The Stream: Slow and too ambiguous to be really engaging.

The Big Screen: A strong performance from Kirsten Dunst and good action sequences.

The Final Bill: A movie with a lot of unrealized potential despite some good action scenes and tense moments.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Alex Garland
Writers: Alex Garland
Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman
Genre: Action, Drama
Rating: R for strong violent content, bloody/disturbing images, and language throughout
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes
Production Companies: A24, DNA Films, IPR.VC
Platform: In theaters April 12, 2024
Notable Trailers: Joker: Folie a Deux, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Challengers, I Saw the TV Glow

What’s up, Streamers! Since the world is in such unrest, it is nice to escape to the movies to relax your mind and be entertained. Of course, there’s nothing more relaxing than being confronted by the impending and palpable political divide in the United States. *WINK* So, Alex Garland wrote and directed the new movie, Civil War, which is about a fictional second American civil war as seen through the eyes of four journalists. Let’s head off to the movies for this escapist fare!

In Civil War, we follow Kirsten Dunst as Lee Smith, a war photographer, who is documenting the second American civil war that has erupted due to an authoritarian United States government led by a president played by Nick Offerman. Lee plans a dangerous road trip from New York to Washington D.C. with a colleague, Joel (Wagner Moura), who wants to interview the president before he’s captured by rebel forces. Lee and Joel are joined by a seasoned journalist (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and an aspiring photographer (Cailee Spaeny) on this trip through war torn America. Political posturing and journalistic integrity hijinks ensue.

If you really thought Civil War was going to be about a civil war, then you’d be wrong. It is not the movie that is advertised. Civil War is really a movie about the virtues of the press and the necessary role they play in documenting conflict and political unrest. There are a lot of themes about telling the truth and being objective. In fact, the movie itself is really objective in respect to the civil war. The war is really just a backdrop, and we get no sense of how the United States devolved into this dystopian nightmare. That’s pretty frustrating.

Despite all this, Civil War is an entertaining movie once it gets going. There are definitely slow parts and lulls in the storytelling, but overall, it is engaging. Kirsten Dunst is very good as the main protagonist. You can tell that her character is really world weary and beat down by the prospect of continuing to document wars. The final act is particularly thrilling. The movie is well shot and tension builds throughout. There is one scene that is very scary and impactful. You won’t forget it.

Ultimately, Civil War is not the movie it is advertised to be, but that doesn’t mean it is not good as it is. There is definitely a more interesting movie about the second American civil war, but this movie about war journalists has good performances, action sequences and an amazing final act. It is definitely slow at times and has its lulls, but overall, it is a pretty engaging movie. It’s worthy of a matinee viewing with a bowl of popcorn.