2 min to read
Civil War
Is Civil War that good of a film?
The Good: Civil War is full of greatness, and I think most of it comes from it the way Alex Garland was able to create this feeling of intense anxiety throughout the whole movie. You start off knowing that there is a civil war going on within the US, but you don’t know why. I loved that. It wasn’t blaming anyone or any party for the events taking place, rather the movie was to guide you through a civil war from the perspective of photojournalists. Having the movie take place from this perspective lets you see a lot about the small things that may occur during a civil war - whether it be inhumanity by citizens or soldiers who decide what the “right kind of American” is.
What really helps the intensity grow throughout the movie is that they didn’t shy away from showing you terrible and horrific things that both military and citizens will do in a civil war. While not fun to watch, it is necessary to get the point of the movie across. While the main characters are just wanting to interview the president, seeing the events that they saw on their way to meet their goal is how you make a movie about a civil war that is unique and poignant.
As for actor performances, all of the main actors did a fantastic job, but Jesse Plemmons really stole the show. Despite being in just one scene, he was able to be a living embodiment of chaos that would absolutely be existent during a civil war. He was unhinged, and his performance was perfect.
The Meh: At certain transitions in the film, there were certain songs that were used. While I can’t remember what songs they were, I just remember them being lively and full of life, the complete antithesis of the tone of the film I was watching. There may have been an artistic choice to have the tone of the music being so polar opposite to the tone of the movie, but for me it nearly took me out of the whole movie. I think the transitions should have had moody, dark, intense music that kept driving the tension of the movie, but what we got occasionally was the complete opposite of that.
While I don’t want to spoil the end of the movie, there was the death of a certain character near the end of the movie that was sub-par in execution and seemed a little cheesy. I know that the writers wanted to have the character make a sacrificial play near the end of the movie, but I definitely think there would have been a way to make the character’s death feel more meaningful than it actually was.
Overall: Civil War is a movie where its strengths shine, but it’s definitely not a movie that everyone will like. I’ve never felt tension and intensity in a movie more than I have while watching this film. It is wonderfully acted, beautifully shot, and I constantly think back about the events of the movie. I never want to experience what was shown, but I’m very glad I was able to see what a modern civil war could potentially look like.
Rating: 4.5/5
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