Rent Civil War (2024)

Gripping Dystopian Combat Film - Civil War review by GI

A chilling dystopian action film from director Alex Garland, a director of unique vision, and a film that will possibly divide audiences although as a cinematic experience it's visceral and an assault on the senses. Set in the near future the USA is embroiled in a civil war where the states of Texas and California have united to fight a tyrannical President (a cameo from Nick Offerman). The film doesn't give us much if any political context for the causes off the war although there's the inevitable allegory to Trump albeit a tentative one. This is a narrative around the effects of conflict and close proximity to combat. Kirsten Dunst plays Lee, a veteran combat photo journalist, who has become somewhat immune to the violence she witnesses although she is haunted by the past. She and her colleague are intent on a perilous journey across America to try and get an interview with the President, a risky enterprise as journalists have been summarily executed in Washington DC but as the President appears close to defeat they want the scoop. Tagging along are a fellow veteran journalist (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and Jess (Cailee Spaeny). Jess is terrified by what she sees and Lee becomes a reluctant mentor to her and the film focuses on Jess' emotional arc as she becomes more and more a war junkie. With a road movie structure the travellers go from episode to episode some of which are very traumatising and violence is ever present. This is a violent and at times uncomfortable film and the combat scenes and set pieces are realistic both visually and aurally. This film captures the chilling and terrible momentum of war in a way that Saving Private Ryan (1998) did for the war film genre and in the character structures it reminded me of The Hurt Locker (2008) in the depiction of the numbness to horror and the addiction to the rush of combat that both Lee has and regrets and Jess is obtaining on the journey. An impressive film and one that I'm sure will gain accolades as time goes on.

Unrealistic Meandering Mess of an Antifa American Wish Fulfilment Fantasy in US Election Year - Civil War review by PV

I am baffled as to why this movie is getting such praise and plaudits; I suspect the reasons are mostly political.

SO there is a Trump-like figure in the Whitehouse; meanwhile. Highly unlikely that Texas and California would secede from the USA and join together though; more likely that the 'flyover' states and the south would, as east/west coast 'liberals' socalled hijack the whitehouse for evermore with minorities of colour support. Actors are fine - I shall watch Wagner Maura in anything after his definitive role as Pablo Escobar in classic TV drama NARCOS.

If you want to watch a great film about the morality of photojournalism in a war then watch THE KILLING FIELDS.

This meandering mess of a movie is a road trip on a quest to get to Washington, and that is it. No real story here, all so woolly and flabby in screenplay terms. Pure SciFi fantasy really, though not quite as bad as Garland's last movie 'MEN' which also had that #metoo agenda. OF COURSE the main character and heroes are female here, or men of colour. Fact is, however, the vast majority of war photographers are male. The odd exception prove the rule, and the few famous ones gets perhaps more attention than they deserve just for being female.

Alex Garland is white male privilege personified - privately educated in poshest London area of all Hampstead, with a famous political cartoonist father, and upper class grandparents, incl a Sir. And, like many privileged liberal white male 'silverbacks' (Jon Snow off Channel 4 News is another), he seems to promote an intense dislike, even hatred, against white males. There is NOT ONE in the main cast, those on the roadtrip, if you count the Maura character as Hispanic - there are 2 east Asians, Hong Kong gets a mention and China - and there is one scene here hammers that point home. All baddies in it and the whole movies are white American males. All of them; all heroes and goodies are female or non-white. It is real tick-box 2-dimensional stuff, a bitter diversity worship which some viewers no doubt adore. I call it out for the racism/sexism against white males it is - very common these days in publishing too, esp kids' books. Depressing BUT we still have the archive, thankfully.

I give it 2 not 1 star as it is watchable, with impressive shooting/war scenes (but if you want that, watch brilliant German TV series GENERATION WAR about a REAL war). BUT make no mistake, this is pure wish fulfilment fantasy film-making for socalled progressives in the USA - no doubt they'll show it at the Democrat convention. Make no mistake - this is political propaganda, a scare story, and anti-Trump, and probably quite deliberately released this US election year.

Nice to see (Viet Nam gay American man) Andy Ngo get a credit at the end - the footage f ANTIFA (socalled) demonstrations and violence intercut with the fiction are taken by him - in real life, he was violently attacked by the fascists who claim they are anti fascist.

And the music is well-chosen. So 2 stars, JUST.

Underwhelming misfire - Civil War review by Alphaville

In the hands of Alex Garland, this film about a civil war in the US should be a blockbuster epic, instead of which it’s unbelievably trite and underwhelming. We follow a group of press people trying to photograph the action. Action? If only. As they travel by car from New York to Washington DC there’s one slow talky scene after another, signifying nothing. As observers, they hold no interest as characters. Chief press person Kirsten Dunst remains sullen and stony-faced throughout. What little action there is is ruined by showing it as they photograph it, in staccato stills. What we’re left with is a series of uninvolving tableaux and an equally annoying ending. A dismal score with dire pop songs makes everything even worse. Hard to keep watching without hitting FF.