10 Most Divisive Movies Of 2024

Alex Garland's Civil War was marketed as an intense, dystopian action-thriller in which the United States descends into full-blown civil war.

Yet anyone expecting a relentlessly action-packed slice of escapism was likely left underwhelmed by Garland's more cerebral, character-driven approach.

While there absolutely is action throughout the film, it's far from Garland's primary concern, certainly not before crafting a tense and thoughtful road trip character piece.

And this is all without even getting into Civil War's politics, or some might say, lack thereof. 

Civil War is clearly a political movie, though Garland declines to provide much specificity regarding the nature of the war itself, the perceived "goodness" of the sides fighting it, and so on.

Some consequently accused Garland of creative cowardice, by refusing to present clearly drawn political sides, while others lauded the ambiguous stance for ditching ham-handed political posturing entirely.

It's tough to argue with the excellent performances from Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and Cailee Spaeny either way, even if Garland's approach ultimately left a lot of people cold.