Civil War
- Release Date: April 10, 2024
- Director: Alex Garland
- Primary Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Kirsten Dunst, Nelson Lee, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Wagner Moura
- Screenplay: Alex Garland
- Release Platform: Theatrical
- Subgenre: Action, Drama, Dystopian
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 109 minutes
Synopsis
A team of journalists journey across a war-torn, fractured America, racing to interview the president before rebel factions seize the capital.
Review
Visually stunning and mechanically precise, this cynical portrait of a violently divided America stumbles on soulless characterization and jarring tonal shifts. Essentially a post-apocalyptic zombie road movie minus the zombies, it’s a harrowing watch—made even more unsettling by its release just months before the actual disastrous 2024 American presidential election. Yet, rather than digging into nationalism and pride, the film fixates on the ethics and the supposed neutrality of exploitative journalism. It’s a deliberate choice, and it works as shock cinema—but ultimately, it feels like a missed opportunity given the actual context of its release.