Focusing on near-future war photographers, Alex Garland’s supposed final film, “Civil War,” is bold in its battle-scarred presentation, yet its apolitical nature leaves its subtext without any bite.

Pitted in the middle of a ravaging civil war, experienced war journalists Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura), Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and young photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) embark on a country-wide trek to track down an elusive president before rebel forces capture him first.

Hitting theaters with a budget of $50 million, “Civil War” is beloved indie studio A24’s highest-budgeted film yet. 

While such a budget increase can spell disaster, it’s clear that Garland spent every dollar wisely, as from a technical level, the movie is a marvel to experience.

“Civil War” showcases a variety of horrifying moments, from the destruction of national monuments and wild forest fires to sudden bombings and bullet-ridden bodies. 

While plenty of films use similar scenes solely for shock value, Garland portrays these sequences with beauty. 

The remarkable IMAX-intended cinematography gives each scene the tonal edge that it requires. 

Urban scenes feel crowded and suffocating, whereas segments that take place in small towns elicit isolation and perilous intent. 

Garland attempts to inject political commentary within both settings, but its messages only go as far as feeling like a mandatory checkmark. 

A majority of “Civil War’s” political messaging feels this way.

Garland’s decision to address the film with an apolitical lens is an interesting route and one that does occasionally work.

However, it feels vapid when the director attempts to make a point about specific political parties.

Garland desires to imitate influential political pictures yet is too scared to make any concrete stances.

One of the only politically charged scenes that do work involves a standoff with a gun-toting maniac played by Jesse Plemons. 

Because of Plemons’ intense performance, the scene is both politically charged and terrifying to sit through.

Although Plemons is a standout, he’s far from the best performance. 

Led by powerful on-screen chemistry, the four film leads do an outstanding job. 

Dunst’s lead performance is a perfect conduit for the movie’s themes, and Moura and Henderon’s heartbreaking yet comedic turns as Joel and Sammy give the story the heart it needs. 

Even with these well-established actors in front of the camera, it doesn’t take much thought to realize that Spaeny gives the best performance in the film. 

Spaeny first made waves in Sofia Coppola’s 2024 bio-pic “Priscilla,” playing the young wife of Elvis Presley.

With both “Priscilla” and “Civil War” now under her belt, there’s no doubt that Spaeny has a huge future in Hollywood.

While Garland’s direction delivers a few moments of overacting, he does a wonderful job of understanding the material. 

Whether it be his stunning cinematography, as mentioned earlier, or the haunting sound design, Garland forces viewers into the film’s wartorn world with ease.

Despite the war photographer’s point-of-view lending to the film’s lack of strong political messaging, it does offer a unique outlook into the heat of battle. Editing photographs into the film gives the intense scenes a distinctive rush, putting you directly into the shoes of the photographers. 

Because of this innovative style, the final 30 minutes land as well as they do, delivering one of the most unforgettable final acts in quite a few years.

Garland’s work fails to make any strides with its war-filled subtext, but its emotional spectacle, memorable direction, and outstanding performances give the dystopian journalism flick a unique, exciting flavor.

“Civil War” was released April 12 and is in theaters now.