Civil War

It's ultimately about ambition, power and the new generation. The hard bitten photojournalist isn't really hard at all. She controls her emotions in the field as she knows it's dangerous to let them all out. It's dangerous to actually care and try to save a person by putting yourself in danger. Ultimately she's right. The ones that cry more easily don't feel as deeply. They are the truly hard bitten ones whom won't make sacrifices for others. They don't just survive but rise to the top. The hard bitten ambitious talented photojournalist having seen it all inadvertently hands the baton over to the new talent.

Interesting, with some great cinematography and use of stills, however agree a back story would have been useful, and the last 20 mins was a bit rushed, the ending could have been better. Food for thought

Apposite, topical and not too far-fetched. Entertained, provoked thought, what more does one want? Worth a couple of hours of your time

The acting is great, especially the blend of toughness and vulnerability of Kirsten Dunst. I liked the story as well and how it depicts journalistic voyeurism and the reckless pursuit of THE great photo shot. The movie is also beautifully shot and has an excellent soundtrack.

This is an odd movie. I like the premise that the media become so obsessed with the story that they lose feeling and the in someways it is very close to potential reality. However where a yellow press jacket doesn’t make you invincible from flying bullets and it’s starts to get a bit ridiculous. I did make it through though and I kind of like the fact you have to read into the story yourself.

Good story line, just shows humans are capable of anything when it’s time.

Civil war is a movie with a good concept, good acting and great world building, being able to fully show how bleak an American civil war would be. However, press being on the frontline and this close to the battles without full protection seems very unrealistic. There are scenes where Jessie is wide out in the open trying to take pictures and whilst the character is very devoted to her work I feel no journalist in real life would be that risky in a war scenario. Overall I did enjoy the film but not as much as some of the critics.

Dark and rough and with some decent action, though very much lacking depth.

There was a spate of films in the 80s about journalists in war torn environments - Under Fire, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Killing Fields for example. This was along those lines and rather than an action movie about a near future civil war in the US, it's a story about a seasoned war photographer and her younger counterpart who wants to be her. The two go on a road trip with a couple of other journalists, the civil war being the backdrop for their character arcs. The young photographer sees the horrors of war and goes from being initially shocked, to hardened and desensitized. Meanwhile the veteran photographer goes from being hardened, to suffering belated PTSD. While all this plays out the movie is mostly talky, and at times a bit arty, making it slow for the first half. It picks up later with some intense scenes and the movie's big action set piece finale. It felt a bit uneven as a result, not really a character drama and not really a war movie, a bit of both with a sudden lurch of pace as it transitioned from one to the other. I was left thinking it was ok, not that good but not that bad either, albeit a bit pointless as its underlying message was a cautionary tale that should be obvious.

Don't think a few minutes or even a word-filled screen to discuss the background of what had happened to get this point would have gone amiss. The acting was impressive and the obvious CGI set pieces were breathtaking. Each scene had it's own purpose and sometimes it took a minute or two to get there, but overall it was a good watch and I can only worry about some of it coming to pass given the Orange one is coming back into divisive power.