I have enjoyed a lot of the stuff that Alex Garland has had his name attached to over the years and his writing and directing Civil War had me pretty excited when I heard this was in production. It also had a stacked cast and when I saw the first trailer and saw that Jesse Plemons was part of it, it got me even more excited to check this out.
How to Download Civil War
Civil War was released on April 12, 2024. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like Jesse Plemnons, check him out in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Judas and the Black Messiah, or in Black Mirror, Episode: “USS Callister”.
The Movie Review
Theater Availability and Social Context
One thing that is good is that I was not able to see this the first week, but my local theatre still has this on multiple times per day so it must be doing decently well. I will say that the timing of the movie with so many people at odds with each other in the USA may make this a bit awkward for some people, especially if you are in the USA and have a situation where friends or family members are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Trailer Misdirection and Cast Performance
If you have seen the trailer and think that Civil War looks interesting and cool, I would say that there is a 99 percent chance that you will enjoy this movie. One thing that was a tad misleading in the trailers is that Jesse Plemons who is great here, is in the movie for no time at all. Yes, he does a good job, but it is more of a cameo than an actual role.
Dystopian Setting of Civil War
The setting of Civil War is a fractured USA. The president rules with an iron fist and there are different factions that are rising up, trying to take power from the government. It is like a dystopian setting, but it is all going down in a modern setting. At the end of the day, you do not think something like this could really happen…. But at the same time, if it were to happen, you could easily imagine it going down like this.
The Cast’s Strong Performances
By the way, having Nick Offerman playing the president is pretty damn awesome! He is such a great dramatic actor, but he still cracks me up when I watch him in reruns of Parks and Recreation. The rest of the cast is solid too, Kirsten Dunst is great in the lead role and she is joined by Wagner Moura, and Cailee Spaeny who are also good. Everyone here gives a real and gritty performance that helps get you sucked into this divided USA.
The Plot and Journey of Civil War
The plot is about this group of photojournalists who are trying to make their way from New York to Los Angeles where they plan to photo the president as he loses power. They will, of course, capture the devastating effects of this civil war along the way too. It is a solid premise for a movie.
Reflections on Civil War
I do think that the movie does a good job of showing us how bad things have gotten in the country as a result of the civil war. Our group goes from one area to the next, experiencing the horrors of this civil war at each stop. We really feel like we are on this brutal road trip with these people. The way that they are willing to do what it takes to get the shot makes you realize what a brutal job this is as it takes a lot out of them mentally due to the messed up stuff they see and deal with.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Civil War is a damn fine movie and one that I think could be on more than a few people’s movie of the year list. It is a pretty brutal showcase of what a civil war could be like, but it also shows how hard a job being a war photojournalist is. Also, I have to give the movie a ton of credit for how good it looks, I do not know what I was expecting, but this captures the gritty, dirty, and horrific side of war really well.
