Civil War (REVIEW) | Projector | Flawed, but not apolitical 

The movie is a perfect example of how neutraility and objectivity are not one in the same. It wants to start a broader conversation about increasingly tense political divisions, but because it refuses to go into the politics of the world, it left me feeling more empty than curious.

The problem with making an anti-war film about a fictitious civil war without addressing how the war came to be is that you put yourself in the absolutist position of saying 'war is always wrong' which, while morally easy, is basically an un-defendable position to take. This is why most anti-war films focus on wars which were historically judged to be 'unjust' or 'pointless' wars to avoid the response, 'yes, we get war is bad, but sometimes not fighting for what is right is even worse'.

I cant believe the director (who was clearly influenced by Come and See) tried to make a War Is Bad film but thinks he can sidestep shit like you know, history and context. Horror movies play upon the anxieties among the population and if you dont say anything about the background of said fear then like what is the point?? You cant play bOtH SiDeS when one side in war is a clear aggressor. Its really not saying anything novel or groundbreaking.

The thing that bugged us was the underlying message of the older generation stepping aside for the younger generation. It wouldn't have been an issue if they'd cast a woman in her late 50s/60s, but they cast Kirsten (41yrs) barely into middle aged.

In the words of Randy Marsh: "You have to overdo it in today's society. You can't be nuanced and subtle anymore or else critics go 'Wow, what was the point of that?'"

Alex Garland did an interview with Pod Save America where he discussed the California/Texas connection. At the end of the interview he thanked them for allowing him to speak about his politics, which he normally doesn't get to do. It's available on RU-vid.

This film having a shocking widely talked about concept but ending up being what is essentially a completely different genre as advertised reminds me a lot of the first "The Purge" film. Who knows, maybe it'll follow that formula and in four years we'll have "Civil War 3: Red vs Blue", where people are dressed up in mecha power armour shouting ridiculously over the top lines and it's so gonzo it wraps around to being enjoyable

I dunno, I feel like dismissing the political ideologies of either side of the conflict severely affected my ability to care about the plot; films like Come and See benefit from being based off real-life wars, but you kinda have to justify why these two factions are going against each other in a hypothetical “what-if” scenario

That mention of the helicopter at JC Penney reminds me of the Homefront game where the game used White Castle and Hooters to present the states better than any fictional place like Burger Town could.

I think the map was a little bit of a troll. That really did affect some people and I think it was intentional for the mid scene with the red sunglasses guy.

You did a good job tackling it given how thorny a subject mater the film is covering, especially in the current climate online where it's hard to have any nuance in debates.

Michael Herr's Dispatches seems to have had an influence on this . . . .

Thanks for the review filmbrain. I enjoyed this movie

What in my opinion adds to the final act being rushed is the introduction of the other two reporters as sort of soft antagonists that want to beat them to the White House. It felt like a semi-discarded idea from an early draft or something.

weirdly over-enthusiastic imo

I went in wanting to see the set-up that had California and Texas allied, but I appreciate what the film did in not giving us a side to root for in the war. A product of the internet spaces I spend time in is repeated exposure to the group of left leaning people who are rejecting the idea of voting to change things and calling for the glorious revolution that will fix everything instead with no understanding of what that revolution would involve. Jan 6 is uncanny in the people that stormed the capitol did not and continue to not understand what they did. They stormed the capitol and tried to over throw the government, but did not realize there would be consequences. No matter who the President is or who the Western Front are, no matter if Civil War is the story of a President who don't support being overthrown by the side you support, or the President you support losing against the side you don't support, the Civil War sucked. It getting that far is not going to be a victory for your side, too many will be dead, too much will have been lost. Most Americans, including many that have been in war zones, do not understand what would happen after our country descended into Civil War. People do not pack up and go home after a civil war, the country is not fixed, and the problems that cause the war do not disappear. I partly agree with the end image. I think that end image is a dark and important comment. But it means the film ended the B plot but never wrapped up the A plot of our characters.

This was massive disappointment for me; Terrible worldbuilding and a truly stupid plot beat kills the thing for me. Wild the Fallout show had more to say.

Pray that nobody decides to splice 21:50 - 22:07 out of context for a laugh.

Cali was annoying in this movie with how much trouble she was getting into and how irresponsible her character was.

I hated this movie. It was so disappointing. It should have been better.

For those who like CIVIL WAR and want to see THE PURGE films, please do follow ELECTION YEAR, FIRST PURGE (#4, not #1), and FOREVER PURGE first (the better entries in the franchise) before you even go to the 2013 PURGE film and even ANARCHY.

Thank you for a balanced and thorough review as always. You have tipped me over into going to see this if my life allows. Thank you.

Even through the Purge movies definitely came to mind I was reminded more of the Independent movie Bushwick from 2017 starring Dave Batista which is very similar to Civil War in alot of ways narratively.

Alex Garland is a very talented writer and filmmaker, who also happens to be extremely dumb. The fact his comments about the content of his film seems to directly contradict the text of that film, is very telling. It's like an anti-Paul Verhoeven.

The Ukraine conflict started because of American involvement. Whether it was the CIA or NATO? America started it.

CIVIL WAR is my #1 favourite film of 2024 so far. Violent, uncompromising, understated, and likely to stir, pardon the expression, shit up! Many of the comments highlighted its similarities to the PURGE films (2013 - 2021) or even that HUNT film by Craig Zobel and I think that's appropriate. However, the message in question isn't quite as in-your-face or as left-wing as let's say PURGE. Just seeing it in a cinema in the U.S. with the charged pro-Trump, anti-Biden climate that seems to be playing right now in the news was quite a tense, difficult experience and with Ukraine and Israel-Gaza going on, it's hard not to see things that may not be directly there and put your own perspective on it. Worried the film may cause possible radicalisation to the wrong kind of people or a possible Aurora, Colorado type massacre in cinemas?

I've not seen this yet, largely as a result of the trailers which made the film seem like sort of Ben Shapiro or Tim Pool wet dream projected onto the silver screen; IYKYK. So their marketing campaign has in some cases put off people that would possibly have been bum on a seat at the box office. Anyway, I think the film brings to mind 2006's Children of Men somewhat. Setting aside the religious allegory, that film presented a sometimes eerily prescient vision of a ruinous, collapsing UK society, dominated by xenophobia and fascism. With actual urban warfare breaking out as insurgents (the 'Fish') take control of Bexhill; seaside town turned transit camp ghetto. The scenes of a familiar but broken country, juxtaposed with crunching, unsettling violence were very effective.

I seen it yesterday and I love it and might one of my favorite movies there something about it that works while there are flaws in the script but it is a masterpiece

Someone needs to sit Garland down and tell him that Come and See is not "apolitical" and was based off the accounts of a lesser known part of WWII and the Holocaust.

I honestly just think that the movie was a bunch of various scenes that are often found within actual Civil/Revolutionary wars placed upon an american esthetic. It seemed the writers/director were doing their best to blend the lines, allowing the viewer to guess who's; who, all but one of our presidents has been black so him being a white guy didn't really scream trump to me. I know trump was verbally hostile towards the media, but Obama was just as, if not more legislatively hostile towards them, going as far as to jail whistleblowers. Like I said, its up to the viewer and I guess I saw a blurring of presidents and parties where others did not.

Believing, let alone worshipping journalists, is one of the dumbest ideas imaginable.

Kirsten. Not Kiersten.