(This review is spoiler-free)
From writing “28 Days Later” and “Sunshine” to directing “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation,” few directors have the same acclaim and impressive track record as Alex Garland. Quite frankly, he has never missed. The 2024 dystopian film, “Civil War,” follows in the same vein by being one of Garland’s greatest works and possibly the best movie of the year.
Taking place in a war-torn future, “Civil War” follows four war journalists as they travel from New York to Washington, D.C., experiencing the impact that a civil war would have on present-day America. The plot is deeply layered, along with the characters. All actors make the best of their performances, the best being the conflicts between Wagner Moura’s character, who is more energetic and happy-go-lucky than the stiff and unfeeling character that Kirsten Dunst plays. Without spoiling too much, all the characters and actors do a great job of elevating the story, and every choice they made was deliberate.
What looks like another action-driven war movie on the surface is actually more of a horror character study. It is also important to note that the movie is nonpolitical, which was crucial for taking on such a contentious subject as a second American Civil War. There are no good guys on either side of the conflict, and the movie stays as neutral as possible, much like the war journalists.
The movie experience is also greatly enhanced by the sound production. Like with the characters and audience, you first expect to be excited about the action scene between the U.S. and the Western forces of Texas and California. However, once the shooting starts, it is so loud that you begin to feel it in your stomach, making the quiet parts afterward much more relieving, connecting us deeper with the characters throughout their journey.
For fans of Garland, this choice doesn’t come as a surprise, considering he uses the same crew for every movie. Much like “Annihilation” and “Ex Machina’s” amazing sound design, “Civil War’s” audio makes the movie even more immersive than it already was.
However, one production area that could have used improvement was the soundtrack. Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow have worked with Alex Garland on all of his directorial movies, with their standout project being “Annihilation.” However, “Civil War” lacks a strong soundtrack reflective of their skills. After the premiere at SXSW this month, Garland stated that he wanted little music to make a more immersive experience, opting for ‘80s and ‘90s songs to enhance certain scenes. This decision wasn’t bad, but it is slightly disappointing, considering how good Salisbury and Barrow are at composing movie soundtracks.
With $50 million, the highest budget of any A24 film, “Civil War” is one of the best-looking movies of the past decade. Despite having only 25% of a normal budget ($100 to $200 million), “Civil War” visually exceeds recent big-budget movies such as Dune 2, Mission Impossible and Barbie. Like many A24 films, “Civil War” made the most of its budget using practical sets. The actors interacted on real-life sets, which heightens the quality of the movie because something done on live sets typically looks more realistic than if CGI created it.
Overall, “Civil War” is one of the greatest movies of the past few years. If you plan on watching this movie, I recommend you see it in IMAX and a loud theater. Much like a movie such as “Dunkirk,” it is meant to be experienced loud and with an open mind. When “Civil War” comes to theaters next month, do yourself a favor and buy a ticket.
Rating: 5/5
