‘Civil War’ review: Dir. Alex Garland (2024)

Alex Garland began his career in film as a screenwriter. Through collaborations with Danny Boyle, Garland penned both The Beach and Sunshine. Then in 2014, Garland stretched his wings and took flight as a writer-director himself with the simply sensational Ex Machina as his debut. Whilst critics across the board adored the movie, his follow up films, Annihilation and Men, have divided people. Now, ten years after his feature debut comes Civil War, which will hopefully unite audiences again. 

Set in an undisclosed time period in America, Civil War presents America in the midst of a civil war. Quite how the war began is unclear. All the information that the audience is given is that the nameless President, played by Nick Offerman, is 14 months into a seized third term in office. Residents from Texas and California are now part of the Western Forces and the country is riddled with checkpoints, gunfire, and bloodshed. Capturing it all are war photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and reporter Joel (Wagner Moura). Whilst others are focused on the frontline, the duo have their sights set on travelling to DC to interview the President. But with the press being shot on sight in the capitol, it is a risky endeavour. The addition of elderly reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and the young and green aspiring photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), makes the already difficult venture even more dangerous.

At its base, Civil War is a road movie. The odd quartet embark on a 857 mile journey. Along the way they experience and chronicle an ever expanding list of war crimes and travesties. They too begin to bond, and by the halfway mark, have become a strange family unit. The chemistry between the cast is undeniable, and each is brilliant in their role, but there is still something missing. Civil War is so focused on the war and devastation surrounding its characters that none of them are given enough opportunity for development. One could argue that this is a more realistic portrayal of life, but when placed into a film that has such high stakes for each character, it falls a little flat. 

Dunst is at a career best as the stone-hearted Lee. Her performance never takes Lee into cold bitch territory, but does strip her of any of the stereotypical womanly traits such as a maternal side. Lee isn’t heartless, but she also doesn’t relish the idea of having to babysit the younger Jessie. Their dynamic of hero and novice is an interesting one, but aside from a couple of short scenes, there isn’t quite enough substance here to make later events pay off as intended. As Jessie, Spaeny continues to demonstrate her chameleonic acting with her performance, which is completely different from her turn in Priscilla. Jessie is far more outspoken and risky than her biopic alter ego, but Spaeny inhabits her entirely, breathing plenty of life into her. 

Wagner Moura is fantastic as Joel. He provides Civil War with its energy; Joel is one big bundle of unstoppable vitality. He is warm and charming, the antithesis to Lee, and without him Civil War would be a drearier affair. Also injecting life, and much needed humour is Stephen McKinley Henderson as Sammy. He provides the wise head for the younger characters to look up to, whilst constantly lightening the tension. Fascinatingly, despite being a film about war that does go hard with its imagery, Civil War is also exceptionally funny. The script sizzles with zingy one liners, and although some may feel guilty laughing in the face of adversity, it is one of the most endearing elements of the human spirit. 

Whereas the plot is a little light on details and the characters ever so slightly undercooked, Civil War excels with its technical components. The sound design is horrifically intense with each gunshot played at soul piercing volume. It fully envelops the viewer in the environment, placing them as the invisible fifth member of the team. It isn’t just the design of the guns that is impressive, every aspect from leaves blowing in the wind to an unexpected bout of vomiting, is captured beautifully. Every single sound swirls together to enrich the soundscape, and its ability to transport the audience into the eye of the storm is terrifying. Just the sound design alone will have heart rates rising. 

The sound would be nothing without imagery however, and Garland has captured some rather gnarly moments. Like real war photographers, Civil War doesn’t shy away from either violence or the impact of it. The screen is forever littered with the broken and dead bodies of masses of people, making this a film that the particularly sensitive might want to avoid. Garland also captures the war beautifully. The late use of a drone to capture the conflict from above is stunning, and proves that Garland is a master of images as well as words. It might seem strange to describe the depiction of war as beautiful, but that is exactly what Lee and Jessie are doing. They want to document the carnage in a realistic, but aesthetically pleasing manner. Their endgame might be to educate the ignorant about what is happening, but they still yearn for picture perfection. 

Civil War is an utterly intense, but overwhelmingly humourful journey into real terror. Although the story is light on details, there is a terrifying sense that America, and other western countries, could soon end up in similar circumstances. Everyone should seek out Garland’s film, purely to see just how devastating and disturbing a future like this would be. 

Civil War arrives in cinemas across the UK from Friday 12th April 2024.