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Civil War (2024)

 

Civil War is a journey across the eastern United States during a hypothetical civil war.

Alex Garland wrote and directed the film. I was worried there would be too much of a political message in the film but really the message was so muted and delved into the story of Lee and Jessie. There are undertones of who is right and who is wrong in Garland's opinion but I was glad he kept it from being the story. It seems he's learned his lesson from his 2022 film Men. I'm glad to see him branching out from science fiction but Ex Machina and Annihilation were his best movies.

Kirsten Dunst plays Lee the main character and the manifestation of jaded experience. She's seen war, suffering, and horrible things. She wants to protect Jessie just because of how polar opposite Jessie is as the manifestation of innocence. The makeup even shows how dead Lee looks in the eyes with the first close-up. You'll remember her as MJ from Spider-Man.

Cailee Spaeny plays Jessie and despite being in her mid-twenties she is dressed up and shot to look even younger. She does a great job playing the role designed for her and it was perfect casting. She has no visible flaws in her acting and was much better than when she was Priscilla in Priscilla last year. 

The worst actor in the film is Wagner Moura, he overacts in all of his scenes and brings the whole movie down. He only adds a checkmark to the film and does little to add to the story other than to reinforce Jessie's innocence. He had a forgettable role in The Gray Man and should have stuck to TV series.

The film is more about the message and story than the agenda which was a pleasant misdirection with how the film was marketed. If Wagner Moura wasn't cast the film would have been better but is still on par with his earlier work I mentioned. Result: A-


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