Vikram Garewal

Review of Civil War (2024) The premise of Civil War is undeniably intriguing—a modern United States plunged into internal conflict offers endless potential for a gripping, thought-provoking narrative. Unfortunately, the film squanders this potential at nearly every turn. From the outset, the movie sets up an ambitious stage, but it refuses to provide any meaningful answers to the most pressing questions: Why is the United States in a civil war? Who are the factions fighting against the government? Why are they succeeding? And most importantly, what are the political and ideological underpinnings of these factions? These are not minor oversights—they’re the foundation on which such a story should be built. Instead of exploring these critical elements, Civil War narrows its focus to a trio of photojournalists and their journey to document the conflict. While a character-driven narrative can work in a war film, it requires deeply engaging, well-developed characters. Unfortunately, these characters lack depth, and their motivations feel shallow. The audience is asked to invest in their personal mission—to photograph or interview the president in his final days—but without any emotional connection to these characters or a clear understanding of the stakes, their journey feels hollow and, frankly, pointless. The direction and writing fail to breathe life into the plot, and the acting struggles to compensate for the weak script. At no point does the film capture the emotional weight or political complexity one would expect from a story about a fractured nation. Instead, it feels like a road trip movie masquerading as a war epic, with the grand scale of the conflict reduced to the backdrop for a small, uninspired story. At its core, Civil War had the raw ingredients for a powerful, memorable film, but poor execution across the board—direction, writing, character development, and pacing—renders it a frustrating, missed opportunity. If the intention was to create a reflective piece on the chaos and human cost of war, the film instead becomes an exercise in surface-level storytelling. It’s not just disappointing—it’s almost infuriating to see such a strong premise reduced to something so lackluster. In short, Civil War feels like a waste of nearly two hours. It’s a film that could have been so much more, and instead, it leaves you walking away with nothing but frustration and regret.