Alex Garland’s Civil War is a disturbing and uncomfortably precise framing of American dysfunction through the lens of countless 21st century failed states as documented through the cold lens of war journalists. It will be debated, reviled, and eventually recognized as brilliant pic.twitter.com/iAUs1hVoVx
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) March 15, 2024
8:58p, 3/14/24
8:59p, 3/14/24
I don’t know how anyone can form a complete thoughts after this one but CIVIL WAR is truly harrowing stuff here.
— Slasher Reviews 〇° @ SXSW (@SlasherReviews) March 15, 2024
Let it be known theres no agenda here. Just images on screen telling a story and it left me shaking.
Those images are burned into my brain. #SXSW pic.twitter.com/eBBohrWpJT
9:00p, 3/14/24
Alex Garland is back, baby! CIVIL WAR is an absolutely stunning piece of cinema that is much more than the trailers imply. A haunting cautionary tale, a gripping reflection of today, and a tense AF movie. The sound design is brilliant, and the cast is fantastic. Watch it in IMAX! pic.twitter.com/2VSpCUMlqs
— Rafael Motamayor (@RafaelMotamayor) March 15, 2024
9:25p, 3/14/24
Trailer I saw before Dune was terrifying. Hoping it manages political aspects well enough that the "my secession" people realize how terrible an actual war would be when we have it very good right now.
12:50a, 3/15/24
CIVIL WAR: I left the movie, ate tacos, had a drink, tried to decompress and still am not ready to start processing this one. I think it’s my favorite Alex Garland? But there’s so so so much to unpack. Beautifully shot, that much stays true. #SXSW pic.twitter.com/BEyHOWHFyp
— Matt Donato (@DoNatoBomb) March 15, 2024
12:50a, 3/15/24
I hate even saying this, days after the last Oscars telecast, but these two — Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny — are getting Oscar nominations for #CivilWar. It will be two of many nominations. pic.twitter.com/DJoSI3V9Nz
— Sean O'Connell (@Sean_OConnell) March 15, 2024
12:51a, 3/15/24
#CivilWarMovie is a BRUTAL PORTRAIT of the American Dream. An emotional experience driven by incredible cinematography, outstanding performances, & a powerful message of a possible future. Kirsten Dunst embodies grief in her best ever performance. MUST-WATCH! especially in @IMAX pic.twitter.com/w0sjQKSV8O
— Anthony • The Movie Podcast (@AJGaliardi) March 15, 2024
12:51a, 3/15/24
Civil War is something special. Alex Garland firing on all cylinders with a beautifully character driven story that refuses to pull back from the harrowing & senseless realities of war. This film left me shaking. Incredible performances. Thrilling & devastating. I loved it #sxsw
— stoobs (@thejstoobs) March 15, 2024
12:51a, 3/15/24
I am very pleased to report that Alex Garland’s CIVIL WAR gets a thumbs up from me. From a filmmaking standpoint, it’s absolutely masterful. The sound design is as enthralling as you could imagine. My heart can’t stop racing. The IMAX was otherworldly. More to come. #SXSW pic.twitter.com/bksrRcPhAv
— Bryan Sudfield @ SXSW (@BryanSudfield) March 15, 2024
12:52a, 3/15/24
I don’t know what to make of Alex Garland’s CIVIL WAR. It’s missing some thematic commentary, because it’s presented in such a matter-of-fact way. But I think that’s the point. It feels like a documentation of what will happen, so we’re supposed to feel repulsed and gross. #SXSW pic.twitter.com/TVX6gAEy0s
— kevin l. lee @ SXSW (@Klee_FilmReview) March 15, 2024
12:53a, 3/15/24
All that said...
What a weird annual coincidence, every movie at SXSW is a masterpiece.
— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) March 15, 2024
1:03a, 3/15/24
I know I'm going to be wrestling with CIVIL WAR for a while, and need at least another viewing under my belt, and I really do think Alex Garland is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today...
— David Fear (@davidlfear) March 15, 2024
but... @sxsw https://t.co/dFpXFUk6kZ
But to what end? Civil War offers a lot of food for thought on the surface, yet you're never quite sure what you're tasting or why, exactly. No one wants a PSA or easy finger-pointing here, any more than you would have wanted Garland's previous film Men as unnerving and nauseating a film about rampant toxic masculinity as you'll ever come across to simply scream "Harvey Weinstein!" at you.<<<<<possibly slight spoiler snipped just in case >>>> Yet you'll find yourself going back to that "explore or exploit" conundrum a lot during the movie's near-two-hour running time. It's feeding into a dystopian vision that's already running in our heads. Things fall apart, the center cannot hold, etc. So why does this just feel like more of the same white noise pitched at a slightly higher frequency?
10:23p, 3/15/24
In reply to TCTTS
"Left me shaking". Why do these nerds talk like this? I can't take any review like this seriously because they are always so dramatic and overblown.
1:11a, 3/16/24
In reply to Captain Winky
I hear you, and agree that it's dramatic/overblown/cringe. That said, there are people out there who genuinely react like this. And they probably think it's just as weird how hard we root for/get worked up over sportstball. In fact, I see just as much cringe on Premium every week. This is simply how some people process the things they love.
Captain Winky said:
"Left me shaking". Why do these nerds talk like this? I can't take any review like this seriously because they are always so dramatic and overblown.
I hear you, and agree that it's dramatic/overblown/cringe. That said, there are people out there who genuinely react like this. And they probably think it's just as weird how hard we root for/get worked up over sportstball. In fact, I see just as much cringe on Premium every week. This is simply how some people process the things they love.
9:17a, 3/17/24
I am looking forward to this. I think Alex Garland had a lot to make up for with Men as it seemed to really sour a lot of people on him. I think that the praise it is getting is probably legitimate
Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 2012
1:18p, 3/17/24
all those tweets talking about how they feel this is an accurate portrayal of things to come, probly the first to dismiss "predictive programming" as some conspiracy theory
1:30p, 3/17/24
In reply to Captain Winky
I think it's turned into part of the cultural jargon. Like someone starting a reddit post with "Hear me out" or a home description always saying that the house is in this or that "sought after" subdivision. I don't even think they think about it.Captain Winky said:
"Left me shaking". Why do these nerds talk like this? I can't take any review like this seriously because they are always so dramatic and overblown.
1:50p, 3/17/24
That trailer looks great!
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1:27p, 4/27/24
In reply to vettmaster99
But there's two whole pages of tweets talking about how life changing this movie is…you've gotta be wrong!vettmaster99 said:
Don't waste your money…this movie sucked.
1:30p, 4/27/24
Maybe try the other thread, where the vast majority of the board liked it…
https://texags.com/forums/13/topics/3454231
https://texags.com/forums/13/topics/3454231
8:39p, 4/28/24
Saw it last night.
I had high hopes for it and it let me down in almost every way. It was painfully slow in parts and failed to really explain what the civil war was even about. It had vague references to a third term president and his policies but it left a lot to be desired.
The final 10ish minutes were a lot of fun and then it ended horribly. The ending was cheesy and thrown together.
4/10
Would not recommend. I don't mind unique or artsy movies. But this movie was not entertaining to me.
I had high hopes for it and it let me down in almost every way. It was painfully slow in parts and failed to really explain what the civil war was even about. It had vague references to a third term president and his policies but it left a lot to be desired.
The final 10ish minutes were a lot of fun and then it ended horribly. The ending was cheesy and thrown together.
4/10
Would not recommend. I don't mind unique or artsy movies. But this movie was not entertaining to me.