Civil War Movie Review - A Movie That Delivers on a Riveting Journalism Story, But Lacks The Divisive War Spectacle.

 By no means a bad film. But this wasn’t a movie about a Civil War

By - Ubong Ekpo

 I had the pleasure last week of attending an early Monday night screening of Alex Garland’s film, Civil War and the film was totally different from what I was expecting. . Civil War, based on its trailers and marketing, made it out to be an epic, thrilling showcase of the United States at war with itself. However, the film ended up being more of a journalism story masked under the guise of being a Civil War film. The details and exacts of how the USA ends up in a Civil War are never truly divulged.  Rather the story was centered around the plight of Kirsten Dunst and her fellow journalist, as they aim to travel to Washington to cover the possible killing of the president. 

 What I liked about the film was it raised concerns regarding the ethics of the press during times of war. Dunst and her colleagues go out of their way to put themselves in real, dangerous war zones to capture live footage. Dunst gave one of her more stronger performances as the reserved, matured journalist Lee. Jesse Plemons, the real life husband of Kirsten Dunst, was the highlight of the film for me, he truly encapsulated the feeling of America in a civil war state. His one scene was chilling and was the one time I felt the spirit of a divided America, as he questions the journalist on where they’re from, what kind of American they are. This was what I was expecting the movie to be like, the tensions that we even feel in the real world are ever so present; I wish the film put more emphasis on those aspects.

   My main gripe with this film was the lack of detail and presence it gave to the actual Civil War. One of the biggest marketing tools was the USA Alliance map, which showcased a divided America. I was expecting to see how these divisions were formed or at least some brief explanation of such, neither was given. We are shown that the USA, in many parts, has been devastated by war, such as amusement parks being war-torn. It would’ve made for a much more exciting, deeper film with a little more backstory.

 Civil War is by no means a bad film but, ultimately, Civil War was a bait and switch to make a journalism-themed movie. I have no problem with seeing a film that challenges the ethics of covering war, whether it’s right or wrong to capture a person's last moments on camera for the sake of news, but it didn’t have to be at the expense of the promising concept. I do understand that the aspect of a civil war, as the United States is reaching levels of division not seen since the Civil Rights era, would be an effective tool to garner viewers, but the film didn’t deliver personally for me. I do recommend that people see it, it is an original as-you-can-get concept and showcases A24 foraying into more entertainment-leaning films. While Civil War doesn’t live up to its premise, it is still a film worth seeing