Civil War review: "There's no shortage of horrors in this uncompromising drama"

GamesRadar+ VerdictThere’s no shortage of horrors in an uncompromising hypothetical drama whose copious thrills come steeped in moral and ethical complexity. GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict There’s no shortage of horrors in an uncompromising hypothetical drama whose copious thrills come steeped in moral and ethical complexity. There’s no shortage of horrors in an uncompromising hypothetical drama whose copious thrills come steeped in moral and ethical complexity. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. “You never know what’s coming around the next corner!” veteran newsman Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) cautions novice photographer Jessie (Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny) in writer/director Alex Garland’s Civil War. It’s advice worth heeding as they – together with veteran photojournalist Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and cavalier reporter Joel (Wagner Moura) – take an arduous and perilous journey through a future America in brutal conflict with itself. Yet Sammy’s words also serve as an admonition from Garland to the disunited States of today: a land whose partisan politics and entrenched ideological positions might indeed spawn a nightmare scenario akin to the one his film envisions. A palpable sense of dread pervades the story as its central quartet plot a course towards Washington through an apocalyptic landscape of burning buildings, abandoned cars and downed military choppers. Yet Garland also conveys the giddy rush his protagonists get from the visceral warfare they witness en route – a guilty exhilaration we also derive from the adrenaline-inducing carnage. The whys and wherefores of how the titular war erupted are left intentionally, and rather frustratingly, vague. Mindful perhaps of exacerbating existing societal tensions, Garland imagines an alliance between red state Texas and left-leaning California that would be inconceivable in reality, even with a murderous tyrant like Offerman as their mutual bête noire. Taken as speculative fantasy, however, Civil War is never less than vividly, chillingly authentic. Small wonder Dunst’s Lee spends so much of it looking haunted, for all the brisk and flinty professionalism she presents to her colleagues. The maternal feelings Lee reluctantly comes to have for Spaeny’s greenhorn allow a few shafts of humanity to emerge from behind Civil War’s prevailing bleakness. For the most part, though, this is a grim, gritty and gruelling thriller you endure as much as enjoy. There is no debating the technical prowess and artistry Garland brings to his depiction of a world turned on its axis. After two hours of implacable internecine hostilities, however, it’s a world we’re all too ready to leave. Civil War is in US theaters and UK cinemas on April 12. 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this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of 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now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: 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review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”