Civil War
review by Bobby Blakey
Writer/director Alex Garland has been delivering some pretty interesting and great films for years including Ex Machina, Annihilation and more recently MEN. His latest film Civil War is no doubt a bit more controversial in its subject matter due to the state of the world right now. The film features a great cast including Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny, but does it pack that powerful impact that it seems, or will it be a war not worth fighting?
Civil War follows a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
The first trailer for this movie looked great but had one line in it that spoke volumes to the journey we were going to be on. With a civil war happening in the US and someone says they are American but asked “What kind?” is way to close to what is happening here in the states daily. In the climate of today this film is way scarier than it should be and works to do just that.
What I loved about this film is that it is told from the Press point of view, keeping it neutral throughout. They walk that line feeling like it never really picks a side, but at the same time depending on what you want to read into or decide I guess could be. I dug all the cast, but it was Dunst who shines more than most. She is stoic as the veteran war journalist and rarely shows any emotions. There is a moment in the film where she is more humanized at the worst time that changes everything showcasing a deeper emotional element to her character.
The rest of the cast pull their weight as well with all bringing the needed emotions,
passion and fears to what they are involved in. The dynamic between Dunst’s veteran and new to the warzone Spaeny is frustrating and great to watch. There are moments due to her inexperience that drives you crazy because she is constantly messing up or second guessing everything. It’s this and the dark direction it takes that allows for growth to them both in good and bad ways.
The film is slow initially as we are introduced to the cast and ideas of what is going on. Once they hit the road it picks up and really brings the action and horrors of war. There are some pretty graphic images that are clearly intended to remind the audience of the horrific nature of war itself and not just get lost in the action film genre of it all. The action is well executed and extremely loud depending on how you are watching it. I loved that the gunshots are so loud as it puts you right into the line of fire like the press themselves.
The final act is intense filled with gun fights, tanks, choppers, and everything in between. It throws everything into this war and if you see it as just a straight up gun fights it’s fun action cinema, but when you are reminded that it is on US soil between Americans it becomes a lot scarier.
The final scene of the film and how it ends is one that harkens to close to the opinions of a lot of people and their outrageous views of the world. It won’t work for some and does feel like an abrupt end, but at the same time its war and there is never going to be an ending that is good. IT takes its own jabs at the divide in our nation and plays to its fears that is sadly to close to home.
Decide for yourself and check out Civil War in theaters now.