With Civil War, Alex Garland made a film intended to provoke audiences into thinking about the state of the country. So naturally, I’m terrified.
“Thinking,” I’ve come to learn—especially when it comes to politically charged movies—tends to metastasize in today’s culture into “getting angry,” “baselessly ranting,” or, the most dreaded phrase on the internet, “igniting discourse.” It’s not that I fear debate or passionate difference of opinion. That’s the whole point of cultural consumption and certainly of criticism; disagreement should be a beautiful, natural byproduct of watching a film and discussing it with fellow enthusiasts. Mass agreement wouldn’t just be impossible, it would be incredibly boring too.
The issue is that discord in the year 2024, perhaps fitting for this particular movie, more resembles respective sides tossing grenades at each other rather than actually engaging with any cogent points or arguments. What I fear—and am preparing to be exasperated by when it comes to Civil War—is the bad-faith pontificating that has replaced thoughtful discussion.
