***SPOILER***
On paper, I should have loved Civil War. The film is raw, stripped of the typical “Hollywood” polish, and I can see why audiences are drawn to it. It’s well-structured, beautifully shot, and the design elements are, quite honestly, perfect.
So how’s the cast? Kirsten Dunst shines as Lee, a hardened journalist with skin seemingly as bulletproof as her resolve. And Cailee Spaeny is brilliant as Jessie, the star-struck, clumsy rookie journalist who fumbles her way through the trenches, making mistakes that feel painfully real.
So why do I ultimately rate this as a waste of time? The story. The buildup is fantastic, with on-screen grit that makes you feel embedded in the action. But then it all fizzles—both Lee and the President (Nick Offerman) meet anti-climactic ends that left me cold.
Sure, life can be this unpredictable and messy, but if the goal was to subvert the Hollywood formula, there were other ways to do it without leaving such a sour taste. Maybe this was the writers’ intent, and if so, kudos to them for sticking to their vision. Still, for me, this kind of abrupt, unsatisfying resolution is rarely entertaining.
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