LIKES:
Acting
Music Use
The Decent Pacing
Realistic Content
Addresses Issues In Good Ways
Engaging Character Profiles
Surprisingly Maintains Edge
Shot Fantastically
SUMMARY: I'll cut to the chase and say that A24 has recruited a lot of top-grade resources to make this intense movie come to life. The acting is phenomenal with portrayals that stay true to the realistic imitation of someone caught in such a chaotic and unforgiving landscape. Dunst, in particular, steals the show with skills so balanced, poised, and levels that evolve the further we travel towards Washington D. C. Moura is an excellent co-lead, loaded with his challenges requiring a bit more hot-headed and brash elements that balanced out the hard neutrality of Dunst, again evolving to its degree as the journey continued, alongside fantastic performances by Cailee Spaeny and Stephen McKinley Henderson whose own portrayals mesh well with the leads to make chemistry that is authentic and deeper than most of the work I've seen lately. The result is engaging character profiles to latch onto and take this intense trial and find an avatar to explore the war with. It's fantastic and one of the strongest elements of the movie for viewers like myself.
Outside of the characters though, the movie's other element is the detailed and artistic dive into a very charged subject. Civil War is all about political commentary and the very nature of just how troubled the world is all from a unique perspective of journalism. Garland's writing and direction integrate a lot of stories to integrate, all tethered to the primary quartet of our journalists. The material is indeed tough, raw, and realistic, but somehow still holding taste and etiquette to help bring it to watchable and respectable levels without crossing too far into the theatrical flair as many would do. Such realism is charged with so much emotion and edge keeping what would be a mundane news story into something far more gripping when combined with the characters. Garland's team brings other tricks to elevate the writing and performances, including decent pacing with their edits, music that conveys the thoughts of the scenes they are used in, and cinematography that captures it all in such creative and bewitching moments. Again, it's hard to see some scenes, but those who can tolerate it will be granted footage that unleashes so much in each passing minute. All of this comes together to make a movie for A24 that I just could not turn my eyes away from. Fantastic work.
DISLIKES:
Bloated At Times
Nick Offerman Wasted
The Timing Of The Content/Too Much
Action Is A Broad Term
The Ending Seems A Tad Lacking
Summary: In regards to dislikes for me, the movie was harder to pick things out compared to some of their other works. For one thing, fans may find it more controlled and censored than the usual horror and thriller genre (which isn't a bad thing). More a warning than a dislike for those gung-ho fans of their body horror. Yet, for an action movie, the terminology for the genre is a tad broader than the usual terms, with the action not coming until the very end. Instead, it is more of a drama thriller with politics heavily woven into the other elements. While very limited, the movie does have its bloated moments, and depending on your comfort, these moments are going to be magnified by your comfort with the subject. It slowed the movie down for me, and I think there could have been some other things done to test our characters in more meaningful ways. And the ending feels a tad rushed and limited, especially after a fantastic climactic finish that held so much excitement and build, only to kind of end the A24 metaphorical finish. Outside of that, the only other major limitations for me were the timing of the film and the use of Nick Offerman. For Offerman, he's a talented actor, but his utilization was severely lacking in a few appearances and some voiceovers. To limit such talent was not the call for me, but I guess he isn't so much the focus as he is the destination. As for the timing, it's a double-edged sword. The relevancy makes the suspense and impact of the movie that much better and scarier, adding that bite without taking too much effort to prove it. On the other hand, this very nature may limit how many are willing to go into the movie given how disturbingly close to real life it is.
The VERDICT: For me, the Civil War is a hard watch for the closeness to the real world and the vicious blood sport that war is. However, if one can stomach that, you'll end up with a very impactful movie with incredible artistic fervor to help grant you that unique fervor you might be looking for. Dunst and company bring investigative journaling to life and serve as intriguing players in this theater of war that are supported by fantastic writing and planning integrated into the story. The cinematography itself is the magical key to bringing the edge and suspense, amplifying the stakes alongside the relative nature that makes this movie thrilling. True, some artistic choices bloated the movie, and some misuse of characters that might irritate fans like me. Outside of that though, Civil War proves to be one of my favorite A24 films in a while due to the choices of story over the odder content they choose. Should you be able to handle the raw material, this one is worth a trip to the theater, and definitely worth a shot at home.
My scores are:
Action Film: 7.5 Movie Overall: 8.0.
Acting
Music Use
The Decent Pacing
Realistic Content
Addresses Issues In Good Ways
Engaging Character Profiles
Surprisingly Maintains Edge
Shot Fantastically
SUMMARY: I'll cut to the chase and say that A24 has recruited a lot of top-grade resources to make this intense movie come to life. The acting is phenomenal with portrayals that stay true to the realistic imitation of someone caught in such a chaotic and unforgiving landscape. Dunst, in particular, steals the show with skills so balanced, poised, and levels that evolve the further we travel towards Washington D. C. Moura is an excellent co-lead, loaded with his challenges requiring a bit more hot-headed and brash elements that balanced out the hard neutrality of Dunst, again evolving to its degree as the journey continued, alongside fantastic performances by Cailee Spaeny and Stephen McKinley Henderson whose own portrayals mesh well with the leads to make chemistry that is authentic and deeper than most of the work I've seen lately. The result is engaging character profiles to latch onto and take this intense trial and find an avatar to explore the war with. It's fantastic and one of the strongest elements of the movie for viewers like myself.
Outside of the characters though, the movie's other element is the detailed and artistic dive into a very charged subject. Civil War is all about political commentary and the very nature of just how troubled the world is all from a unique perspective of journalism. Garland's writing and direction integrate a lot of stories to integrate, all tethered to the primary quartet of our journalists. The material is indeed tough, raw, and realistic, but somehow still holding taste and etiquette to help bring it to watchable and respectable levels without crossing too far into the theatrical flair as many would do. Such realism is charged with so much emotion and edge keeping what would be a mundane news story into something far more gripping when combined with the characters. Garland's team brings other tricks to elevate the writing and performances, including decent pacing with their edits, music that conveys the thoughts of the scenes they are used in, and cinematography that captures it all in such creative and bewitching moments. Again, it's hard to see some scenes, but those who can tolerate it will be granted footage that unleashes so much in each passing minute. All of this comes together to make a movie for A24 that I just could not turn my eyes away from. Fantastic work.
DISLIKES:
Bloated At Times
Nick Offerman Wasted
The Timing Of The Content/Too Much
Action Is A Broad Term
The Ending Seems A Tad Lacking
Summary: In regards to dislikes for me, the movie was harder to pick things out compared to some of their other works. For one thing, fans may find it more controlled and censored than the usual horror and thriller genre (which isn't a bad thing). More a warning than a dislike for those gung-ho fans of their body horror. Yet, for an action movie, the terminology for the genre is a tad broader than the usual terms, with the action not coming until the very end. Instead, it is more of a drama thriller with politics heavily woven into the other elements. While very limited, the movie does have its bloated moments, and depending on your comfort, these moments are going to be magnified by your comfort with the subject. It slowed the movie down for me, and I think there could have been some other things done to test our characters in more meaningful ways. And the ending feels a tad rushed and limited, especially after a fantastic climactic finish that held so much excitement and build, only to kind of end the A24 metaphorical finish. Outside of that, the only other major limitations for me were the timing of the film and the use of Nick Offerman. For Offerman, he's a talented actor, but his utilization was severely lacking in a few appearances and some voiceovers. To limit such talent was not the call for me, but I guess he isn't so much the focus as he is the destination. As for the timing, it's a double-edged sword. The relevancy makes the suspense and impact of the movie that much better and scarier, adding that bite without taking too much effort to prove it. On the other hand, this very nature may limit how many are willing to go into the movie given how disturbingly close to real life it is.
The VERDICT: For me, the Civil War is a hard watch for the closeness to the real world and the vicious blood sport that war is. However, if one can stomach that, you'll end up with a very impactful movie with incredible artistic fervor to help grant you that unique fervor you might be looking for. Dunst and company bring investigative journaling to life and serve as intriguing players in this theater of war that are supported by fantastic writing and planning integrated into the story. The cinematography itself is the magical key to bringing the edge and suspense, amplifying the stakes alongside the relative nature that makes this movie thrilling. True, some artistic choices bloated the movie, and some misuse of characters that might irritate fans like me. Outside of that though, Civil War proves to be one of my favorite A24 films in a while due to the choices of story over the odder content they choose. Should you be able to handle the raw material, this one is worth a trip to the theater, and definitely worth a shot at home.
My scores are:
Action Film: 7.5 Movie Overall: 8.0.