This movie has a stark dissonance between expectation and reality. It is not (as the trailers would have you believe) some epic, post-apocalyptic war movie.
There are no General's in dark rooms, set piece battles or grand speeches and social commentaries. No exposition or motives for why the war is taking place and how it's progressing. Instead we get Civil war in microcosm - following a group of photojournalists as they travel across a war-torn Country.
The pacing is slow and ponderous. It plods along from one moment to the next and, despite it's attempts to be introspective, just doesn't make you care about any of the main characters.
It picks up towards the end and becomes more action centered but even that is muddled, confusing and somewhat anti-climactic. It's not a bad movie and you would probably watch it on Netflix, once.
It feels like a missed opportunity. A movie that really had the ability to explore the big political and social themes of our age. But instead falls back on the well trodden 'war is hell' cliche. It's a movie that just doesn't live up to its premise.
However, like many movies based on Alex Garland's work, I think this is destined to become a cult classic.