Captain Fantastic is a new drama from writer and director Matt Ross who some may know as the writer/director of 28 Hotel Rooms (2012). The film stars Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay and Samantha Isler. Captain Fantastic is a film about a father who brings up his children in the forest and educates them all on his own, they’re all super smart. But their mother dies they need to venture out into the world, where they might find things to be a little challenging as they’ve been isolated for so long.
Captain Fantastic is a film for the people who love dialogue heavy film stories and maybe even those who prefer the more artsy films instead of watching a big blockbuster at the cinema. Captain Fantastic is a film filled with deep moments, strong themes and a great meaning. In the end of it all, it’s a nice move to watch, but it’s not for everyone. In my view there will be many out there who will love something like Captain Fantastic, but also many that might get a bit bored with it.
The way that the children are brought up in the forest and then later when the family is challenged as they enter the real world is the most interesting part of the film. There’s a lot to think about here and there’s comments from characters about different religious beliefs and also capitalism and other forms of government. There’s also some commentary on the American schooling system and whether or not it’s teaching what’s important. It’s all very thought provoking stuff.
The acting is well done and I’ve not seen anything with Viggo Mortensen for a long time so it’s good to see him on the big screen again. Viggo Mortensen does well in Captain Fantastic, apart from his work in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, there isn’t much I know him for, but this was a good role for him. The children are great and as good as children can be. The only issue that I have is that there are a lot of kid characters and I’m not one that enjoys watching films with so many kids in it, no matter how thought provoking it is, it’s just kind of not what I want to watch at the cinema.
If I had to recommend this movie, I’d say to go see it if you love dialogue heavy films with a lot of meaning to them and are bored of the big blockbusters that cinemas frequently show. You won’t get much extra seeing Captain Fantastic on the big screen than say if you rented it at home, so if you want to save a bit of money and can wait a few months to watch this, then I’d say this would be a solid rental choice one week for you.
There’s nothing really wrong with Captain Fantastic, it’s a solid film with a decent story. But it’s a hard one for me to recommend for a general audience to go see because I am certain there’s a lot out there who might get a bit bored with the films topics and watching all the kids. But I know that there are a small few out there, possibly film enthusiasts or people who are looking for a more deeper film experience that will simply love it. It just depends on what type of film viewer you are.
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