Alex Garland’s political war thriller, “Civil War” opens in theaters this Friday, April 12, and now that all the reviews have arrived (read ours here), A24 is giving the film one last push, using some of the breathless raves as quotes to stir up excitement. We’re even quoted at the beginning of the trailer calling it “the movie event of the year.”
That’s fairly accurate because “Civil War” feels like it could be this year’s “Joker” in terms of a movie potentially so polarizing it may have everyone from every aisle of the political divide watching it to see what they make of the film.
The film is the latest from writer/director Alex Garland, generally known for sci-fi films like the early ones he wrote with Danny Boyle (“28 Days Later,” “Sunshine”), and then the ones he directed on his own, “Annihilation,” “Ex-Machina,” the series “Devs” and the polarizing horror “Men.”
While “Civil War” is set in the near future and is said to be a kind of dystopian, post-apocalyptic film, having seen it, it feels as if it’s set today, only with a much darker, more splintered and totally f*cked up political landscape.
The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Nick Offerman. It also features appearances by Jesse Plemons, Sonoya Mizuno, Jefferson White, and Karl Glusman. Many of this cast appeared in Garland’s little-seen but very excellent sci-fi FX series, “Devs.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
“Civil War” will likely be divisive; it’s certainly unsettling, but when it’s all said and done, as most reviews are in now, the movie sits at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, so even if some have issues with it, the consensus seems to be that it’s a powerful and shocking film, which is fair enough to say.
A24 is probably hoping the movie plays like “Joker” for audiences, ala a must-see flashpoint event in cinema that gets everyone talking. And that’s certainly what people will get if they do flock to theaters. Regardless, the film comes out Friday, so watch the final trailer below.