A small group of media members work their way through a dystopian America to the White House in Alex Garland’s Civil War.

 

In this film, we follow war photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst) with journalists Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson). Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), a young and inspired photographer, joins Lee as her inspiration for entering the media industry. The group’s goal is to make it to Washington D.C. to interview the President of the United States (Nick Offerman) before the Western Forces attack the White House and remove the third term President. As they make their way to the capital, you only get bits and pieces of why states have succeeded from the United States and started a civil war. You learn that the Western Forces are a military group that resulted from a Texas and California alliance. As the characters travel to the capital, you witness the horrors of war between American citizens. Lee tutors Jessie about the ins and outs of war photography along the way to prepare her for the insanity that will ensue once they reach Washington D.C.

 

Words really can’t describe how disappointed I am after watching this film. From start to finish, I just wanted the film to be over. The story was extremely vague, the acting was stale, and the only thing that made it somewhat interesting was the action. I’m not sure what Garland was going for with this film, but I feel like he completely missed the mark. He could have made something that was impactful and meaningful, but it was just mindless cinema. I mean Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire had a more impactful message than Civil War, and that is saying something. I don’t know why some people are saying this is one of Garland’s best films to date. He directed 28 Days Later and Ex Machina, and they were both far superior to this film.

 

Overall, I don’t recommend seeing this film in theaters. I’m not sure I would even want to spend money on renting it once it hits streaming services. Wait until it is completely free if you want to watch it. If you think you’re missing out on some phenomenon by not seeing it, don’t worry – you’re not. Trust me.

 

Rating: 2 out 5