I would describe, in Orwellian fashion, how the movie follows a team of journalists making their way down the east coast of a very divided and at-war United States of America. I would describe the main characters, their plights, agendas and the stereotypes they play into and ultimately destroy.
I would follow this by detailing their journey together, listing what they experienced: inner turmoil, tension with each other and the looming presence of John the Revelator’s second horseman—war, conflict, and bloodshed.
Then, if this were a typical film review, I would walk you through the major scenes, drawing you a map of their significance. I would finish with an anticlimactic ending to not deter you from viewing the movie yourself.
If this were a standard film review, I’d pivot and draw your attention to the team of artists who made it happen.
I would tell you about the filmmaker Alex Garland, author of one of Generation X’s most esteemed novels, “The Beach” (1996) and screenwriter of such works as “28 Days Later” (2002) and “Sunshine” (2007), and director of Ex Machina (2014).
Afterward, I would mention the stellar cast. I would tell you how Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny and Stephen McKinley Henderson all brought continuous fine acting moments. I would write about how they all came too close too often to their art mimicking real life, their shared situation and an honest and possible future.
Maybe then I would mention a few other names, such as Nick Offerman and Jesse Plemons, who, with limited screen time, chillingly stole their respective scenes.
That is what I’d do if this were a normal film review.
But this isn’t a normal film review. Instead, it’s a story about my trip to the cinema to see “Civil War.”
What follows is a story about what I saw, heard, and felt, both on and off the screen.
In a day when talking about feelings produces an apathetic, “[expletive] your feelings,” listening to someone’s elation, disconcertment, sensitivities and peeves might be the change we need.
For a mid-afternoon matinee, I am surprised to see as many people in the parking lot and lobby. I will find out later that the film racked up an impressive opening weekend,
received his theological education from Campbell University and Wake Forest University School of Divinity. He is an ordained minister affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and enrolled in the doctor of ministry program at McAfee School of Theology. When not spending time with his spouse and daughters, he can be found writing and baking late into the night. He currently resides in New England with his family. His thoughts and reflections are his own.