Civil War, 2024.
Directed by Alex Garland.
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jesse Plemmons, and Nick Offerman.
SYNOPSIS:
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.
Alex Garland has had a varied career, initially as a novelist best known for The Beach before collaborating with Danny Boyle on 28 Days Later and Sunshine. He later pivoted to directing earning stellar reviews for his cerebral sci-fi films Ex Machina and Annihilation and more middling to negative ones for 2022’s Men. Garland’s latest is the much-anticipated dystopian war film Civil War which speaks of a second US Civil War in a period that could be ours. In a year with a US election, this seems extra timely.
The core focus of the film is at the tail end of the war as Allied forces close in on the capital while the President (Nick Offerman) looks to cling to power. In this turbulent, violent environment, we follow a group of journalists who are keen to show the atrocities being committed by the President’s supporters and interview him. It is a hugely unpredictable state for the US with pockets of violence erupting throughout.
Our trio of Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura) and Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) embark on a lengthy road trip across the US to capture the heart of the battle, leaving a relative haven and encountering all sorts of chaos en route. They are also accompanied by a veteran journalist Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) a mentor of Lee, offering a different perspective on the role of journalists during conflict. Lee and Jessie are constantly at odds with Lee keen to protect Jessie and shield her from the horrors of war, having become somewhat desensitised to it herself. Dunst acquits herself well in a welcome lead role while Spaeny off the back of Priscilla and before a lead role in the latest Alien film shows her continued rising status.
Civil War is most interesting when leaning into the freedom of the press and the importance of showing both sides of the war. It surprisingly doesn’t dive heavily into the cause of the war itself or the political persuasions of both sides, leaving this more the viewer’s imagination. This may frustrate some viewers but cleverly focusing on journalists gives this a different angle. It is perhaps at its weakest in the explosive final act, where it shows its $50 million budget, the largest for an A24 film.
While not on the level of something like Children of Men, which it will be invariably compared to there are some interesting concepts at the heart of Civil War. On occasion it can feel like Garland is shocking for the sake of it, employing prolonged periods of silence to mull over the horrific images, punctured by bouts of short sharp violence. While these are impressive the first couple of occasions, after a few cases it loses some of its impact.
Civil War is a stronger showing for Alex Garland than Men, making the most of its sizable budget with a truly unique viewing experience, especially in IMAX with its outstanding sound design. When leaning into the wider war and shifting the focus away from the 4-5 central characters, it loses some of its impact with little to make audiences invested. If not Garland’s strongest work it is still worth the watch with a director making films unlike others working today.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
