Captive State

Recasting the alien-invasion movie as an allegory of occupation and resistance, this inventive sci-fi thriller falls a little short of the focus and fun it needed to fulfil its ambitions. The briskly established premise takes us to a near-future Chicago, where alien oppressors rule and pockets of insurgents plot to overthrow the interplanetary tyrants. The overcrowded action initially sees young rebel Gabriel Drummond (Moonlight's Ashton Sanders) helping a group of freedom fighters, while law-enforcement officer William Mulligan (John Goodman) works on the aliens' bidding to quell insurrection. These plot strands splinter and converge awkwardly, though Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) ratchets up the suspense impressively during an attempted attack on the aliens at a stadium. 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.