SPOILER FREE. (slight controversy explanation in the first part)
some plot holes ranging from mild to severe along with some creative decisions that made me question a few credentials. it is the only reason it is would be missing a star, however due to the red-hats protesting this movie due to its president, played by Nick Offerman, who appears weak and decides that his presidency for third term is more important than the wellbeing of our nation. Nick Offerman is dressed and barbered to bare a striking resemblance to the former TV show host Donald Trump. so I am giving this another star to counteract, because no movie deserves to be review bombed over politics. It is the precursor to self maintained propaganda.
this movie was a powerhouse of talent. Kirsten Dunst has given us one of the best performances of her career.
(edit: I read through the 1 stars and it seems like people hated her acting, it seemed to be a lot.)
The audio guys deserve a Oscar, the use of noise in this film is brilliant. cinematography is on display at the center of the showcase. for me it was a hard movie to not want to sit through. every scene was meant to be from a journalists prospective, so the end of civilized America was quite a thing to see from that lense. it almost reminded me of "How To With John Wilson" where it is just meant to be a series of interesting shots. each picture brought to the screen as the journalists snap photos capturing moments representative of the political struggle that happens during civil wars, and what happens when the people become the judge, jury, and executioner. Each character has their own features that makes them worth caring about, or not. It might be worth waiting till it comes out on dvd or streaming, but I definitely don't regret seeing it in theaters.