Civil War is a 2024 dystopian war film written and directed by Alex Garland. It follows a team of journalists traveling across the United States during a civil war fought between an authoritarian federal government and several regional factions. The cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, and Jesse Plemons.
Principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia in 2022, with production moving to London later in the year. Civil War premiered at South by Southwest on March 14, 2024, and was wide theatrically released in the United States by A24 and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film Distributors on April 12, 2024. With a budget of $50 million, Civil War is A24's most expensive film to date.[2] The film has grossed over $110 million worldwide (becoming A24's second highest-grossing film[6]) and has received positive reviews from critics.
Plot[]
A civil war has erupted between the United States government and regional factions. The president, in his third term, claims victory is close at hand. Renowned war photographer Lee Smith saves aspiring photojournalist Jessie Cullen from a suicide bombing in Brooklyn.
Lee and colleague Joel intend to travel to Washington, D.C., to interview the president before the city falls. Lee's mentor Sammy asks to accompany them as far as Charlottesville, where the Western Forces ("WF") of Texas and California are assembling. Despite Lee's hesitance, she and Joel agree. Lee is unaware that Jessie convinces Joel to take her with them.
After departing the city, the group stops at a rural gas station protected by armed men, and buys gas with Canadian dollars, as the US dollar has crashed. Jessie wanders off to a nearby car wash, where she finds two men being tortured by the owners, who claim that the men are looters. One owner follows Jessie, but Lee defuses the situation by taking a photo of the man posing with his victims. After they leave, Jessie berates herself for being too scared to take photos.
Following an overnight stop near ongoing fighting, the group documents the combat the next day as rebel militiamen assault a building held by loyalists. Lee sees Jessie's potential as a war photographer, while Jessie photographs the militia executing captured loyalist soldiers. Continuing, the group spends the night at a refugee camp before passing through a small town where, under watchful guard, residents attempt to live in blissful ignorance. Lee and Jessie grow closer, trying on clothes at a local shop.
Later, they are pinned down in a sniper battle amid the remains of a Christmas fair. Nearby snipers mock Joel's questioning what side they are on, telling Joel that they and the sniper in a nearby house are simply trying to survive. Jessie's nerve and photography skills improve as she witnesses several deaths, and develops a mentorship under Lee. Jessie asks if Lee would photograph Jessie being killed, and Lee responds "What do you think?".
While driving, the four encounter two other reporters they know, Tony and Bohai. Tony and Jessie playfully switch vehicles, only for Bohai and Jessie to be captured by loyalist death squads dumping civilian corpses in a mass grave. The group tries to intervene, but a militant kills Bohai and asks where the others are from, killing Tony when he says Hong Kong. Sammy saves the group by running over two of the militants, but is shot by a third and dies as they flee.
Arriving at the WF Charlottesville military camp, the group grieves. Lee takes a photo of Sammy's corpse but deletes it shortly after. Jessie explores the campsite. Two fellow reporters report that the government's top generals have mostly surrendered, leaving Washington DC largely unprotected, and a WF invasion is imminent. Joel is drunk and hysterical, saying Sammy "died for nothing". Lee, Joel, and Jessie follow the WF into Washington as Jessie's photography becomes increasingly risky. Meanwhile, Lee has a brief post-traumatic stress disorder episode and is unable to take pictures. It is later revealed that the WF intend to kill, not capture, the president.
The presidential limousine unsuccessfully attempts to flee the White House, but when the limousine crashes, Lee intuits that the president is still in the building and leads her group inside (while other journalists focus on the limousine). A WF squad notices and follows. After ordering Lee's group to stay away, the squad encounters the remaining Secret Service agents, killing one in the pressroom, who unsuccessfully tries to negotiate the president's safe passage to Greenland or Alaska. When Jessie exposes herself to gunfire, Lee pushes her to safety. Jessie photographs Lee as she is shot dead in the crossfire. Joel grabs Jessie and follows the WF squad to where the president is hiding.
The Western soldiers capture the president in the Oval Office. Joel tells them to wait so he can get a quote. The disheveled president begs him for mercy, saying, "Don't let them kill me". Joel replies, "Yeah. That'll do." Jessie takes a photo of the president's summary execution; smiling WF soldiers pose with his corpse.
Cast[]
- Kirsten Dunst as Lee Smith, a renowned war photojournalist from Colorado.[7] She is said to be the youngest-ever member of the Magnum Photos cooperative. The character's first name is a reference to famed World War II photojournalist Lee Miller.[8]
- Wagner Moura as Joel, a Reuters journalist from Florida and Lee's colleague
- Cailee Spaeny as Jessie Cullen, an aspiring young photographer from Missouri who accompanies Lee and Joel on their journey
- Stephen McKinley Henderson as Sammy, a veteran journalist for The New York Times and Lee's mentor
- Nick Offerman as the President of the United States, a dictatorial president currently serving his third term[7]
- Sonoya Mizuno as Anya, a British reporter embedded with the Western Forces' advance on the capital
- Jefferson White as Dave, Anya's cameraman
- Nelson Lee as Tony, a Hongkonger reporter who is good friends with Lee and Joel
- Evan Lai as Bohai, a Hongkonger reporter who is a colleague of Tony
- Jesse Plemons as a racist[9] ultranationalist militant who holds the journalists at gunpoint. Plemons was not credited for the role.[10][11]
- Karl Glusman as a spotter
- Jin Ha as a sniper
- Juani Feliz as Secret Service Agent Joy Butler
Release[]
Civil War had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 14, 2024, with favourable reactions from the audience and to positive reviews from the critics.[12][13]
The film was previously scheduled to be released on April 26, 2024.[14][15] It was released on April 12, 2024, in the United States by A24 and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film, with engagements in IMAX and Dolby Cinema.[16][17]
Marketing and AI controversy[]
On April 17, 2024, A24 promoted the film on Instagram by posting five images created by artificial intelligence (AI), each showing a different American city in postapocalyptic disarray.
The images were criticized for inaccurately depicting certain cityscapes: The AI-generated image of Chicago wrongfully depicted the Marina City apartment complex, with the buildings depicted as being separated by a non-existent island on the Chicago River. In real life, the buildings are located directly next to each other.[18][19]
Given that the use of AI has continued to be a controversial topic in the film community, and following calls earlier in the year for a boycott of Late Night with the Devil for its use of AI-generated stills, the promotional images received online backlash.
A source connected to the film confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that they were "AI images inspired by the movie. The entire movie is a big 'what if' and so we wanted to continue that thought on social — powerful imagery of iconic landmarks with that dystopian realism."[20][21][22]
Reception[]
Box office[]
As of April 28, 2024[update], Civil War has grossed $56.2 million in the United States and Canada and $15.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $71.6 million.[4][5]
In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $18–24 million from 3,838 theaters (the widest-ever R-rated release by an independent studio) in its opening weekend.[23] The film made $10.8 million on its first day, including $2.9 million from Thursday night previews (a record for an A24 release). It went on to debut to $25.7 million, surpassing Hereditary as the biggest opening weekend in A24's history as well as the studio's first film to top the box office.[3] The opening weekend audience skewed male at 63%, while 57% of attendees were between ages 18–34. IMAX contributed over 16% of the opening weekend gross, with the main reasons given for seeing the film being its subject matter, the action, and a general interest in indie films (each grouping made up a third of the audience, with the former narrowly higher).[24]
In its sophomore weekend the film made $11.2 million (a 56% drop), remaining in first place, before falling to fourth place in its third weekend with $7 million.[25][26]
Ideological composition of viewership[]
Regarding ideological composition of the audience in the Unied States,The Hollywood Reporter reported that ticket buyers were equally conservative and liberal according to exit poll data.[24] Deadline Hollywood wrote that 41% were left-wing (22% Liberal, 19% Democrats), 17% were right-wing (6% Republicans, 6% Evangelical Christians, and 5% Conservative) and 11% were moderate.[3] The film remained in first place the following weekend, grossing $11.1 million.[27]
Performance outside North America[]
Commentators noted that, despite the film's inherently U.S.-centric subject matter, Civil War performed well in several markets outside the United States. This includes the United Kingdom, where it grossed $4.8 million as of April 23, as well as the Netherlands, where it reached ticket sales of $750,000. The film additionally opened in first place at the box office in Brazil, Spain, Belgium, Finland, and Portugal.[28]
Critical response[]
Following the SXSW premiere, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes noted that critics called the film "a gorgeously shot cautionary tale full of big ideas and a fantastic performance by Kirsten Dunst, but it may surprise some viewers". Critics praised the "beauty and intensity of the dystopian drama", while noting its "potential for controversy and disappointment" due to the effectiveness of its messages.[29] On the site, 81% of 336 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Tough and unsettling by design, Civil War is a gripping close-up look at the violent uncertainty of life in a nation in crisis."[30] Template:Metacritic film prose Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 76% overall positive score, with 53% saying they would definitely recommend it.[3]
In a positive review, Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "Garland's the last person to suggest a group hug. As statements go, his powerful vision leaves us shaken, effectively repeating the question that quelled the L.A. riots: Can we all get along?"[31] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph awarded the movie five stars out of five, writing: "The Ex Machina director's vision of an imploding America is neither anti-Trump nor anti-woke. Instead it's as riveting as cinema gets."[32] Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for RogerEbert.com, compared Civil War to films about "Western journalists covering the collapse of foreign countries", such as The Year of Living Dangerously and Welcome to Sarajevo, ultimately praising the film as "furiously convincing and disturbing".[33]
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review, writing: "With the precision and length of its violent battle sequences, it's clear Civil War operates as a clarion call. Garland wrote the film in 2020 as he watched cogs on America's self-mythologizing exceptionalist machine turn, propelling the nation into a nightmare. With this latest film, he sounds the alarm, wondering less about how a country walks blindly into its own destruction and more about what happens when it does."[34] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times echoed the sentiment, writing "rarely have I seen a movie that made me so acutely uncomfortable or watched an actor's face that, like Dunst's, expressed a nation's soul-sickness so vividly that it felt like an X-ray."[35]
Some critics had mixed reactions. The Washington Post's Amy Nicholson described the film as "coldly, deliberately incurious about the combatants and the victims", but also said "the film feels poetically, deeply true, even when it’s suggesting that humans are more apt to tear one another apart for petty grievances than over a sincere defense of some kind of principles."[36][37]
Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood offered negative comments, saying: "The script's utilization of characters of color as conduits for brutality needed to be explored further. ... Ultimately, Civil War feels like a missed opportunity. The director's vision of a fractured America, embroiled in conflict, holds the potential for introspection on our current societal divisions. However, the film's execution, hampered by thin characterization, a lackluster narrative and an overreliance on spectacle over substance, left me disengaged."[38]
Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post observed: "Civil War's shtick is that it's not specifically political. For instance, as the US devolves into enemy groups of secessionist states, Texas and California have banded together to form the Western Forces. That such an alliance could ever occur is about as likely as [a] Sweetgreen/Kentucky Fried Chicken combo restaurant."[39] Eisa Nefertari Ulen, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, also found that the film, despite being "otherwise solid," was partially missing its point, stating, "Casablanca endures because it spoke to a moment as 'crazy and mixed-up' as this one, and nudged the country away from its isolationist inaction. Civil War does not resonate like that classic, because it does not explicitly address this moment. We as a people cannot fix a problem we cannot name."[40]
Stephanie Zacharek of Time observed: "Civil War has the vibe of your standard desolate zombie movie with a modern American backdrop, but it's far less effective than your average George A. Romero project: sometimes a B movie with a sense of humor about itself says more about a nation's despair than an overserious, breast-beating one. ... Do we really need a movie to invent, and rub our noses in, the possibility of a bleaker future?"[41]
Trailers[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ Civil War (15). BBFC (March 14, 2024).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBudget - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Civil War Takes Box Office Spoils With $25.7M Opening, Best Ever For A24 – Sunday AM Update (April 14, 2024).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Civil War. IMDb.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Civil War — Financial Information.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBOM3 - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Juneau, Jen (December 13, 2023). Kirsten Dunst Documents a Divided America — Under a President Nick Offerman — in Shocking Civil War Trailer.
- ↑ Greenberger, Alex. "Famed War Photographer Lee Miller Gets a Surprise Shoutout in New Alex Garland Film Civil War", ARTnews, Penske Media Corporation, April 12, 2024.
- ↑ Welsh, Oli (2024-04-20). Jesse Plemons' Civil War character says the quiet part out loud (in en-US).
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedOlsen - ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (February 22, 2024). A24's Action Thriller Civil War, Starring Kirsten Dunst, to Premiere at SXSW.
- ↑ Civil War First Reactions From Premiere: 'Scary as Hell Cautionary Tale' (2024-03-15).
- ↑ Grobar, Matt (December 13, 2023). Civil War Trailer & Release Date: America Becomes A Battleground In Alex Garland's A24 Pic Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura & Cailee Spaeny.
- ↑ Civil War: A24 and Imax to Offer Sneak Peek of Alex Garland's Film as Part of New Screening Program (March 13, 2024).
- ↑ All Future Releases. Film Distributors Association.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 18, 2024). A24's Alex Garland Civil War Shifts Earlier In April.
- ↑ Vlamis, Kelsey. The seemingly AI-generated ads for 'Civil War,' A24's most expensive film, are laughable — especially if you're from Chicago (in en-US).
- ↑ Roche, Barbara (2024-04-23). Movie poster for 'Civil War' is being blasted by Chicagoans (in en-US).
- ↑ Welk, Brian (April 18, 2024). People Aren't Thrilled A24 Made AI-Generated Posters for Civil War.
- ↑ Hibberd, James (April 17, 2024). A24's New AI-Generated Civil War Ads Generate Controversy.
- ↑ Eriksen, Kaare (April 19, 2024). Civil War Record Opening Leaves A24 With More to Prove.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 21, 2024). A24's Civil War Plotting $18M-$24M Opening Boosted By Imax – Box Office Preview.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 McClintock, Pamela (April 16, 2024). Civil War Unites Audiences from Red and Blue States.
- ↑ 'Civil War' Brings Audiences Together With $11M+ Second Weekend Win – Sunday AM Box Office Update (April 21, 2024).
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 28, 2024). ‘Challengers’ Serves Biggest U.S. Opening To Luca Guadagnino At $15M; Best For Zendaya Live-Action Non-IP Pic – Sunday AM Update.
- ↑ 'Civil War' Brings Audiences Together With $11M+ Second Weekend Win – Sunday AM Box Office Update (April 21, 2024).
- ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (2024-04-23). A24’s ‘Civil War’ Crosses $70 Million Globally (in en-US).
- ↑ Civil War First Reviews: Haunting, Thought-Provoking, and Probably Not What You Think It Is. Fandango Media.
- ↑ Template:Cite Rotten Tomatoes
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (March 14, 2024). "Civil War Review: Alex Garland Tears America Apart, Counting on Divided Audiences to Prevent His Worst-Case Horror Show". Variety. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ↑ "Civil War, review: Alex Garland's Apocalypse Now for centrists thrills at every turn", 26 March 2024.
- ↑ Civil War (April 10, 2024).
- ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (March 14, 2024). "Civil War Review: Alex Garland's Dystopian Thriller Starring Kirsten Dunst Stimulates the Intellect, if Not the Emotions". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ↑ Dargis, Manohla. "Civil War Review: We Have Met the Enemy and It Is Us. Again.", April 11, 2024.
- ↑ Nicholson, Amy. "Civil War beholds the rockets' red glare but not real-world divisions", April 10, 2024.
- ↑ Zilberman, Alan. "Civil War, Independence Day and Hollywood's tradition of blowing up D.C.", April 17, 2024.
- ↑ Complex, Valerie (March 15, 2024). Civil War Review: Alex Garland's Journey Through War's Desolation Loses Its Way – SXSW.
- ↑ Oleksinski, Johnny. "Civil War review: A torturous, overrated movie without a point", April 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Critic’s Notebook: The Compellingly Packaged Cowardice of ‘Civil War,’" Stub from The Hollywood Reporter, 4/18/2024 (accessed 4/21/2024)
- ↑ Zacharek, Stephanie (April 12, 2024). "Alex Garland's Civil War Works Overtime to Make Its Over-Obvious Points". Time. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.