CIVIL WAR (2024)

[GRWelsh]

Has anyone seen this? I haven't seen it yet, but I am both fascinated and fearful about the subject matter. The reason for that is that I think we are closer in real life than ever before to an actual second American Civil War. It would be like someone coming out with a novel or play about a Civil War in 1860. Is that entertainment? What is weird about the new movie, however, is that from what I can tell from reviews it shies away from real world politics and avoids the topic of what caused the civil war. That seems like an odd choice, tantamount to just coming up with a fictional country with fictional -- or even non-existent -- politics to drive the plot. Why set it in contemporary or near-future America if you want to shy away from real world politics? Maybe the filmmakers didn't want to be accused of taking sides politically, for example being anti-Trump or pro-Trump, and therefore alienating potential movie-goers and reducing ticket sales. If the movie had a strong anti-Trump or pro-Trump message, then it would have been seen as propaganda rather than focusing on the simpler message about how inhumane people are once fighting starts and they demonize their foes as "the other."

[geneweigel]

The director (of 28 DAYS LATER 2002) probably should have set this film in his own country England because it seems the mentality of Texas and California is out of his reach by glibly conflating two spectacularly different outlooks together in a not-so-distant future. Perhaps that is what he is looking for by setting this British war in the states by just using placeholders for perhaps Ireland and Scotland, etc., etc.. I almost rented his "MEN" movie but my trust of new movies is at an all-time low due to so many disappointments so I passed.

[GRWelsh]

I've seen some other movies he has directed. EX MACHINA (2014) was one of the best movies about AI that I've ever seen, and is worth checking out especially if you ware worried about AI outsmarting humans. ANNIHILATION (2018) was appropriately creepy and weird. I like aliens that are portrayed as truly alien, different not only physically but psychologically. I haven't seen MEN (2022) yet.

The Texas and California team up in CIVIL WAR is one of these things that needs some explanation. They don't seem like likely allies, but that would be a formidable team if it actually happened.