Civil War (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

My Take – At first glance, the premise that this latest writer-director Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) feature presents might seem too far-fetched, but considering the current status of the politics currently adopted and run, not limited to the U.S.A., it is hard to admit but it’s truly wild implications are certainly universal.

Glimpsing into what life would be like in a modern American civil war, which has nothing civil about it, the film gives us a taste of war experience that shows you the cruelty of real war. Completely direct, the film doesn’t confuse you with big talks about politics, powers and conflicts. Instead, it puts you in a position that is vulnerable and also in the very front line of war, making it all about experience rather than telling you an intriguing story.

This one indeed is a terrifying film, primarily since it shows a future that is truly possible and is not just a giant leap. Mainly irrespective of what one would like to believe, the collapse of a government can happen rather quickly regardless of the country and their policies.

Seen through the eyes of a bunch of press reporters, the film delivers a challenging, thrilling, heart-pounding experience that highlights the importance of journalism in times of conflict and how easily we become desensitized to violence when we’re living through it.

Yes, it is definitely not an easy watch as the film keeps the focus on the journey the characters take and how war affects them, but director Garland gives the story the scope and visual style of a massive summer blockbuster, completely immersing us in the experience of this necessary watch.

Set some years from now, the story takes place in a time when a civil war has erupted between an authoritarian United States government and various regional factions, and follows Lee Smith (Kristen Dunst), a renowned war photojournalist who has seen all kinds of atrocities humans are capable of around the globe.

Accompanied by Joel (Wagner Moura), a maverick journalist for Reuters who gets giddy at the sight of violence, thrives in staring death in the face, and lives for the danger, Lee Smith intends to travel to Washington, D.C., to interview and photograph the third term serving President of the United States (Nick Offerman) before the city falls as his loyalists make a final stand against invading separatists.

Joining them are Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), a veteran journalist for The New York Times and Lee’s mentor, and Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), an aspiring young photographer who idolizes Lee and join the cohort of combat journalists, without fully understanding what she’s getting herself into.

What follows is a thrillingly dark road trip that is studded by moments of explosive tension and dangerous misjudgments. The film is structured in a way that lets viewers experience little moments sprinkled here and there across the lead group’s journey—reminiscent of stumbling into unique world-building moments as a player exploring a post-apocalyptic video game.

This is a character-driven story, but in the most tense way possible. Anything can happen at any moment, and the left swerves are constant. The film finds its foundational vision in the eyes of war journalists who for decades have brought us the soul shattering reality of war, free from the romance of Hollywood patriotism.

Like soldiers in a war of attrition, they must constantly reassess the purpose of their risks and sacrifices as they watch their colleagues fall for the sake of a priceless pictorial story of war. Here, the three generations of war correspondents traveling together into the insanity becomes the testament to the three phases in the life of such a calling.

To deliver that point, the film takes a much grounded, matter-of-fact approach to violence, showing bodies getting shot to bits, set on fire, and blown up. It makes the story more affecting because of how real it feels. Agreed, some of director Garland’s imagery is overly familiar, like the line of abandoned cars that stretches to the horizon.

But he contrasts the approach with his exquisite use of sound, with long stretches of absolute silence that increase the tension but also help showcase just how used to violence the characters are. By the time silence gives way to the deafening sounds of gunshots, it becomes as terrifying and heart-pounding as any horror film, effectively using war as a jump scare.

Surprisingly, we never really learn what exactly led to the titular civil war, yet it works because we’re allowed to fill in the blanks; thanks to vagueness around why the United States split into three warring factions it can support every ideology and theory.

The lack of specifics helps make it a malleable story that’s understandable no matter your familiarity with American politics, the less you know about the current political landscape, the more the film makes sense. The segment with the small town having complete normalcy looked odd whereas everything else looked normal, which again makes up for sad truth.

Performance wise, Kristen Dunst is the heart and soul of the film. One doesn’t doubt her as Lee, a veteran war photographer, for a moment, even though she barely says anything. It’s saying a lot that this is up there amongst her best work. Wagner Moura is equally brilliant and certainly acts as the film’s wild card. Cailee Spaeny pitches her role perfectly, adding on to her exceptionally growing filmography. Stephen McKinley Henderson is a delight as always.

Jesse Plemons also shows up in a cameo and completely sells his role as a racist xenophobic militant. In smaller roles, Nick Offerman, Karl Glusman, Sonoya Mizuno, Jess Matney and Jonica T. Gibbs are effective. On the whole, ‘Civil War’ is a gripping war road-trip thriller that is disturbing, fascinating and essential.