PG Score: 8/10
A24 as a studio has owned the box office over the last year. Out of all the great films they have put out, Civil War just might be the cream of the crop. Aided by brilliant cinematography, Alex Garland (Ex Machina) writes and directs one of his best films to date. It is impactful, numbing, and mind-blowing. Incredible story with amazing imagery and shots, Civil War will leave you thinking about its meaning and presence for days after.
Cast Highlights
Kirsten Dunst (Bring It On) turns in a tremendous effort, giving quite possibly the best performance of her career. Never gone from the acting scene, this is her biggest role in years as we follow her character, Lee, a wartime journalist desensitized after everything she has seen, through a war-torn United States in the closing days of this modern-day Civil War.
Gruesome and visceral, there are heart-pounding moments along with the eerie silence of ghost towns as she journeys with two colleagues and her newly found protégé, played by the wonderfully talented Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla).
Spaeny's character does a great job of bringing feelings to the tragedy-numb Lee. She brings a youthful exuberance and naivete that the audience can share as we discover what has become of America and its people. Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune) as Sammy and Wagner Moura (The Gray Man) round out the main cast and, respectively, supply the wise, seasoned journalist and the younger journalist who still tries to make the most out of life. The grouping balances out well and makes the more extreme characters we end up meeting stand out all the more. Jesse Plemons (Black Mass) probably has the most amount of impact with the littlest screen time as his character brought a terrifying reality to our main cast.
A24 Excellence
A beautiful, well-acted story, Civil War is a movie to see on the big screen. Perhaps a bit too much on the nose of what could be, Garland crafts a story that will surely get Dunst nominated come award time. A bit of slow pacing early on is one of the few flaws that prevent this film from getting a higher score. Poignant and powerful, moving and overwhelming, Civil War is a must-see.