Review of Captain Fantastic (2016) by Julie M — 04 Aug 2016

A father raises his six children into top level athletes/brainiacs in the forest in this indie road trip movie. Viggo Mortensen is Ben, and his wife is sick in the hospital. His kids don't mind the mental and physical boot camp, think of it as an extended summer camp.

But when they have to go back to society, they clash with Ben's sister and father, and the cultural and philosophical battles begin. The movie has great performances from the children and adult players, but the movie can falter in places.

The ending is a bit too on the unrealistic side, not fully knowing where it wants to go, also dragging on for far too long. It also tries too hard at time to be quirky instead of letting the movie be endearing on its own, so it feels pretentious at times.

Captain Fantastic is not a fantastic film, but it has its moments.