Civil War
The political landscape of America is not in a good state right now. People are more divided now than they were before. Some people have warned that we are on the brink of another Civil War. When I heard that there would be a movie with that premise, I was intrigued. Alex Garland being in the director’s chair did make me cautiously optimistic. His work has always been divisive among audiences. I liked Men despite its flaws so I was curious in how this movie was going to turn out. Sadly, it didn’t live up to the full potential of its premises. I thought it did some things right but I didn’t care for it in the end.
The film is focused on the titular Civil War. America had broken up into multiple factions. A team of journalists led by Lee (Kristen Dunst) are on the road to go to Washington DC. Their goal was to get footage for the President’s potential death. Lee wants to stir a young girl named Jessie away from danger but to no avail. The team go through many ordeals and hardships. Jessie wants to experience the danger only to lose her innocence as the film progresses. They capture the horror of the war through the footage they captured.
I will give praise to the acting and filmmaking. Kristen Dunst doesn’t get that much work anymore. I am glad that she is still doing well in the industry. Her performance is more restrained than in her usual work. It works in this movie because the character she portrays has become desensitized to violence. The action set pieces are not stylized like in a typical action movie. It is filmed like it was part of a warzone. This movie portrays the camera in the same way that a gun is framed. It isn’t a coincidence that the activity involving both objects are called “shooting”. I appreciate that movie attempted to give a different perspective on war. Focusing on journalists was an interesting idea. It shows that even those who report in the war zones can be traumatized or even turn into monsters over time. The group reaching their goal in the end was framed as a horror instead of a triumph. My favorite scene in the movie was the car ride across the forest on fire. It had simple imagery that showed the contrast of an innocent drive in the forest while it was on fire. The haunting score adds to the tragedy of the situation.
As much as I liked the acting and cinematography, the story wasn’t that great. The titular Civil War doesn’t have much of a focus in the plot. The circumstances around the war are frustratingly vague for a movie that prompts about the horror of modern American politics. There is no explanation as to why the country went into chaos. Some critics have already mentioned the implausibility of California and Texas joining forces but that is only part of the problem with the world building. The political message becomes too vague for a movie that is about the collapse of America. Some would think that I am critiquing a movie that I didn’t get. The problem is that the movie wants us to think about the subject but it is so vague that it lacks any meaningful impact. The characters didn’t really wow me wither. As chilling as the ending was, it would have been more impactful if the characters were more than just cardboard cutouts. The ideas for the characters were there but I didn’t care for them. They didn’t evolve beyond their typical archetypes. I understand why some would find the film gripping. I personally need more if it wanted to comment on the modern political landscape.
Justice League: Crises on Infinte Earths Part II
Crises on Infinite Earths Part Two is the middle chapter for the tomorroverse’s finale. I enjoyed some of the changes made in te first part. It kept true to the spirit of the story while modernizing parts of it. They commit to the changes in this movie as well but the story takes a back seat to the action. I enjoyed the fanservice with the bat family but it does ring hollow. I appreciate that they got Will Fredie back as Terry McGuiness. The refence though was just that, a refence. The bat family subplot is merely there for nostalgia rather than to further the plot. A lot of this middle chapter is there for fan service.
There are some bits of characterization that I enjoyed. I enjoyed the change of having John Constantine play the same role as Pariah. Part I showed him at his lowest with him watching multiple worlds die repeatedly. He got another chance to be the hero again because of John Stewart. This isn’t a random choice. It was the inverse to what happened in Green Lantern: Beware my Power. John had to put down a hero who lost his way in that movie. In this one, he helps a hero rediscover his heroism. I also like how it expands on the extended roll for Supergirl. Harbinger and Supergirl were combined into one character. This movie continues her arc from The Legion of Superheroes movie. Her loss of her planet and her friends in that movie was extended. It makes her pain and betrayal of the monitor make more sense.
The one character that surprised me the most was the Psycho-Pirate. I loved what they did for his character in this movie. It goes into his original story about how he has used his powers. His power is based on controlling emotions. It made me care about a villain that I was otherwise indifferent to. Geoffrey Arend gives a chilling performance as the Psycho Pirate. His dialogue may sound corny but it is committed to its premise. The Anti-Monitor didn’t get as much care in the adaptation. This movie depicts him as just a generic big bad while he was more complex in the original comic. Overall this movie, was just mid for a middle chapter.
The Linden Hour 