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When the film “Civil War” was shown at SXSW—a film festival held by Southwest Airlines—it immediately started drawing attention for its topical subject. When the movie was released to the public in mid-April, it quickly rocketed in popularity. The movie centers around a hypothetical second Civil War between regional forces and the newly authoritarian federal government, led by a president who has claimed a third term and absolute control over the United States. A small group of journalists are on a cross-state trip to report on the devolving country.
The film stars Kirsten Dunst, known for playing Mary Jane in the original “Spider-Man” films, as the main journalist working to cover the growing conflicts. It also stars Nick Offerman, known for playing Ron Swanson in the Parks and Recreation series, as the controversial president.
The movie’s director, Alex Garland, has drawn attention in the past for his similarly bleak movies “Ex Machina” (a movie about malicious A.I.), “Annihilation” (a movie about aliens and the environment), and “28 Days Later” (a zombie movie). Garland’s movies often display human pride or hubris as the main cause of the conflict, which is a theme continued in “Civil War.”
The movie has proved to be popular, as it has topped box office charts every week after its release and has already made more money than its $50 million budget. The movie’s perspective on modern events has been divisive among many, but the movie was generally well-received across the board. The main critique of the movie is the subject matter, which many have attributed to being a little too depressing and reductive.
Though the movie’s depiction of a not-too-fictitious dystopian future is rightly worrying, a lot of people who watched the movie stated that it felt a little too in-your-face, as if to say “this is what’s going to happen” rather than “this could happen if we don’t work to be better.” The main problem with the film is that it doesn’t have a hopeful tone, which helps to make it more impactful, but also presents its divided America as a situation that could never be solved. If one watched a scene out of context, it would look more like a post-apocalyptic zombie movie than a genuine, nuanced look at the potential of a second Civil War.
Overall, the movie evokes all the emotions that something dealing with its subject matter should, and the rapid-fire pace of the movie helps keep viewers interested. The quality of Alex Garland’s directing still shines through, and the actors help make an already worrying idea into a bleak yet beautiful look at a nation divided.