Civil War

Cast and Crew Members

Cast

Kirsten Dunst

Wagner Moura

Cailee Spaeny

Stephen McKinley Henderson

Nelson Lee

Nick Offerman

Jefferson White

Evan Lai

Vince Pisani

Justin James Boykin

Crew Members

Alex Garland Writer

Alex Garland Writer

Audience Reviews

Read authentic reviews from real viewers about this movie.

• Manuel São Bento

  Rating: 8/10

  "FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/civil-war-review-a-thought-provoking-dive-into-war-journalism-and-moral-complexity/ "Civil War attests to Alex Garland’s fascinating ability to create impactful narratives that provoke deep discussions, beyond his unwavering commitment to the themes and characters at hand, without falling into preachy stances. A film that transcends political boundaries, focusing on war journalism, the moral dilemmas faced by those who risk their lives to tell stories that cannot be ignored, and the personal transformation necessary to carry out such an inhuman task. The character complexity and the chilling intensity of the cinematography and sound production contribute to a powerfully engaging, repeatedly shocking audiovisual experience. It’s a tribute to a profession often forgotten, but equally a challenge for viewers to reflect on critical issues in contemporary society." Rating: A-"

• Manuel São Bento

  Rating: 8/10

  "FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/civil-war-review-a-thought-provoking-dive-into-war-journalism-and-moral-complexity/ "Civil War attests to Alex Garland’s fascinating ability to create impactful narratives that provoke deep discussions, beyond his unwavering commitment to the themes and characters at hand, without falling into preachy stances. A film that transcends political boundaries, focusing on war journalism, the moral dilemmas faced by those who risk their lives to tell stories that cannot be ignored, and the personal transformation necessary to carry out such an inhuman task. The character complexity and the chilling intensity of the cinematography and sound production contribute to a powerfully engaging, repeatedly shocking audiovisual experience. It’s a tribute to a profession often forgotten, but equally a challenge for viewers to reflect on critical issues in contemporary society." Rating: A-"

• CinemaSerf

  Rating: 6/10

  "Nope, sorry, this just didn't work for me. It appears that there is a civil war amongst these United States. California and Texas have seceded from the Union and Florida seems to be having a wobble too. The President (Nick Offerman) makes a speech assuring the rest of his country that they've nothing to worry about, but hardened photo-journalist "Lee" (Kirsten Dunst) and her cohort "Joel" (Wagner Moura) reckon that the conflict is quite likely to come to an altogether different conclusion. They bravely decide to travel the 800-odd miles to Washington DC to try and interview him. Their out-of-shape veteran associate "Sammy" (Stephen McKinley Henderson) thinks they are mad, but also wants in on the trip. Meantime, the enthusiastic young photographer "Jessie" (Cailee Spaeny) has managed to hook up with the team and so, rather implausibly, they agree to take her on this perilous journey. It's that implausibility that carries the whole thing as the completely preposterous scenario unfolds before us. No effort is made to fill us in on the cause of this warfare. Did the President seize power? Was he elected from a party these states didn't vote for? Are they just brutal and well armed revolutionaries? Then we have the ridiculous dialogue - usually from Henderson with his "always take fuel when you can" or "this way only leads to death" type profundities as the group travel through a remarkably stable, well fuelled and provisioned, nation where there's hardly the merest hint of mass migrations, fear or terror. Indeed, their blue "Press" helmets and a little bit of kevlar seem to render them immune to the deadly drama that they are supposed to be experiencing. Jesse Plemons makes a brief appearance - that actually leads to the only vaguely exciting part of this chronology, but otherwise it's all a bit on a non-event. Dunst starts off as a strong and characterful woman but that dwindles away and, well, I was just a bit bored as the denouement hoved into view with all the predicability of the sun coming up. It's bitty, episodic, unrealistic and populated with characters in whom I simply could not believe. Sure, maybe it's supposed to be outlandishly apocalyptic, but it reminded me for the most part of an episode of "Falling Skies" - only without the aliens. Perhaps it might resonate better with an American audience? I'm not one of them and this didn't."

• CinemaSerf

  Rating: 6/10

  "Nope, sorry, this just didn't work for me. It appears that there is a civil war amongst these United States. California and Texas have seceded from the Union and Florida seems to be having a wobble too. The President (Nick Offerman) makes a speech assuring the rest of his country that they've nothing to worry about, but hardened photo-journalist "Lee" (Kirsten Dunst) and her cohort "Joel" (Wagner Moura) reckon that the conflict is quite likely to come to an altogether different conclusion. They bravely decide to travel the 800-odd miles to Washington DC to try and interview him. Their out-of-shape veteran associate "Sammy" (Stephen McKinley Henderson) thinks they are mad, but also wants in on the trip. Meantime, the enthusiastic young photographer "Jessie" (Cailee Spaeny) has managed to hook up with the team and so, rather implausibly, they agree to take her on this perilous journey. It's that implausibility that carries the whole thing as the completely preposterous scenario unfolds before us. No effort is made to fill us in on the cause of this warfare. Did the President seize power? Was he elected from a party these states didn't vote for? Are they just brutal and well armed revolutionaries? Then we have the ridiculous dialogue - usually from Henderson with his "always take fuel when you can" or "this way only leads to death" type profundities as the group travel through a remarkably stable, well fuelled and provisioned, nation where there's hardly the merest hint of mass migrations, fear or terror. Indeed, their blue "Press" helmets and a little bit of kevlar seem to render them immune to the deadly drama that they are supposed to be experiencing. Jesse Plemons makes a brief appearance - that actually leads to the only vaguely exciting part of this chronology, but otherwise it's all a bit on a non-event. Dunst starts off as a strong and characterful woman but that dwindles away and, well, I was just a bit bored as the denouement hoved into view with all the predicability of the sun coming up. It's bitty, episodic, unrealistic and populated with characters in whom I simply could not believe. Sure, maybe it's supposed to be outlandishly apocalyptic, but it reminded me for the most part of an episode of "Falling Skies" - only without the aliens. Perhaps it might resonate better with an American audience? I'm not one of them and this didn't."

• PeaceMeal

  Rating: 3/10

  "I was very interested in watching Civil War for a number of reasons. Mainly I wanted to see how the various political sides were portrayed in the very divided "United" States. Indeed, there are many countries in the world that are near evenly split amongst two groups: High Government Involvement (money, immigration, etc.) vs. Free Market Capitalism. Unfortunately, there was no coverage of that in Civil War, with the only difference being regions, letting you imagine on your own the differences. They are relying on a regional stereotype to push that the "South" is made up of angry white people that just like killing those that don't agree with them. That put the movie right away into a political category. When the movie had finished, I was left with some lasting feelings that were intentionally pushed by the story and director: 1) the international press are the only real heroes; 2) all American white men just like war and killing. It's unfortunate that this seemed to be the main narrative from start to finish. There were so many missed opportunities. Summary: The was like a little like watching the movie Apocalypse Now with the sole main character being the press photographer who was always portrayed as the hero. The writer and director pushed that those many wartime videographers had a large audience that only desired seeing the upclose expressions from people that were shot and dying. They also pushed that they would be so highly respected and protected from all waring sides. Those continual assumptions caused the movie to lose significant realism. With such a large production budget and vast thirst for this movie topic, Civil War was a major letdown. Better writing and direction could have made this a movie blockbuster. Instead, it won't be remembered in 3-5 years, and certainly no one would every consider rewatching it."

• PeaceMeal

  Rating: 3/10

  "I was very interested in watching Civil War for a number of reasons. Mainly I wanted to see how the various political sides were portrayed in the very divided "United" States. Indeed, there are many countries in the world that are near evenly split amongst two groups: High Government Involvement (money, immigration, etc.) vs. Free Market Capitalism. Unfortunately, there was no coverage of that in Civil War, with the only difference being regions, letting you imagine on your own the differences. They are relying on a regional stereotype to push that the "South" is made up of angry white people that just like killing those that don't agree with them. That put the movie right away into a political category. When the movie had finished, I was left with some lasting feelings that were intentionally pushed by the story and director: 1) the international press are the only real heroes; 2) all American white men just like war and killing. It's unfortunate that this seemed to be the main narrative from start to finish. There were so many missed opportunities. Summary: The was like a little like watching the movie Apocalypse Now with the sole main character being the press photographer who was always portrayed as the hero. The writer and director pushed that those many wartime videographers had a large audience that only desired seeing the upclose expressions from people that were shot and dying. They also pushed that they would be so highly respected and protected from all waring sides. Those continual assumptions caused the movie to lose significant realism. With such a large production budget and vast thirst for this movie topic, Civil War was a major letdown. Better writing and direction could have made this a movie blockbuster. Instead, it won't be remembered in 3-5 years, and certainly no one would every consider rewatching it."

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