You cupcakes are the best movie reviewers on UA-cam. I’ve said it for years now. always early and with all the details yall kill it every single time. Thank yall
We're being spoiled with these 2 reviews tonight. I have my tickets for Thursday. Great director, and it's always a pleasure seeing Kirsten & Jesse on screen together. Thank you.
Saw it in IMAX too, as someone who has plenty of friends in the military and secret service and live in the area . That DC battle segment was a little hard to watch lol Also Jesse got TWO ppl killed for her foolishness . Hated her lol
Thank you Joseph for not making me feel alone! I saw this with three friends and they all loved it, but i couldn't get past the corny dialogue, and the character development didn't make sense at all. The young woman and stoner journalist have full blown panic attacks and are puking on themselves while Kirsten continues to hold it down and then out of nowhere the roles reverse at the last moment at the end. So bizarre. Was looking forward to this too and was sadly disappointed.
It seems like the movie is trying to say that regardless of the politics of either side, that the journalists representing legacy mainstream media can be trusted no matter what. We all know that that isn't true.
This movie reminds me of Apocalypse Now where one man is sent to kill another man that has done something vaguely bad. The journey takes place in a vague description of the Vietnam War while the main character briefly meets stereotypes along the way.
Just saw this movie and not sure if loved is the right word, but haven’t been as moved and tense in a movie for this long ever. I felt as anxious as I did during the firecracker scene in Boogie Nights for nearly the entire length of Civil War. I do like that they didn’t get into a right or wrong debate over what started the Civil War. As I think one of you mentioned I thought the point of the movie was how horrible and terrifying war could be if it happened here. I’m part of a generation that never was drafted into a war and while movies like Saving Private Ryan or Platoon can demonstrate the horrors of war, I felt like seeing this happen within our own country and scenes of US civilians taking each others lives was horrific enough. The audio and use of gunfire and explosions mixed with silence almost made me leave the theater as it was that intense for me. I’m concerned anyone with PTSD will have a difficult time watching and experiencing this movie in a theater, more due to the soundtrack than the visuals. A good movie but not one I think I could see again in the theater. Always love your reviews!!
Yeah,the attack on D.C. was hard to watch. Showed Americans killing Americans, and a few years before this Civil War they would probably hang out with each other, work together, or each lunch together. Crazy
Something I didn't notice until I watched a review was Joel had no recording equipment. Lee and Jessie were photo journalist. What was he doing the whole movie?
ive paid some attention to alex garland's films over the years and i think especially his series 'devs' is an interesting cultural critique of the tech industry, especially as someone living in the bay area. with that kind of precedent i do think garland has the capacity to do something interesting with this concept, if it were to be some kind of sociopolitical morality tale about increasing militarization inside of the US - which isn't a topic really breached at all in popular culture. i do have some doubts that it will fulfill that goal, especially with how much folks are saying it avoids alienating the audience, which i feel like is almost inherent if we are talking explicitly about these issues. thank u for your take!!
@@Blackarachnia1996 Did actually see it yet or did you just come to that conclusion because both movies involve people traveling?? Many movies involve people on road trips that doesn't make them a direct copy of each other.
@@joshdukie998 it's the Golden fleece genre from 'Save the Cat.' aka the road movie. There are only like 10 different genres, so if you wanted to get super generalized then yeah they are the same kind of movie. Maybe the original poster meant like the way it feels? Semi candid? Almost over the shoulder or found footage style
@@jacobstaten2366 So then we can also say these two movies are the same as Vacation with Chevy Chase? LOL since we are just throwing all movies that involve traveling on the road into one box.
I think it's funny when you can spot a wig but other's cannot and they think you are crazy lol well if you wear wigs, or style hair, or just use your eyeballs - you can spot a wig lol
He could have taken a note or two from the oscar winning documentary "20 Days of Mariupol" where a fair amount of urgency was finding wifi and internet to transmit their stories.
I saw it because Garland did Ex Machina, the best science fiction movie of the 21st century, but I didnt like it. Cinematography excellent. But the characters seemed thin with no development. And as you said, what development there was seemed forced. I get what Garland was saying. This happening here would be terrible and the press is great, etc.. But I think this could have been more impactful actually based on a real event or a country experiencing this in real life. Most press movies usually are and I just think it lands better if based on a real setting. And I guess I agree with you the press message seems out of date, and it was not believable to me everyone would just all put them in some safety bubble in 2024..because press. And I also think I disagree with part of the message that it does not matter the context. I think war, while terrible, does depend on context as to whether it is justified. If one side is oppressing the other or being violent or invading others, then the only option is rolling over and taking it. Without telling us "who is right", or at least giving us info to come up with our own conclusions about who is right, we have no context. So it just did not land for me.
I didn't like it at all, I found the basic story (press photographers who want to get inside the center of war) absolutely incomprehensible. I found the scenes in which they actually walk around with the warring groups with their press passes to be so far-fetched (especially at the end, anyone who thinks that this is how press photos are taken from war zones has lost their mind) that I was, based on the description (Sci-Fi), hoping for some kind of twist. Otherwise it was like a typical zombie movie/series, just driving from A to B. The characters and their dynamics have been seen before, only much better, so I couldn't really empathize with anyone. Worldbuilding was also non-existent.
Truly ridiculous....running around with their little cameras in the midst of thousands of bullets flying around embedded with all the shooters....shockingly bad movie....
I agree with you. I liked it a little bit more than you but yes, compared to Alex Garland's other films with rich subtext this was a bit dry for me. For me, it was a movie with a powerful theme and quality Hollywood action execution, but it didn't live up to the hype.
I really disliked the soundtrack. I hated the juxtaposition of the songs with the action scenes. For me the sound design of this movie is superb. You could really hear the gunshots and the gunshots felt heavy, as they are supposed to be. I think if the movie kept only the score and only had the sounds of the gunshots and explosions, it would make us connect more to Kirsten Dunst's character breakdown at the end, since we would also feel beaten and assaulted by all of the gunshots from the movie. By adding those songs, for me, it took away from the weight that they could have had.
This story could have been better in a novel. The movie really painted this idea with broad strokes. Like, what are the other states doing? What was the tipping point that caused this mess?
I get being vague about the political causes of the war, but I think we needed to know a little more about the strategic progression of the war. Like, how were militias from Texas and Californian able to take on the entire U.S. military? Where are the submarines, aircraft carriers, nuclear weapons, fighter bombers and such? They could have briefly mentioned , perhaps, half of the U.S. military refused to fight for the President and joined the rebel factions. That would have made sense, and made Washington’s downfall seem plausible.
@@joshdukie998 but then why not just use a real war and put fictional characters in it? If you are going to invent a made up war most people are going to want an explanation, even if the original reason for it gets lost in the violence..
I’m glad they kept the motivations for the war vague, if they didn’t there would be too much exposition and it would be hard for the movie to come up with a backstory. Giving the backstory would also be hard to do without making the movie more political.
I’m a photographer so I enjoyed every moment they were taking photos. What I didn’t like, no one tried to save the 2 main characters that died. No one tried to save their lives. They just left the guy in the backseat. They could have tried wrapping his wound. Do something.
Superficially, it seems neutral (to avoid alienating), but from *opinion alert*: my interpretation, if California and Texas were figureheads for the primary ideologies in the "culture war", while the President represents the United States, extremism from the ideologies are ironically united in the way they are both trying to shut down the other, including the tactics, which really leads to a tangential shutdown of the United States. The vagueness seems more reflective of the confusion created by the chaos--19:00. Considering the context, "not taking sides" is itself taking a stance. Edit: Yet it is important to not let that stance end up becoming complacency. Seems less like a warning and more a recounting of current events told through hyperbolic metaphor. And if it were metaphor, maybe the press represents artists.
I'm glad you said it was good because I've now booked twice as I discovered Alex is doing a Q&A. Jesse is really versatile. That photo with his red sunglasses is iconic.
I haven't seen this movie and don't intend to, so I'm okay with spoilers. I wish we could have got some backstory for the war in this movie, like why did the states secede and what was the tipping point that made open war breakout between the seceding states and loyalist ones. Also, does the movie explain at all what the other states are up to? The official map for the movie also shows the Florida Alliance and the New People's Army, but only the FA is shown in the trailers. Also, the president said in a short teaser that the FA failed which makes me think they don't influence the movie at all.
We also get no information about where the Air Force, navy, and Marines are, not to mention the drones, nukes, and ICBMs. All we see are foot soldiers with assault rifles, a few helicopters, and a couple of tanks.
@@karimbennett5651 There were the four F-22s that flew over the WF's base, but that's the only time we see any fixed-wing aircraft. Not sure about the lack of drones or USMC units, but I'm guessing the Navy wouldn't see much action beyond blockading costal states. As for the general lack of US military presence in the movie, my own personal theory is that they were bogged down in various war zones around the world which left the mainland only lightly defended (Similar to the opening for Red Dawn 2012) and DC fell before the bulk of the military could respond. I spent a few hours going over all the trailers, and there are a small number of support weapons such as an M240B, an M249, an AR pattern DMR, and a mortar, but apart from those, it's all basic M4s with standard barrels and furniture and all but a couple have EOTech sights. Would have been more realistic to see at least a few M16A4s for both sides and some more M4 variants in different configurations. Also the FA would probably also have several civilian weapons and older milsurps.
I saw this movie today and haven't stopped thinking about it. Nick, your naming all the other "female photographer" actresses is like..... top tier content. Love you boys.
Just came out the theatre. This movie was very tame for my taste. No deep plot, just a road trip of journalists driving through mildly harrowing American country. A few harrowing scenes but I wanted more. Capably made and audiovisually accurate to the accoutrements of warfare but I wanted to know MORE.
I agree with all the points you two brought up. There are some very intense and anxiety inducing scenes, but is shown through the perspective of characters that I didn’t really care for.
I personally loved it and hearing the directors thoughts I understand more why the conflict was vague. I appreciate that we were the war journalists, it’s not about why we got into it, we’re in it, it’s about surviving it
Spoilers : So.. the sound design was great . The weapons :0 And some of the shots are beautiful, but I felt that it was too devoid of life. Too many empty streets and parking lots. Did 3/4 of the population die off ? The cgi of the smoking blown out buildings needed more budget (I won’t blame the artists, but the limited budget) The DC scene wasn’t convincing for me, tho still unsettling.. too small of a battle, too few extras- whereas , the more rural scenes were great, and probably more realistic/ snipers facing off in a tense scene. Great scene. The small gunbattle set between the two buildings was great. But I don’t buy the final White House scene. The president would already be gone somewhere in a bunker or etc I will give the movie credit for delivering the unsettling feelings .. seeing the u.s. government falling. Needed more info, more story 28 days later was a perfect zombie movie. Ex Machina was very engaging. Civil war had more potential than what was delivered.
I agree with you guys. Well crafted, for the most part. But the script didn't go far enough. Once you get over the aspect of it being American, it's business as usual IMHO. Because war is the same once it gets going. No matter the country. Even the part about family in Missouri choosing not to acknowledge it. That hit home, being a Missourian. And I think I'd probably feel the same. We're flyover country. It's their war... Until it's our doorstep type shit. But, this movie isn't bold. It's just well acted/shot/directed. Which is awesome. But it's tame. Presents no real questions. Doesn't even tell us why the war happens. And used Cali and Texas as the same. Which I can understand the, we're all Americans aspect to that. But, it fails in the end. And the final act action set piece was legit. But one of those Olympus Has Fallen movies did it just as well a few years ago. In the end, this felt like a black hole level dark comedy to me.
My GOd,thank you for covering this movie for me. I’m not psychologically stable enough to see it myself…I take care of my mom, and she fell the other day, and I’m her caretaker so that was horrible. Additionally my Pops had prostrate cancer removed last month, and my brother is going through a divorce with 3 and 9 year old daughters, and I am recovering from a hospitalization for walking pneumonia. So thank you for the review again. ❤
So sorry I know how that can be. I just lost my Mom after a 7 year battle with cancer and she had a bone marrow transplant in September which we thought would help to relieve her illness and pain but she passed on March 20. Her ups and downs falls and sicknesses will take us years to recover from. My heart goes out to you ❤
Loved your review gentleman. I don't think this film was made to be fun. More like a warning. It's a real amped up time we live in. Americans are so divided and ready to go at each other but they really don't know what a war like this would look like. And Yea, it's ugly. On the flip side, it's also a warning to the elites. Them and their kids don't have to go to war, be construction workers, or work in the service industry. But the rest of us do. And we all have a lot more in common than we do with the elites. So when push comes to shove we'll most likely put our differences aside and focus our attention on the bigger problem. Sad day for them. Because the odds are overwhelming in our favor.
Movie was garbage. Should have been called “Babysitting new journalist”. Was boring, not even interesting and didn’t even make sense. The one guy kills everyone not American, even the war was in the USA!! Ending was horrible. It’s like she was set up to get that final shot if being murdered. Not to mention this war veteran is now feeling disoriented and confused. Military keeps protecting the journalists when they are constantly in the way. I’m done. Glad I didn’t pay for this hot garbage.
I understood the movie and its message and I was hooked the whole time into the story. And also don’t know what people were expecting from regular infantry men and women mixed in with civilian militias with varying levels of military experience fighting each other with an array of military weapons. The movie didn’t go into any details of actual war plans or tactics just general military objectives. The movie was trying to portray the fog and chaos of war through the narrow perspectives of journalists. This isn’t a Navy Seal or SOF movie. The director and actors weren’t focused on the military tactics. They were focused on the violence the fear the fog and the destruction of our humanity towards one another in a war torn America.
Why would they put Nick Offerman in a bad wig? 😳 He has great hair. Ngl I was hoping for something a little edgier but it still sounds worth the ticket. Garland has some very interesting work. He creates a little ray of hope in his pessimistic worlds. Edit: 😒 Was disappointed.
Joel came off more like a cameraman/operator 😂😂 they should’ve slapped a video camera in his hand and it would’ve made so much more sense. If he was the camera man and Stephen was the long time documentary journalist or something.
I saw this film on IMAX too, the Chinese theater in LA to be exact. This film had my heart racing from start to finish. I’m not a war photojournalist but I took photos during the uprising in 2020 during the aftermath killings of George Floyd & Brianna Taylor and the response I got from people was jarring
All about how these type of reporters are taking this as a calling not a job perhaps, a 'thankless job' too, unless someone else is continuing the work...*But* this one's in one's own backyard! From this review, the tone of 'not taking sides' is okay in dystopian plot, but, maybe more, 'palatable' 🤨with no major deaths, and order restored ending☺
4 films directed by Garland ? he should have a director credit for the 2012 Judge Dredd movie, he kicked the director out of the editing booth and took over the movie
Don’t think this movie made the press look good at all, with the Brazilian being the worst. He gets aroused by the violence and only grieves when he thinks the war has come to an end. Kirsten has a redemptive arc, but her young colleague starts to lose her humanity. I was surprised that offerman who is seemingly a trump stand in gets killed by insurrectionists. If the president is bad, this new military government and amoral press are depicted as even worse.
Ok, so I skipped to the end to hear the rating, and I will come back to hear the rest after I've seen it. I actually want to be surprised for this one. I loved Ex Machina.
It's probably pretty accurate that there would be multiple different factions with different priorities. It makes no sense that Texas and California would get along. State lines in general probably would not hold up in general. It might be more City by city or area by area. California in Chicago would still be in League with the original regime. Chances are with a president like they described, at least a good chunk of the military and almost all veterans would likely join some kind of resistance instead of continuing at their own posts.
The press being neutral has plenty of validity in an overseas leans but not in the US. Theres a whole things about how the CIA and military at large will never use Humanitarian Aid or the Press as cover ( under cover) to insure they stay a neutral life saving force. Harming journalist goes against the Geneva Convention.
@darkwingduck3477 Actually love this idea. Much more objective pov I think. But maybe he was worried about it reading as judgy. It could have created an outlook of the EU or UN reporters looking down on the mistakes the US made/making.
I'm wondering if you saw the movie. I got the opposite impression from this. The protagonists were for the insurrection... against Trump! It was promoting a civil war as a last resort means to keep someone out of office. The Trump stand-in gets killed and the movie celebrates it.
I'm finding out my comment was deleted, but the original comment has 45's name but it wasn't also deleted. I'm not understanding. Is his name being censored? Or only certain comments?
I enjoyed the movie but the sheer number of people wanting a scenerio like that to play out in this country is haunting. I did see the LGBTQ soldier and thought that was an interesting take on our community. People forget that we will fight.
I actually liked the movie. I went into it knowing it was not a Red Dawn 1984 type of thing. I found most of the characters unlikeable, except for Sammy. Lee’s character was way too vulnerable in the end (but Kirsten was awesome). Jesse Plemons rendition of a deplorable was crazy good. AND, those action scenes in DC in the last 1/4 of the movie were crazy good. It was a slow build up to the action which eventually turned into 13 Hours Benghazi in the end. 4 out of 5 stars for me.
How about the part where Sammy is shot and they don't even try to stop the bleeding. They just let him bleed out and die in the back seat. This movie is laughably awful. There are a lot of ridiculous parts like that. I'm not sure why everyone thinks it's good. It has no story.
I think these 'great comments' are fake, honestly. Because this movie sucked- it was even hard to find it at a theater! I only went because friends asked me to check it out.
Joseph’s face during Nick’s pull quote took me out 🤣
Funny how it’s coming out on April 12. The same day the ACTUAL civil war started😅
I saw it on the 11th
@@Syzygy77wow, you’re cool
We always call
Jesse Plemmons discount Matt Damon 😂. We absolutely love him ❤
As do my friends. He was great in breaking bad.
@@sebastianbillings7807first time we ever saw him was breaking bad he’s done well
Ever since he was in Breaking Bad, We call him "Meth Damon" 😂
@@YungNic 😂
Jesse is a very good actor. As good as or even better than Matt Damon.
You cupcakes are the best movie reviewers on UA-cam. I’ve said it for years now. always early and with all the details yall kill it every single time. Thank yall
We're being spoiled with these 2 reviews tonight. I have my tickets for Thursday. Great director, and it's always a pleasure seeing Kirsten & Jesse on screen together. Thank you.
Saw it in IMAX too, as someone who has plenty of friends in the military and secret service and live in the area . That DC battle segment was a little hard to watch lol
Also Jesse got TWO ppl killed for her foolishness . Hated her lol
I hate I missed it in IMAX. Saw it in Dolby and it sounded amazing
@@macnero4932dang! I mean I’m sure the sounds were even better
Yes. Jesse was an annoying liability. Wouldn’t follow directions, and kept getting various colleagues killed.
What was hard to watch exactly?
One of these guys barely paid attention to this movie, he knows no names. So...why are you making a review?
Thank you Joseph for not making me feel alone! I saw this with three friends and they all loved it, but i couldn't get past the corny dialogue, and the character development didn't make sense at all. The young woman and stoner journalist have full blown panic attacks and are puking on themselves while Kirsten continues to hold it down and then out of nowhere the roles reverse at the last moment at the end. So bizarre. Was looking forward to this too and was sadly disappointed.
I feel the same way
It seems like the movie is trying to say that regardless of the politics of either side, that the journalists representing legacy mainstream media can be trusted no matter what. We all know that that isn't true.
This movie reminds me of Apocalypse Now where one man is sent to kill another man that has done something vaguely bad. The journey takes place in a vague description of the Vietnam War while the main character briefly meets stereotypes along the way.
“Oop wig, hi wig” had me in tears 🤣😂 great review as always. I was wondering if I wanted to give this film a watch, now I’m sold ! ☺️
Just saw this movie and not sure if loved is the right word, but haven’t been as moved and tense in a movie for this long ever. I felt as anxious as I did during the firecracker scene in Boogie Nights for nearly the entire length of Civil War. I do like that they didn’t get into a right or wrong debate over what started the Civil War. As I think one of you mentioned I thought the point of the movie was how horrible and terrifying war could be if it happened here.
I’m part of a generation that never was drafted into a war and while movies like Saving Private Ryan or Platoon can demonstrate the horrors of war, I felt like seeing this happen within our own country and scenes of US civilians taking each others lives was horrific enough.
The audio and use of gunfire and explosions mixed with silence almost made me leave the theater as it was that intense for me. I’m concerned anyone with PTSD will have a difficult time watching and experiencing this movie in a theater, more due to the soundtrack than the visuals.
A good movie but not one I think I could see again in the theater.
Always love your reviews!!
Yeah,the attack on D.C. was hard to watch. Showed Americans killing Americans, and a few years before this Civil War they would probably hang out with each other, work together, or each lunch together. Crazy
Something I didn't notice until I watched a review was Joel had no recording equipment. Lee and Jessie were photo journalist. What was he doing the whole movie?
driving
Im so glad you do full spoiler reviews.
It’s always lovely to listen to you guys review films you enjoy.
ive paid some attention to alex garland's films over the years and i think especially his series 'devs' is an interesting cultural critique of the tech industry, especially as someone living in the bay area. with that kind of precedent i do think garland has the capacity to do something interesting with this concept, if it were to be some kind of sociopolitical morality tale about increasing militarization inside of the US - which isn't a topic really breached at all in popular culture. i do have some doubts that it will fulfill that goal, especially with how much folks are saying it avoids alienating the audience, which i feel like is almost inherent if we are talking explicitly about these issues. thank u for your take!!
It almost sounds like the same type scenario of 28 Days later, road trip to an unknown awaiting fate.
And Alex Garland also wrote that movie… it is absolutely a recycled script
@@Blackarachnia1996 Did actually see it yet or did you just come to that conclusion because both movies involve people traveling?? Many movies involve people on road trips that doesn't make them a direct copy of each other.
Bushwick has a similar premise, but the plot makes absolutely no sense.
@@joshdukie998 it's the Golden fleece genre from 'Save the Cat.' aka the road movie. There are only like 10 different genres, so if you wanted to get super generalized then yeah they are the same kind of movie. Maybe the original poster meant like the way it feels? Semi candid? Almost over the shoulder or found footage style
@@jacobstaten2366 So then we can also say these two movies are the same as Vacation with Chevy Chase? LOL since we are just throwing all movies that involve traveling on the road into one box.
I think it's funny when you can spot a wig but other's cannot and they think you are crazy lol well if you wear wigs, or style hair, or just use your eyeballs - you can spot a wig lol
He could have taken a note or two from the oscar winning documentary "20 Days of Mariupol" where a fair amount of urgency was finding wifi and internet to transmit their stories.
Honestly the movie reminded me a lot of the documentary because of how realistic the combat portions were
I saw it because Garland did Ex Machina, the best science fiction movie of the 21st century, but I didnt like it. Cinematography excellent. But the characters seemed thin with no development. And as you said, what development there was seemed forced. I get what Garland was saying. This happening here would be terrible and the press is great, etc.. But I think this could have been more impactful actually based on a real event or a country experiencing this in real life. Most press movies usually are and I just think it lands better if based on a real setting. And I guess I agree with you the press message seems out of date, and it was not believable to me everyone would just all put them in some safety bubble in 2024..because press. And I also think I disagree with part of the message that it does not matter the context. I think war, while terrible, does depend on context as to whether it is justified. If one side is oppressing the other or being violent or invading others, then the only option is rolling over and taking it. Without telling us "who is right", or at least giving us info to come up with our own conclusions about who is right, we have no context. So it just did not land for me.
I didn't like it at all, I found the basic story (press photographers who want to get inside the center of war) absolutely incomprehensible. I found the scenes in which they actually walk around with the warring groups with their press passes to be so far-fetched (especially at the end, anyone who thinks that this is how press photos are taken from war zones has lost their mind) that I was, based on the description (Sci-Fi), hoping for some kind of twist. Otherwise it was like a typical zombie movie/series, just driving from A to B. The characters and their dynamics have been seen before, only much better, so I couldn't really empathize with anyone. Worldbuilding was also non-existent.
Truly ridiculous....running around with their little cameras in the midst of thousands of bullets flying around embedded with all the shooters....shockingly bad movie....
What kind of an American would like this movie and what kind would hate it?
Anyone who watches this movie for the story is the kind of person who looks at a Jackson Pollock painting and says ‘I don’t get it’.
I agree with you. I liked it a little bit more than you but yes, compared to Alex Garland's other films with rich subtext this was a bit dry for me. For me, it was a movie with a powerful theme and quality Hollywood action execution, but it didn't live up to the hype.
I really disliked the soundtrack. I hated the juxtaposition of the songs with the action scenes. For me the sound design of this movie is superb. You could really hear the gunshots and the gunshots felt heavy, as they are supposed to be. I think if the movie kept only the score and only had the sounds of the gunshots and explosions, it would make us connect more to Kirsten Dunst's character breakdown at the end, since we would also feel beaten and assaulted by all of the gunshots from the movie. By adding those songs, for me, it took away from the weight that they could have had.
This story could have been better in a novel. The movie really painted this idea with broad strokes. Like, what are the other states doing? What was the tipping point that caused this mess?
You're gonna have to pay that IMAX ticket price money two more times for the prequel and sequel.
The point of the movie is not about what caused the war. It's about the horror's that come from war.
The way WF took over the White House, they didn’t seem any better.
I get being vague about the political causes of the war, but I think we needed to know a little more about the strategic progression of the war. Like, how were militias from Texas and Californian able to take on the entire U.S. military? Where are the submarines, aircraft carriers, nuclear weapons, fighter bombers and such? They could have briefly mentioned , perhaps, half of the U.S. military refused to fight for the President and joined the rebel factions. That would have made sense, and made Washington’s downfall seem plausible.
@@joshdukie998 but then why not just use a real war and put fictional characters in it? If you are going to invent a made up war most people are going to want an explanation, even if the original reason for it gets lost in the violence..
I’m glad they kept the motivations for the war vague, if they didn’t there would be too much exposition and it would be hard for the movie to come up with a backstory. Giving the backstory would also be hard to do without making the movie more political.
I’m a photographer so I enjoyed every moment they were taking photos.
What I didn’t like, no one tried to save the 2 main characters that died. No one tried to save their lives. They just left the guy in the backseat. They could have tried wrapping his wound. Do something.
THAT DAMN BLACKBERRY WIG 💀
Superficially, it seems neutral (to avoid alienating), but from *opinion alert*: my interpretation, if California and Texas were figureheads for the primary ideologies in the "culture war", while the President represents the United States, extremism from the ideologies are ironically united in the way they are both trying to shut down the other, including the tactics, which really leads to a tangential shutdown of the United States. The vagueness seems more reflective of the confusion created by the chaos--19:00. Considering the context, "not taking sides" is itself taking a stance. Edit: Yet it is important to not let that stance end up becoming complacency. Seems less like a warning and more a recounting of current events told through hyperbolic metaphor. And if it were metaphor, maybe the press represents artists.
Oooh I like where you're head is
"Hi wig" I love you Joseph! Nick Offerman is handsome and has a nice head of hair on his own!!
I am definitely looking forward to this one!
Does Lee actually die? She was wearing Kevlar and there was no blood that I could see.
One thing for sure, they didn’t check to see if she was still alive. They just continued on their quest to kill the president.
Good Point! I noticed this, too, as there was Blood aplenty everywhere else.
"Green behind the ears" LOL
Spaeny is older than she looks, 25.
That's an adult, or it used to be.
They didn't need to do much aging down when she was playing Priscilla Presley.
Is Jesse Plemmons that "Great Value" Matt Damon looking actor?
😂🤣 jokes aside, I think Jesse has exceptional range
I'm glad you said it was good because I've now booked twice as I discovered Alex is doing a Q&A. Jesse is really versatile. That photo with his red sunglasses is iconic.
I haven't seen this movie and don't intend to, so I'm okay with spoilers. I wish we could have got some backstory for the war in this movie, like why did the states secede and what was the tipping point that made open war breakout between the seceding states and loyalist ones. Also, does the movie explain at all what the other states are up to? The official map for the movie also shows the Florida Alliance and the New People's Army, but only the FA is shown in the trailers. Also, the president said in a short teaser that the FA failed which makes me think they don't influence the movie at all.
We also get no information about where the Air Force, navy, and Marines are, not to mention the drones, nukes, and ICBMs. All we see are foot soldiers with assault rifles, a few helicopters, and a couple of tanks.
@@karimbennett5651 There were the four F-22s that flew over the WF's base, but that's the only time we see any fixed-wing aircraft. Not sure about the lack of drones or USMC units, but I'm guessing the Navy wouldn't see much action beyond blockading costal states. As for the general lack of US military presence in the movie, my own personal theory is that they were bogged down in various war zones around the world which left the mainland only lightly defended (Similar to the opening for Red Dawn 2012) and DC fell before the bulk of the military could respond. I spent a few hours going over all the trailers, and there are a small number of support weapons such as an M240B, an M249, an AR pattern DMR, and a mortar, but apart from those, it's all basic M4s with standard barrels and furniture and all but a couple have EOTech sights. Would have been more realistic to see at least a few M16A4s for both sides and some more M4 variants in different configurations. Also the FA would probably also have several civilian weapons and older milsurps.
I think Wagner Moura is supposed to be like a Vice journalist
“Hi Wig!” I love Joseph 😂
I saw this movie today and haven't stopped thinking about it. Nick, your naming all the other "female photographer" actresses is like..... top tier content. Love you boys.
What’s her name Priscilla Presley😂😂😂
Just came out the theatre.
This movie was very tame for my taste. No deep plot, just a road trip of journalists driving through mildly harrowing American country. A few harrowing scenes but I wanted more. Capably made and audiovisually accurate to the accoutrements of warfare but I wanted to know MORE.
Nick & Joseph…the sexiest review team on UA-cam!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I agree with all the points you two brought up. There are some very intense and anxiety inducing scenes, but is shown through the perspective of characters that I didn’t really care for.
Some critics say this movie is as good as Dune II.
No way! Dune was awesome.
The two films are completely dissimilar so a comparison is irrelevant.
Thanks, gentlemen. I will be seeing this. Also, I just wanted to say that I am a big fan of your podcast and channel.
I personally loved it and hearing the directors thoughts I understand more why the conflict was vague. I appreciate that we were the war journalists, it’s not about why we got into it, we’re in it, it’s about surviving it
cant watch this whole thing yet, avoiding spoilers... wondering: have u seen the twitter discourse about the supposed nazi in the credits?
This would have been much better as a franchise, starting from the very beginning
Can't agree. It being a short movie that gets it's point across succinctly is one of the reasons why it works so well.
@@Revealingstorm. Same not another dystopian series FFS.
Spoilers :
So.. the sound design was great . The weapons :0
And some of the shots are beautiful, but I felt that it was too devoid of life. Too many empty streets and parking lots.
Did 3/4 of the population die off ? The cgi of the smoking blown out buildings needed more budget (I won’t blame the artists, but the limited budget)
The DC scene wasn’t convincing for me, tho still unsettling.. too small of a battle, too few extras- whereas , the more rural scenes were great, and probably more realistic/ snipers facing off in a tense scene. Great scene. The small gunbattle set between the two buildings was great. But I don’t buy the final White House scene. The president would already be gone somewhere in a bunker or etc
I will give the movie credit for delivering the unsettling feelings .. seeing the u.s. government falling.
Needed more info, more story
28 days later was a perfect zombie movie.
Ex Machina was very engaging.
Civil war had more potential than what was delivered.
FR when they entered the white house I was thinking to myself how the president would be half way across DC in the secret tunnel network
This movie sounds like an Amazon Prime movie. Big budget and just okay storyline 😶🌫️
Yup!
Very scary. Just got out the theater.
First time watching one of your reviews. It was very enjoyable. Can't wait to see this movie.
I liked his other films. This was hot garbage.
I wish one of the characters (maybe Jessie) had an internal monolog. They could have still stayed neutral but it would have felt more impactful
- Just saw the movie and it reminded me of playing Call of Duty.
- Hated that the kid got her killed eventually
Fat Damon is great. He nailed the part.
Kaley was the WORST. I will never see another movie with her in it.
I agree with you guys. Well crafted, for the most part. But the script didn't go far enough. Once you get over the aspect of it being American, it's business as usual IMHO. Because war is the same once it gets going. No matter the country. Even the part about family in Missouri choosing not to acknowledge it. That hit home, being a Missourian. And I think I'd probably feel the same. We're flyover country. It's their war... Until it's our doorstep type shit. But, this movie isn't bold. It's just well acted/shot/directed. Which is awesome. But it's tame. Presents no real questions. Doesn't even tell us why the war happens. And used Cali and Texas as the same. Which I can understand the, we're all Americans aspect to that. But, it fails in the end. And the final act action set piece was legit. But one of those Olympus Has Fallen movies did it just as well a few years ago. In the end, this felt like a black hole level dark comedy to me.
My GOd,thank you for covering this movie for me. I’m not psychologically stable enough to see it myself…I take care of my mom, and she fell the other day, and I’m her caretaker so that was horrible. Additionally my Pops had prostrate cancer removed last month, and my brother is going through a divorce with 3 and 9 year old daughters, and I am recovering from a hospitalization for walking pneumonia. So thank you for the review again. ❤
❤️
GodBless
So sorry I know how that can be. I just lost my Mom after a 7 year battle with cancer and she had a bone marrow transplant in September which we thought would help to relieve her illness and pain but she passed on March 20. Her ups and downs falls and sicknesses will take us years to recover from. My heart goes out to you ❤
My heart is with you❤!
Great review. It sounds like it would have been better served to have the journalist be from a different country.
you guys have my favorite reviews 😊
I love hearing yalls opinions on films yall are great 👍🏽 ❤
Love your reviews!
Loved your review gentleman. I don't think this film was made to be fun. More like a warning. It's a real amped up time we live in. Americans are so divided and ready to go at each other but they really don't know what a war like this would look like. And Yea, it's ugly. On the flip side, it's also a warning to the elites. Them and their kids don't have to go to war, be construction workers, or work in the service industry. But the rest of us do. And we all have a lot more in common than we do with the elites. So when push comes to shove we'll most likely put our differences aside and focus our attention on the bigger problem. Sad day for them. Because the odds are overwhelming in our favor.
Movie was garbage. Should have been called “Babysitting new journalist”. Was boring, not even interesting and didn’t even make sense. The one guy kills everyone not American, even the war was in the USA!! Ending was horrible. It’s like she was set up to get that final shot if being murdered. Not to mention this war veteran is now feeling disoriented and confused. Military keeps protecting the journalists when they are constantly in the way. I’m done. Glad I didn’t pay for this hot garbage.
I just saw it tonight. I would give it 2.5. It didn't give what it was supposed to give.
What were you looking for?
Boring first half, awesome second half sounds like a great candidate for streaming movie pick
I actually thought it was about the historic Civil War from April 12, 1861 - May 26, 1865 😏😏😏😏😏
From the trailers I thought the younger girl was their daughter or something. 😂
I understood the movie and its message and I was hooked the whole time into the story. And also don’t know what people were expecting from regular infantry men and women mixed in with civilian militias with varying levels of military experience fighting each other with an array of military weapons. The movie didn’t go into any details of actual war plans or tactics just general military objectives. The movie was trying to portray the fog and chaos of war through the narrow perspectives of journalists. This isn’t a Navy Seal or SOF movie. The director and actors weren’t focused on the military tactics. They were focused on the violence the fear the fog and the destruction of our humanity towards one another in a war torn America.
Why would they put Nick Offerman in a bad wig? 😳 He has great hair.
Ngl I was hoping for something a little edgier but it still sounds worth the ticket.
Garland has some very interesting work. He creates a little ray of hope in his pessimistic worlds.
Edit: 😒 Was disappointed.
I hear it’s his last movie. He’s going back to being a novelist.
Oh no!! 😲 Where did you hear that?
He started strong and has been going downhill since.
i would love to see him write more, the beach is supposedly really good
Joel came off more like a cameraman/operator 😂😂 they should’ve slapped a video camera in his hand and it would’ve made so much more sense. If he was the camera man and Stephen was the long time documentary journalist or something.
I was bored out of my mind. What was even going on? The civil war was a side note.
Ditto here.
Sorry you don't Like bold excellent films. This was dope 🤷🏽♂️💯
@@MikeBree There are plenty of excellent films (e.g., Before the Rain, Once Were Warriors). This one is not one of them.
Over your head.
@@carlrutherford1618sure
Watched it twice. Still have no idea how they filmed that last segment. Great review thanks
Love your content - v funny and well written , thanks .
I saw this film on IMAX too, the Chinese theater in LA to be exact. This film had my heart racing from start to finish. I’m not a war photojournalist but I took photos during the uprising in 2020 during the aftermath killings of George Floyd & Brianna Taylor and the response I got from people was jarring
My brother and his friend went to see it and they hated it especially the ending of it.
What was awful about the ending???
@leoneltorres4442 I have no idea but I think it's because
Spoiler
The president got shot and the film ended.
i did not enjoy this movie for several reasons. even the way it was captured; felt like a forced framing. the vagueness left to the emptiness.
I saw this Thursday and enjoyed it. I was pissed at the young girl too. I must have shouted, sit your ass down several times in the theatre.
Dont waste your money. Wait it comes on Netflix unless you like war photography.
Nah, IMAX is fine 👌🏽💯
Thank you. I wish the trailer were more honest about what it was. I would have passed.
All about how these type of reporters are taking this as a calling not a job perhaps, a 'thankless job' too, unless someone else is continuing the work...*But* this one's in one's own backyard! From this review, the tone of 'not taking sides' is okay in dystopian plot, but, maybe more, 'palatable' 🤨with no major deaths, and order restored ending☺
4 films directed by Garland ? he should have a director credit for the 2012 Judge Dredd movie, he kicked the director out of the editing booth and took over the movie
My fave scene was Lee in the field which is a direct visual reference to Dunst’s Lux Lisbon in the Virgin Suicides
The t-shirt 😂❤❤❤
Watched this a few times..the DC battle scene looked so much like Call of Duty that I started watching the movie specifically for that part
Don’t think this movie made the press look good at all, with the Brazilian being the worst. He gets aroused by the violence and only grieves when he thinks the war has come to an end. Kirsten has a redemptive arc, but her young colleague starts to lose her humanity.
I was surprised that offerman who is seemingly a trump stand in gets killed by insurrectionists. If the president is bad, this new military government and amoral press are depicted as even worse.
i enjoy the critical thinking that comes with your film assessment
Ok, so I skipped to the end to hear the rating, and I will come back to hear the rest after I've seen it. I actually want to be surprised for this one. I loved Ex Machina.
It's probably pretty accurate that there would be multiple different factions with different priorities. It makes no sense that Texas and California would get along. State lines in general probably would not hold up in general. It might be more City by city or area by area. California in Chicago would still be in League with the original regime.
Chances are with a president like they described, at least a good chunk of the military and almost all veterans would likely join some kind of resistance instead of continuing at their own posts.
The press being neutral has plenty of validity in an overseas leans but not in the US. Theres a whole things about how the CIA and military at large will never use Humanitarian Aid or the Press as cover ( under cover) to insure they stay a neutral life saving force. Harming journalist goes against the Geneva Convention.
@darkwingduck3477 Actually love this idea. Much more objective pov I think. But maybe he was worried about it reading as judgy. It could have created an outlook of the EU or UN reporters looking down on the mistakes the US made/making.
Looking forward to this one ! I think the director said that he just wants to write now, not direct
I hope Trumpers don't get any ideas with this movie, when Orange man loses again.
I'm wondering if you saw the movie. I got the opposite impression from this. The protagonists were for the insurrection... against Trump! It was promoting a civil war as a last resort means to keep someone out of office. The Trump stand-in gets killed and the movie celebrates it.
Lol u wish 😂 u gonna cope and seethe soon enough. Difference is even if you had tgose ideas xou would loose
tds
I'm finding out my comment was deleted, but the original comment has 45's name but it wasn't also deleted. I'm not understanding. Is his name being censored? Or only certain comments?
They're not this organized.
I just saw this film….it was ok…..I liked the ending military operation
I found Jesses character to be annoying as well. I was really sad when Sammy died he was my favorite out of all of them. He has the cool grandpa vibe.
The young girl pulls a nightcrawler on Kristen dunst
Can you review A Clockwork Orange?
17:25 Nice nails soldier!!
😮💅
I enjoyed the movie but the sheer number of people wanting a scenerio like that to play out in this country is haunting. I did see the LGBTQ soldier and thought that was an interesting take on our community. People forget that we will fight.
Visceral and tense. Wasn’t disappointed.
I actually liked the movie. I went into it knowing it was not a Red Dawn 1984 type of thing. I found most of the characters unlikeable, except for Sammy. Lee’s character was way too vulnerable in the end (but Kirsten was awesome). Jesse Plemons rendition of a deplorable was crazy good.
AND, those action scenes in DC in the last 1/4 of the movie were crazy good. It was a slow build up to the action which eventually turned into 13 Hours Benghazi in the end. 4 out of 5 stars for me.
This movie looked great but I wanted more
How about the part where Sammy is shot and they don't even try to stop the bleeding. They just let him bleed out and die in the back seat. This movie is laughably awful. There are a lot of ridiculous parts like that. I'm not sure why everyone thinks it's good. It has no story.
I think these 'great comments' are fake, honestly. Because this movie sucked- it was even hard to find it at a theater! I only went because friends asked me to check it out.