Civil War movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Civil War

This unsettling drama looks at a potential future America, now playing in theaters.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 49 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

There have been rumblings of a civil war ever since the January 6^th event after the 2020 election. I’ve never experienced such anger and hatred in my country in my life as I have the past few years. I was so encouraged during Covid when everyone was singing from the balconies but now everyone is so mean and ugly to one another. I see it every day and it breaks my heart. I certainly hope Americans don’t want civil war. Countless lives will be lost unnecessarily.

The film paints a picture of an America gone crazy and in crisis, which makes me so sad. Hopefully, when Americans watch this movie, this will remind us that this is not who we are as a country. Unless we start making some different choices, we could easily go down this path.

The story follows a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach Washington, D.C. before rebel factions descend upon the White House. Their goal is to simply record factual events, letting politicians and the public comment on the content. That definitely doesn’t happen in today’s journalism anymore. Every news outlet now has a very clear agenda that is pushed, making it difficult to ascertain the truth at times.

The film was directed and written by Alex Garland, who also brought us Ex Machina and Annihilation. It’s already been nominated for the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival this year. I’ve been impressed with the work that A24 has been doing during the past few years, so this film is another great project to add to their list. It will definitely stir up conversations, emotions, and controversy.

THINGS I LIKED:

I really liked Kirsten Dunst in this. I’ve been a fan of hers for years. She does a fantastic job in her role as an experienced, weathered journalist.
The cast also includes Nick Offerman, Stephen Henderson, a vicious Jesse Plemons, and the new and upcoming actress Cailee Spaeny who had small roles in previous films such as Priscilla, Bad Times at the El Royale, and On the Basis of Sex. Good for her!
The movie poster is provocative and intriguing.
The title is pretty straightforward. Sadly, many people already assume that there will be angry riots after this next presidential election no matter who wins.
I thought it was really clever to show snapshots during the scenes so we could see the events through the camera lens of the journalists.
Great sound design.
Impressive cinematography by Rob Hardy.
The film is powerful and punches you in the gut.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Because the movie is about politics in the USA, some people won’t be interested in watching this. I don’t blame them. Politics isn’t fun. While we love watching movies to escape, there is also so much we can learn from them.
The trailer doesn’t accurately portray the contents of the film, which has annoyed a lot of viewers.
Those who claim the trailer is misleading were generally expecting a high-action war flick with a clear “us vs. them” plot. Instead, go to the theater to take a look at what war does to human lives through the eyes of photojournalists. That’s a very different kind of movie.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

We see some bloodied, dead bodies
Profanity, including F-bombs
We see horrible violence like setting people on fire, hanging dead bodies, people being shot, cars driving over bodies, etc. You will see images that may haunt you for years. The violence and hatred are that devastating.
Lots of destruction.
An alarming display of the lack of respect and value for human life is shown.

THEMES:

Political conflict
Partisan politics
Journalism
The human cost of war
Humanity
The power of photographic images

FUNNY LINES:

“Would you photograph it if I got shot?” – Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) “What do YOU think?” – Lee (Kirsten Dunst)
“You’re so war torn, you can’t try on a dress?” – Jessie (Cailee Spaeny)
“You stay because you’re old and can’t run.” – Lee (Kirsten Dunst)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Once you start asking those questions, you can’t stop, so that’s why we don’t start.” – Lee (Kirsten Dunst)
“We’re American.” – Joel (Wagner Moura) “What kind of American are you?” – (Jesse Plemons)