Let's get it out into the open: it is boring with a capital B. Two hours of visual spectacle that has no meat on the bone. Like a soulless AI-generated war-torn universe.
The highly talked about Civil War, from indie powerhouse A24, is merely an exercise in hyperrealistic craftsmanship that enjoys exploiting the sensibilities of the common American partisan, if not fans of war porn.
But, boy, the movie is so darn pretty.
British novelist-turned-director Alex Garland's (Ex Machina) action-drama marries "hard-hitting" news footage-like shots (with real-time "feels") and gorgeous shots of a collapsing environment.
But the experience is no different from browsing The Boston Globe's highly addicting photo blog "The Big Picture," with cinematographer Rob Hardy injecting poetic, dramatic shots of destruction, like raining embers and aerial shots of burning forests.
One wonders: how much of it is AI-generated and tweaked to look authentic? The movie even recently came under fire for its AI-generated promo images.
The sound design is impressive, too, meshed with a pretty good soundtrack: Sturgill Simpson's emotive country track "Breaking Room," plus a slew of electrofunk, R&B pop, rock and hip-hop.
Packed with breathtaking master shots and extreme wide shots, and medium shots that do not shy away from zombie-movie-like gore — as in intestines and brain matter spilling out, rivers of blood and a sea of dead bodies – it’s like a graphic music video.
Kirsten Dunst with her perfectly acted squinty eyes plays Lee Smith, a jaded and cynical famous war photographer. No, she is not the main character study here — but the young, ambitious rookie photojournalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeny of Priscilla).
Jessie is a Lee-Smith fanatic who joins her hero and her team of news correspondents (Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley) in their deadly quest: take a road trip to the White House to get their biggest scoop: an interview with the fascist president (Donald Trump-like Nick Offerman) before he dies.
Jessie's character twist is rendered in a sudden fashion: by jumping from one speeding car to another, to show the audience that this kid hides in her a dangerously competitive nature.
In a comically quick transformation, Jessie switches from a scaredy little girl into a greedy photographer who is apathetic to the war and is more concerned about dethroning the great Lee Smith. She's the epitome of an obsessed fan who knows she can "beat" her idol.
It's set in a "dystopian future," in the thick of a civil war. But the environment that shows an ambiguous war and its non-didactic approach on American politics are mere side stories: Civil War is really a story of photojournalists — just backdropped by a violently divided America.
This is a tale of photojournalists and their quest for money shots and Pulitzer-winning stories and plain public service – and their sacrifices. It is boring because their internal drama and nuances are not shown, and the Fourth Estate is oversimplified.
This polished popcorn movie is mostly press people driving and not trying to get killed, but which lacks tension and suspense. The one-dimensional characters are really just an excuse to create a visually stunning war movie.
The ending is just LOL. Civil War is too pretentious. In the midst of your lethargy, only a couple of scenes would shake you up, which includes the stressful scene with Jesse Plemons. Prepare to slump into a state of torpor.
2 out of 5 stars
Still showing in few cinemas
