#MovieReview Civil War is the tensest film of the year
Our window into the movie is through a group of travelling journalists who cover the various flashpoints as they make their way towards Washington, sensing an imminent end to the regime.
Civil War is as intense as the name suggests, showcasing unglamorous action in a road movie style.
Directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation), the movie is set in a near future where America has collapsed in on itself as a result of political infighting.
Four major factions have developed, three of which are fighting against the totalitarian regime which rules from Washington with an iron fist.
This is where you might reasonably ask, “but what has caused the war?”
Civil War’s major choice is to be defiantly apolitical and there is no mention of Democrats or Republicans. Even Texas and California are allied.
Both sides would no doubt infer it was the opposing party which led the country to ruin of course, and that is partly the point.
Our window into the movie is through a group of travelling journalists who cover the various flashpoints as they make their way towards Washington, sensing an imminent end to the regime.
There is a built-in distance that comes from making journalists the protagonists, because they are covering what is happening rather than being directly involved.
It has the effect of giving a bird’s eye view of the war, removing the viewer from the action.
The only constant as the plot shifts from conflict to conflict is the journalists taking photos and we have no time to build up a relationship with any of the warring factions.
By sitting on the fence, Garland gives himself the freedom to take aim at all sides rather than none.
It appears he is commenting on large portions of modern media, which have evolved their 24-hour news coverage to talk directly to a base that agrees with their politics.
Garland raises the question as to how political news organisations should be, if at all.
There’s nothing new here – America’s media has been agonising over its role in electing the country’s presidents for the past seven years (and probably for long before that).
How much coverage they should give to prospective leaders is one of the major talking points amid Donald Trump’s ongoing trial.
But while it may not be wholly original, Civil War is undeniably watchable and is one of the tensest movies I have seen in years.
Whether you agree with its decision to avoid politics is mostly immaterial, just be prepared for some genuinely violent imagery.
Rated 18 for Violence and Language.
4/5.
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