After a long wait I finally got to see Alex Garlands new movie Civil War earlier this week and my god its a brilliant movie. Forget superhero’s fighting each other this is a brutal look at the break up of the United States.
Alex Garland wrote and directed the movie and cleverly avoids any overt political reasons as to why the union fractured and the Western states are in open rebellion. However the movie portrays the President (played by Nick Offerman) as an authoritarian/fascist/dictator (take your pick) which results in the Western states forging an alliance. The war has spiraled and its no longer organized with clear factions instead, across America, government has collapsed and replaced with an assortment of militias and gangs who are just taking advantage of the war to further their own interests.
The story follows two journalists traveling across the US heading to DC to interview the President. Through their eyes you see how the war has impacted the country. Their journey allows us to see the war from all perspectives.
Eventually they reach DC and this allows for a battle scene which IMHO is pretty harrowing.
Civil War is not a typical Hollywood movie. There is no spoon feeding of the story with an ending neatly wrapped and delivered, instead the audience is forced to think and draw their own conclusions.
I am sure many will feel insulted or somehow think Garland is making political statements but he is not, Garland has given a disturbing vision of the future that could occur if we continue down this fractured path of partisan politics with all sides assuming they and they alone are right and only their path for America is the right one.
Disturbed, entertained and thoughtful is how I left the cinema which for me is exactly what I want from a movie
Go see this movie, put your political biases to one side and you will see an incredible movie which will stay with you. And if you can see it in IMAX all the better.
I would have liked to have seen a slightly longer run time. The story definitely could have supported it. I will just have to wait for the directors cut.
I’ll probably go think of it. Like many things in my life I go through obsessions. Like for years I was utterly obsessed with nuclear war so I was watching every nuclear war related movie I could get my hands on and reading a ■■■■ ton of books.
There was a period where I was obsessed with basically an American dictator. But there isn’t too much material available for that. So I’m very interested in this movie’s story.
From what I’ve read, the fringe on both sides are angry with this movie for NOT taking a side. Sounds like Garland achieved the impossible here, and I can’t wait to see it in IMAX.
Did you ever watch Threads? I saw that originally in the 80s and it gave me nightmares. Watched it again a few years ago and was still really disturbing.
I watched Threads and The Day After back to back as a home made double feature. That was a bad idea honestly. A lot of depression. Plus I had just watched The End of Evangelion for the first time so I was already depressed when I watched them. But they are both great movies.
Garland explained that western states have an alliance of convenience. He purposely left it vague and set it up that way to avoid it been seen as dems vs cons.
Ok I was wondering. Because I can never imagine California and Texas being allied on anything.
The Florida alliance made sense. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee would probably ally together if the country ever fell apart. But I can’t really see the Deep South without Texas as an ally. The states that stayed loyal made sense. Except for maybe Missouri and West Virginia.
I could easily point out the leftist drivel. Maybe I’ll get around to it later.
All that aside, it was truly was like watching teenagers in a slasher flick. They did literally every stupid thing (except have sex) the dumb teens do while being chased by the masked killer.
Did we watch the same movie. But I figured the Maga crowd on here would find a way to be offended. After all they are perpetually butt hurt by everything and always a ■■■■■■■ victim.
Its more about what could happen if we continue to allow ourselves to be herded down a partisan path of politics where only one way is right. Thats what the Western states in the movie are fighting against and what has made them forge an allegiance.
Somehow you seemed to miss all of the lib talking points/memes/tropes/issues/slurs and dog whistles they scattered throughout the entire film from beginning to end.
But I don’t even care about that. I expected nothing less, but I honestly and truly don’t care.
but I know you will be off to see this movie so definitely want your opinion.