Captain Fantastic

Bleecker Street Media | Release Date: July 8, 2016

7.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 352 Ratings

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DirigiblePulpFeb 24, 2017

I never bought into this film's world of a delusional isolationist utopia and the obese capitalist automatons filling the outside world they fled from. It's used as a joke (how dumb this country is!) and as a way of courting empathy throughI never bought into this film's world of a delusional isolationist utopia and the obese capitalist automatons filling the outside world they fled from. It's used as a joke (how dumb this country is!) and as a way of courting empathy through the shared sense of superiority the audience has following this family as the protagonist. It's also outrageously unbelievable -- the kids all know like 6 languages, have read all great works of literature, play instruments, are up to date on all monthly periodicals and science magazines, oh right and outrageously fit and well-fed and know how to hunt and farm and THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY! And the hypocrisy of their lifestyle going mostly unchallenged...

But that's not really what this film is about. It's about dealing with grief in the best way you can, however that may be, other people's beliefs and their customs be damned. You're allowed to feel how you want and deal with it as you please. Viggo is great as usual. Taken on those merits, the film works a little more than it doesn't.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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NedRyerson1Feb 1, 2017

Captain Fantastic it’s an uncommon movie, not by the style, but by the story. The idea of raising your children in the nature, free from consumerism and having a healthy life is what every teenager dreams and claims to their friends, that heCaptain Fantastic it’s an uncommon movie, not by the style, but by the story. The idea of raising your children in the nature, free from consumerism and having a healthy life is what every teenager dreams and claims to their friends, that he or she will do it in the future. The thing is that just like those dreams die when the person grows up, the story fades as the film goes by. It never became clear what concept the protagonist was trying to avoid: capitalism, consumerism, occidental culture; just was choosing a healthier life form; all those things or none. The plot was to light for a whole movie, with too many inconsistencies that make difficult its understanding. Beside that, Viggo Mortensen gives a nice performance, even some of the kids did well too; the family issue with the grandparents is interesting and well developed and last but not least, it never turns boring, which surely required a lot of work considering all said.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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JcondicNov 27, 2016

The film is not perfect but the performances are top notch. Viggo is solid as the patriarch of this family which has been raised away from modern society. The children are all charming, and you get moments with each of them that connects. TheThe film is not perfect but the performances are top notch. Viggo is solid as the patriarch of this family which has been raised away from modern society. The children are all charming, and you get moments with each of them that connects. The ending lands perfect when the family finally gets to say goodbye to their mother.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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TyranianApr 7, 2019

Solid acting but imbecilic story and extremely tedious screenplay. Disappointing for Mortensen fan.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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MattBrady99Aug 8, 2019

Oh, so that's how you get nominated, not once but twice by showing your dick for cinema.

But in all seriousness, Viggo Mortensen was brilliant in this or just in anything he's in. Can't remember a time when he gave a bad performance.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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ParQerJan 24, 2022

That movie doesn’t work. It was based on a good idea, but it is written so poorly it ruins the whole movie. They are so bad at exploiting ideas. One of the main ideas is the critic of modern society. We get it but do they have to push thisThat movie doesn’t work. It was based on a good idea, but it is written so poorly it ruins the whole movie. They are so bad at exploiting ideas. One of the main ideas is the critic of modern society. We get it but do they have to push this narrative so hard? With kids talking like literary students, with the cardio of athletes who like to do extreme mountain climbing as a family activity. And of course they have to throw every Marxist clichés in the book, it doesn’t fit the narrative. If only Viggo’s character was Nietzschian, it would have made sense. A Nietzschian father trying to raise his child to become superhuman. Then they could have played with the idea of when is it okay to follow an ideology and when is dangerous.

Instead they throw some Marxist clichés who don’t really make sense in this context. Every time they could have done something interesting, they close the door. Like in the restaurant scene, when the young children’s ask about pancake and cola. It would have been a great opportunity to have a scene where the father is confronted by his children who realized that this is good food and that their father might not be right. Instead they finish that scene abruptly and go with the hunting scene that make absolutely no sense.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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