‘Civil War’ Is A Boringly Brutal Road Trip

Studio A24’s newest movie, “Civil War,” is an unfortunate letdown. The biggest issue that I personally had was the ambiguity of the title within the confines of the story. The audience never really finds out what sparked the United States’ second civil war, and along with that, who was the clear cut “bad guy.”

While this aspect forces a focus on characters rather than the political world, it can be frustrating when you realize that you may be rooting for the people who are against your personal beliefs. A popular argument heard against this movie, even before it came out, was found in the fictitious map released alongside the movie’s South by Southwest premiere on March 14. While most alliances as detailed on the map seemed to make sense, the dual secession and alliance of California and Texas created grounds for argument.

For me, “Civil War” was nothing more than a long, dull road trip. We follow renowned war photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) as she makes her way to Washington, D.C. with her colleague, Joel (Wagner Moura). The day before they leave, Lee is photographing a riot that the two come across when she helps a young aspiring war photographer, Jessie Cullen (Cailee Spaeny), after she is struck by a stray police baton. The inclusion of Jessie feels very forced, which is also seen with some other characters later on in the movie. One of the biggest strengths of the movie is introduced in this opening scene. The story is partially told through photos taken by Jessie in black and white, void of audio and movement, only telling the audience what is happening when it switches to another photo. The group runs into several metaphorical and literal roadblocks along their trail, with Jessie slowly realizing the brutal reality of war.

The acting is one of the film’s strongest suits. Although some of her decisions seem like they haven’t a thought behind them, Dunst’s portrayal of a scarred photographer is very believable and down to earth. It is delightfully juxtaposed by Moura’s goofiness, constantly telling jokes during life threatening situations. One of the best segments includes an uncredited Jesse Plemmons as a soldier who is very obviously not a good person. The inclusion of this character adds a lot to the ambiguity of the war, as it is never revealed whose side this soldier is on.

“Civil War” is a step down from director Alex Garland’s other films, which all highlight interesting questions about a dystopian, near-future society. The script is also one of his weakest, with clunky dialogue and not very well thought-out characters, the majority of which are superficial and have no story whatsoever to tell.

Although the idea of a second U.S. civil war shows many signs of promise and intrigue, this film did not fulfill those expectations in the most entertaining way.