‘Civil War’- Film Review: Alex Garland’s Most Ambitious Film To Date

If A24 were to offer a specific filmmaker their most costly budget of $50 million, why not give it to Alex Garland? Aside from being a well-known writer, Garland has shown to be the most diverse director for over ten years. Ex Machina is still one of the best original sci-fi films. His sophomore effort, Annihilation, doesn’t make much sense, but it’s impressive. The only film I couldn’t stand was his last effort, Men, which can only be described as bizarrely mediocre. What he had planned to do next was up in the air. And I won’t lie: I thought Civil War would be a train wreck since the political climate of this country is less than perfect. From the trailer, it looked to be a thriller that’ll lead to many upon many discussions, already setting up to become one of the most divisive films of the year so far. It might not be perfect after sitting through those two hours, but it is an experience worth being called tense throughout his most ambitious film.

What’s the Story: Set in the near future, a second Civil War broke out in the United States. The Western Forces of Texas and California are in an alliance where the President (Nick Offerman) declares, “Victory is Close.” Renowned war photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) plans to travel from New York to the front lines of Washington, D.C., with her colleague Joel (Wagner Moura) and mentor Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) in an attempt to make their way to the capital to get an interview with the President before the WFs plan on assassinating him. Along the road trip with them is Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), a young aspiring photographer unprepared to see what goes down in a war-torn country.

Of course, everything placed into Civil War is a massive scenario. However, given the political climate we’ve experienced recently, it could lead to reality. The most captivating aspect of Garland’s account is that it puts the reader in the shoes of these journalists, who risk their lives to capture these terrible moments of gunfire and death. Through their eyes, the four travel through the country, avoiding specific attacks. I admire how it’s not about the soldiers fighting but about the essential factor journalists bring. We rarely think about admitting the violence. They’re responsible for taking photos with meanings behind them when they snap the cameras through various wars worldwide. Garland wisely lets us know these characters are at risk through every stop, causing some intense moments to take away. Whether being trapped by a mysterious sniper at an abandoned Christmas fair or getting interrogated by an uncredited Jesse Plemons as a possible Xenophobic militant, it’s unpredictable.

While the marketing has this look like a straightforward action film, it’s safer knowing it goes for the needed slow burn between the characters that, while it can make the pace off sometimes, helps keep the story feel grounded. Though Garland expertly creates this fictional war zone with disturbing imagery that won’t leave my mind anytime soon, he does a great job delivering some well-executed action that makes us feel we, too, are behind enemy lines. Rob Hardy’s cinematography is beautiful and worth paying for IMAX. But the sound design work stood out on a technical level, with the most realistic gunfire that startled me out of my seat more than once and captured the silence one might experience after an explosion. That alone is enough to see it get an Oscar nomination for Best Sound. Once the third act takes it to the attack on Washington, D.C., it doesn’t hold back at being thrilling, showing Garand used the budget effectively.

Kirsten Dunst gave one of her best performances, which made me forget how talented she’s become after discovering her as Mary Jane Watson in the original Spider-Man trilogy. As Lee, she’s been in the profession for so long that she’s used to the harrowing dangers to where it’s almost numb, yet this allows her to have those moments of humanity she lets out. Once she takes Jessie under her wing, their scenes offer the most genuine conversations to let her know it’ll start exciting but will go into horrific territories along the way. Eventually, she gains this sudden rush, which happens when getting close to danger. Spaeny continues to be an actress I’ll be rooting to see in more roles, and this performance will be one I remember the most right now. I also must mention both Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson for adding to the great dynamic they carry with the other two.

How political this was wasn’t Garland’s objective, to make Civil War a symbolic metaphor for choosing sides. However, I wished the screenplay had the chance to dive deeper into explaining how Florida and California joined forces. Nothing was fleshed out when we were thrust into the country’s tense atmosphere. Some context might have helped, but not everyone will agree. The only genuine disappointment was the way it concluded. I had an idea where it was going, but it left me unsatisfied, which had not happened in a long time. That could change my view if I give it another look. If this is rumored to be Garland’s final picture, with a focus on writing, it’s better to end here than insult the viewers.

Civil War sees Writer/director Alex Garland take on a hypothetical viewpoint that might happen and turn it into a flawed but intense ride. Though its intentions aren’t as deep as expected, it’s more thrilling than fun in a film that surprised me.