Civil War (2024)
Directed by Alex Garland
[Rated R] 1hr 49min
★★★★
Civil War is a dystopian war thriller that follows a group of journalists rushing to Washington DC in order to interview the president before he gets killed. On their way to the White House, the group encounters many dangerous situations that often occur in destabilized regions all over the world, but now that it’s happening in the United States, they strive to document these horrific events along the way.
This is not a film about the politics of opposing factions in a civil war, nor is it about the divisive political climate that can lead to a civil war. Rather, this is a film about the challenges of wartime journalism and the pursuit of capturing events as they happen as well as the results of their aftermath. In this alternative future, the destruction currently seen in other countries is displaced into the United States, which creates a more personal connection to the effects of war because it depicts the collapse of a familiar society rather than one that is far removed from the daily lives of Americans. As the journalists travel across the country, they encounter both soldiers and civilians engaging in horrible, dehumanizing acts against other people, and this continuously develops a uneasy atmosphere that effectively builds and releases tension throughout the entire movie. As a result, the film provides an incredibly gripping and engaging experience that reinforces its themes in every scene, and it’s able to offer nuanced commentaries on war, journalism, and the human race that go far beyond the contemporary politics of American society.
Civil War presents an excellent reflection on the horrors of war through the lens of journalists as they navigate the collapse of the United States. Although the action isn’t the main focus of the film, there are some incredible sequences that make seeing it in a theater worth while. Anyone who’s interested in or curious about the film’s subject matter and all the thought-provoking ideas it contains should definitely consider watching it.
Civil War is now playing in theaters. Click here to watch the Official Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper