because of the way these aliens are mining our resources, pillaging the planet, they’re starting to have a negative effect on our world,” Crockett continues about the script’s topicality. “There is the issue of climate change, very subtly portrayed in the story. The film has a social conscience in asking questions like ‘what are our responsibilities to humanity? What are our responsibilities to the planet?’

Participant Media’s Jonathan King, who serves as executive producer on the film, describes what interested the company in working with Wyatt: “Rupert excels at building worlds filled with suspense, intrigue and innovative action. With Captive State, Rupert continues his exploration of control, oppression and resistance that began with The Escapist and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Like all good science fiction, this movie offers a way to look at our own circumstances through a unique lens.”

The Characters

“I saw Gabriel as a crocodile who sits and waits but is so aware of everything that’s going on around him,” Sanders shares about his take on his character. “Rupert and I had the same ideas for Gabriel. Gabriel sits and waits. He doesn’t say much unless he has to.”

“Ashton’s a very old soul,” Wyatt observes about his 22-year-old star. “I took a while to find that character when we were casting because I wanted somebody who was very young and, in many ways, green to the world. At the same time, have an ability of stillness. Have the ability to see things through a rough experience in life. That was the character of Gabriel — a kid who lost his parents, lost his brother and lived in a disenfranchised part of Chicago while making this choice to keep his head down and not get into trouble.”

“Machine Gun Kelly (whose birth name is Colson Baker) was one of those key pieces of casting like with Ashton,” Wyatt continues. “I had a very clear idea in my mind for the role of Gabriel’s best friend, Jurgis. Physically and visually. Tall, gangly, unpredictable. A Lithuanian-American kind of character. I saw a YouTube clip with Machine Gun Kelly and thought he was funny. I had no idea if he could act, but he sent in a casting tape. He was great.”

Adds producer Crockett. “He brought real world street smarts to the film. He’s slightly older than Gabriel, a buddy who pushes him around a little bit. But, they are a great onscreen team as they go through this world that’s lost it’s way a little bit.”

“Jurgis is like a lost soul, out on the streets with an urge to rebel,” Baker adds about his character. “That is a lot of who I am as a real person. So, yeah, it was a pretty easy fit. And, me and Ashton clicked really well as friends in real life, too. Again, it was just two young cats rebelling, man. So nothing too far different than each of the people we were playing.”

The Visual Effects

VFX supervisor Eric Pascarelli (Poseidon, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Ang Lee’s Life of Pi) was immediately impressed by two aspects of the production— “the script read like a very expensive visual effects movie, which, in the end, it was not,” and something he had never before seen on any of his prior projects — a comprehensive, password-protected website, created by Wyatt, that provided in-depth visual references for the story.”

While preparing his contributions for the film, Pascarelli “talked to Rupert about many things in the script that could either be gigantic visual effects shots or not.

“And, Rupert had a very good idea of what was going to be visual effects and what wasn’t,” Pascarelli notes. “He’s very familiar with the city of Chicago. The script was obviously written with a very strong sense of the geography. So, in his mind’s eye, he knew what needed to be treated with VFX and what didn’t. There are a couple of very important moments in the script that are being done with visual effects. We spent our resources on some very neat, but very small, scenes that are being done with all of the production value of the larger VFX movies. But, they were fairly sparse throughout the story.”

“This is not a movie with cars flying everywhere and monorails and all of that stuff that usually visually defines the future in so many different movies,” Pascarelli emphasizes. This is a very down-to-earth, gritty movie with so many diverse and amazing Chicago locations chosen that were so wonderful they didn’t need effects to convey the story.”

In the end, Pascarelli was overjoyed to be part of Wyatt’s creative team, saying “how totally cool and interesting a movie this is. It is a science fiction movie, but it’s not. It is a political thriller, but it’s not. It’s really not an effects movie, yet it doesn’t hide from its visual effects. The unusual thing about this is that the effects that are sprinkled throughout helping to advance the story are very effect-sy. We’re doing giant spaceships. We’re doing aliens. But, they play very small roles visually, and ultimately, in the movie.”

“With Captive State, I wanted to make a film that cast a light on, and is relevant to, the world that we live in and experience every day,” Wyatt offers about his original and captivating parable. “But to do so in both a science fiction context and an entertaining context. My job is to give people not only a release valve from certain things in their life, but also to give them a sense of inspiration and pause for thought.”

SYNOPSIS

A decade since an extraterrestrial force has occupied our planet, deceiving humanity with the promise of peace and unity, Chicago Police Officer William Mulligan (Goodman) is tasked with maintaining law and order in a city on the brink of rebellion.

Gabriel (Sanders); the young brother of a fallen militant and the son of Mulligan’s ex-partner, is faced with the crucial choice: Collaborate...or fight back.

From Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt, the sci-fi thriller stars Ashton Sanders (Moonlight) alongside an out-of-this-world supporting cast including John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane), Jonathon Majors (Hostiles) and Vera Farmiga (“Bates Motel”).

BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL BONUS FEATURES:

• Igniting a War – Producer/Co-Writer/Director Rupert Wyatt explains how this ensemble cast helped achieve a high degree of realism against the backdrop of an alien invasion story.
• Building the World of Captive State – Filmmakers and cast discuss their experiences shooting on location in Chicago, and how it played a pivotal role in setting the tone for this gritty science fiction film.
• Feature Commentary with Director/Producer/Co-Writer Rupert Wyatt

To learn more, visit www.uni.pictures/CaptiveState