X
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- A24
- 1 h 49 m
- 2024
- R
- A24
- 1 h 49 m
Summary From filmmaker Alex Garland comes 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.
Written By: Alex Garland
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- A24
- 1 h 49 m
- 2024
- R
- A24
- 1 h 49 m
Civil War
75
6.3
Where to Watch
Summary From filmmaker Alex Garland comes 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.
Written By: Alex Garland
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 63 Critic Reviews
75
76% Positive
48 Reviews
48 Reviews
22% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 63 Critic Reviews
75
76% Positive
48 Reviews
48 Reviews
22% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Forget such questions of whether 'Civil War' is good or bad, fresh or rotten, and any other gradation scale that comes to mind. This film is mandatory.
While bound to spark hundreds of think pieces, Alex Garland’s stirring Civil War will undoubtedly go down, too, as one of the most provocative films of the year. It’s also an early contender for one of the best, offering a stunning warning: no matter what the cause, war is hell.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 235 User Ratings
6.3
59% Positive
139 Ratings
139 Ratings
18% Mixed
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
23% Negative
54 Ratings
54 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 235 User Ratings
6.3
59% Positive
139 Ratings
139 Ratings
18% Mixed
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
23% Negative
54 Ratings
54 Ratings
Wow! Great Film. Different than other war movies following the soldiers and I enjoyed the pace here as you have moments of brevity and calm. Followed by insane moments of visceral action and stunning moments.
The scene famously seen in the trailer of Jesse Plemons in the red sunglass is worth the price of admission alone. But their are several moments in the film that really get the adrenaline going and I loved how it was paced and the finale was really epic and satisfying imo.
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With horrific wars raging in other parts of the world, and with politically charged violence part of the fabric of this country, “Civil War” will hit home no matter where you live.
It is a film about journalistic ethics and, in its own way, the interpretation of images is grounded in [Dunst’s] outstanding performance. It isn’t an easy role to inhabit, but she does so perfectly.
Civil War works on the level of intellectual exercise: a film clear-eyed on the horrors of war and trauma in which journalists are the unsentimental heroes, and which relies on the audience to supply their own assumptions of American politics rather than spoon-feed reality. But the distance makes for an at times frustrating watch – stimulating on the level of adrenaline, not emotions.
The plot plods along — they drive a bit, guy gets shot, they drive some more, guy gets shot — and the dialogue is bottom of the barrel.
This is a stark, harrowing reminder of why we can't let our nation's politics be led again by weak-minded politicians any longer.
As a lifelong party man, this turned me from Blue to Red. This movie sits back and asks you smack bang between the eyes, "How can we leave this country to our children in its current state?"
It's truly a political horror story.
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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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It was certainly an intense experience, and a shock to the system to see much of the violence of modern warfare enacted on American streets. But I do wonder exactly what point Alex Garland was trying to convey. By deliberately stripping the two warring sides of political context and political resemblance to current factions, he certainly avoided stepping on sensitive toes, but he also removed some very important opportunities to explore the deeper meaning of the war and its causes. It was very well done, but ultimately felt hollow. Seeing a strangely apolitical war play out through the eyes of apolitical journalists left me wondering what it was all for. What exactly IS the "peaceful" America that our characters remember? How did they lose it, and what is the path to getting it back? This movie makes a lot of noise, but on the questions that really matter, it has nothing to say.
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The film is problematic in that it puts forward the view that journalists are adrenaline addict war junkies, who must have little empathy to get their job done. Not sure if that's true or not but the film paints this view in a positive light. Another review mentions the film Salvador 1986 which portrays a much deeper and much more positive view of journalism, in comparison Civil War comes off very shallow. Admittedly I wasn't expecting anything too much from Alex Garland but nonetheless was disappointment. The film does shine as a very low intensity war movie though but just heavily marred by it's portrayal of journalists.
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