The latest production from the creative mind of Alex Garland, director of 'Ex Machina', 'Annihilation' and 'Men', brings us a real-life and realistic representation of what the United States of America would look like had it come face to face with the tragic effects of a national civil war.
The filmmaker is known for providing audiences with unique and intriguing dynamic's that may be deemed too 'unrealistic' to actually occur outside of a movie screen. And although 'Civil War' may lie within this category, to an extent, it does go without saying that the movie is an accurate depiction of what would happen if the USA were to become a war zone.
Headlining this movie is none other than Kirsten Dunst who does a solid job of portraying 'Lee Smith', legendary war photographer who has seen too much bloodshed in her lifetime to be mentally affected by anything. The role is unlike anything we have seen Dunst take on before, so it was nice to see the actress take on a much darker character to her previous filmography.
However, the real performances in this film come from both Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny. The duo to an excellent job of portraying their independent stakeholders in the midst of a national civil war, Moura being the experienced war photographer who's keen to get a camera in front of the President so he can answer for his crimes. And Spaeny, the young and inexperienced artist who wants to learn from her new-found peers but ends up finding herself in quite the situation.
One thing about this film that doesn't dwell too much in it's favour is the fact that it doesn't really have too much to say. Despite the fact that it is entertaining and also educating, the movie is essentially here just to paint a picture of what an American Civil War would look like, as opposed to actually saying anything on the matter.
But in doing so, Garland does an excellent job as the filmmaker carefully and immaculately considers all factors of a Civil War, and what a country as United as America would come to following the experiences of a national divide. Garland is known for his impressive dystopian world building throughout his filmography, and 'Civil War' is no different in that regard.
The visual and practical effects scattered throughout this movie also play a huge role in portraying an accurate depiction of a national war zone. As one would imagine, this would consist of a whole lot of explosions, flames, ammunition and bloodshed. And there isn't a moment on screen when this doesn't look realistic. The visual and practical effects team behind this movie are a real credit to the production.
One of the most attractive aspects to this film, and what seems to be becoming a theme scattered throughout Garland's filmography, is the 1 hour and 49 minute run time. War epics and dystopian movies have a tendency to be extremely long, surpassing the unnecessary duration of 150+ minutes. Cross those two sub-genres together and you'd expect to go into this movie and come out a few birthdays older.
But the fact that 'Civil War' falls just short of two hours makes the movie all the more accessible and easily enjoyable for it's audience members. It would've been very easy to drag this storyline through the dirt and extend it a further 30 minutes, but garland does all he can to prevent this from happening and it inevitably plays in it the movies favour.
Despite not having too much to discuss about the current state of the USA's existing government system and the way it has been ran in the past, 'Civil War' is still a realistic and educating depiction of what a national American Civil War would look like, that succeeds in entertaining us along the way.
Overall Rating: 7/10