Civil War

It pains me to be writing this because "Civil War" was the final film made by one of my favorite filmmakers Alex Garland. Garland is who I describe as a director with a lot of flare and weirdness. Each of his films never fails to amaze me and "Civil War" was undoubtedly his second best in my opinion. "Civil War" follows a team of military-embedded journalists who race against time to reach Washington, D.C., before rebel factions descend upon the White House in a dystopian future America. 

What made the film interesting instead of being another mindless war film is the story being told via war journalists. It showed a grounded and horrific side to the Civil War and showed how bad humans can be. What made me appreciate the film even more was how it showed those war journalists and their bravery. None of history could have been shown without the hard dedication of those journalists and the ending in particular sent chills down my spine. Furthermore, I liked the extreme violence seen in this movie. Part of it is to show you the horror but the other part of it is how those photojournalist are desensitized on the field. Now looking at Civil War's trailer you would expect to see more of Garland's style in it. Well, the film is littered with his style and weirdness. Everything from the weird yet fitting music choice to the cinematography made for one hell of an experience. On that note, I have to praise the cinematography here. Every frame told a story and had so many elements packed in it that you can't help but appreciate the beauty of it.

What was an experience on its own was the surreal sound design. What made the movie feel so immersive was experiencing the full and insane glory of that sound design in an IMAX theater. It was so meticulously designed that I felt right in the middle of the action. Trust me when I say that this is the best sound design I've seen in a film. On that thought, seeing this on an IMAX screen was a feast for my eyes! The forest sequence with the embers made for quite a surreal experience. Lastly, I have to praise the performances here. Kirsten Dunst delivered a phenomenal and cold performance on her part! Cailee Spaeny on the other hand delivered an equally good performance. But who stole the show with his minor appearance was Jessy Plemons. Plemons wearing red sunglasses and being eccentric and unpredictable made for a fantastic performance. Now stop reading my review and go watch this amazing film in your nearest IMAX theater!