I really liked it a lot. Favorite Alex Garland by far. It’s not what I thought it would be at all. It’s a movie about the horrors of war and how jaded we are to violence. Kirsten Dunst was incredible. Definitely not an Oscar contender at all.
Some are really looking for this movie to "Say Something" or have a "Stance" but I appreciated that that didn't really seem to matter as much as the journey the characters were on. I didn't really need a message, and it all worked. I think people heard Civil War and immediately wanted to start looking for parallels with society. Thought it was refreshing/worked for a movie with this subject matter to just be matter of fact.
A real mess of a film. Watching from the UK I wondered how Americans would react to more or less realistic depictions of civil war on home soil. This did seem to be the point of the film. Mentor/mentee was awful. No realistic character progression on either side. The young girl ends up in a pit of executed civilians and reacts with all the trauma of getting dogs**t on her trainers. Kirsten Dunst suddenly questions her life choices after 30 or 40 years or so. Really? Most of what the film seemed to be aiming at had, been done so much more viscerally and powerfully before; a couple of obvious comparisons might be Apocalypse Now, wandering around a war torn country (compare the puppy on the boat scene, with what we get here), and for civilians in amongst the brutality of war, it's hard to get past Oliver Stone's Salvador. That said, there was a lot of tension, you never knew what was around the next corner. A massive wasted opportunity to say something important and impactful. If America does end up in an actual civil war in the next 5 or 10 years so I'll blame Alex Garland.
Just saw it. This is the most I’ve ever scoffed and rolled my eyes in the cinema. Such horrible writing but well directed. Garland should stick to scifi.
This film is about war journalism. Period. That ending took me back to dozens of photographs that exist of the death of dictators. And the film made me wonder about all the people who took those pictures, those who took pictures of death and violence in Vietnam -- like Eddie Adam's Vietnam War photo of the solider shooting the civilian in the head. It haunts me to this day! It's specific to their perspective. It's not a global story, to me.
I agree with basically all of your points. Was surprised how much of the film was just a procedural. Which I guess is fine but I really wanted the juicy stuff and this subject had so much potential conflict to grapple with but the characters for the most part are just kind of…there
They're back! At last! Edit: oh its just cole, its fine its ok. Justin's picking up his costume, obviously, couldn't make it yo the vid cuz he's Busy!!!! No hurry, i totally get it, take ur time J. (to deliver later on!)
Just got home from the film and I agree with everything you said here. I also am surprised that the film is all about war journalism, but not once are we told how the war coverage is being perceived by the public. I feel like that is such a big thing with any modern journalism.
You touched on most of what I felt. I think for me it almost focused so much on the psyche of being a war time journalist that it could've just been that and taken place in a real war going on presently. When I see a title like Civil War I expect a movie focused on the intrigue of that. It had flashes of it at times but really didn't seem too concerned with uncovering anything new about our country having another civil war
It just felt pretty underwhelming and shallow, not a bad movie but if you’re gonna make a movie with this concept you gotta embrace it not at such a surface level
"What side of the nondescript war would you be on?" Food for thought. I'd be on the "Pro Democratic, One Person One Vote, Affordable Universal Healthcare, Pro Equal Woman's & LGBTQ Rights" side. I’d be on the “Peaceful Transition of Power” side ….
“Wish fulfillment” of the right? Try wet dream of the left. It ends with “Trump” being executed by a black woman. Take off your blindfold and look at the screen next time.
