Even before it was released, we knew that a movie about a modern day civil war in the United States would make a splash. Obviously, the US is going through a time of extreme political polarity, so Civil War’s themes and plot hit really close to home for viewers. The movie’s images and CGI were stunning and eye-opening; the messages were thought provoking; and viewers will walk away from the movie actively scared for the future of our country.
The film follows a group of journalists of all ages and levels of experience navigating across the country, attempting to interview the corrupt president before Washington, DC is overtaken by the rebels, known as the ‘Western Forces’. The Western Forces are made up of the unlikely alliance of California and Texas, who are fighting against a dictator-like president. This brings in the idea that the war isn’t divided along political ideologies, but is really a bipartisan effort against a common enemy, which is an interesting idea to consider.
Throughout the film, powerful and thought provoking imagery is included. The Western Forces fly an American flag with just two stars, dystopian landscapes peppered with plumes of smoke and buildings in ruin are contrasted with clean, modern boutiques just trying to “stay out of it”, and the end of the movie is full of scenes of downtown Washington, DC, the National Mall, and the White House grounds lighting up with gunfire and explosions. These final scenes are overflowing with metaphors for the state of our country as a whole.
The film does an extremely skillful job at blending a very personal feeling narrative about the journalists lives and problems with the overall message and storyline. It scratches the itch of both action movie and thought-provoking indie film, which is hard to do.
Almost all parties in the movie, including the journalists, Western Forces, and corrupt government, are not stated to be aligned with any particular political group. On the one hand, some could say this was a cop-out and too much of a safe move by the filmmakers in order to appeal to wider audiences. On the other hand, this could have been an intentional choice. This way, we can get past considering which political parties were represented by who, and focus on the fact that a civil war is bad for everyone involved. The levels of violence, tragedy, and suffering portrayed in the movie serve as a warning against a real American civil war in the near future.
At one point, during a scene dripping with tension featuring a heavily armed militia member, one of the journalists shouts, “We’re American, ok?”. The militia soldier responds, “Ok. What kind of American are you?” This highlights the current division in the United States, not just in the movie, but in the real world as well. It also asks the question: what does it mean to be American?
Civil War is a mindblowing cautionary piece, with themes and narratives that will seem all too familiar and possible to viewers and will leave them in a state of necessary but total shock. While it may be arguably hyperbolic and blown out of proportion at times, this is made up for in message, and overall, it is a must watch.
