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daschysta

Member
Mar 24, 2019
896
The movie is pretty middling, without examining the cause the message is basically just division is bad. But people in here wishing for a civil war are not jobs. The "Pure and righteous" vs the bad guys. You are the worst types of zealot. Everyone loses in civil war, it's one of the few points even this mid movie made.
 

daschysta

Member
Mar 24, 2019
896
Spoilers?

I'm gonna be honest.

I watched this yesterday. I enjoyed it.

A few days before I watched it, I read about the Supreme Court going to decide whether being homeless or not will be a crime.

And now I'm asking myself, why do I vote?

Don't get me wrong, I'm going to vote against the orange asshole. Because I feel lives depend on it.

But aren't we just supporting this broken fucking apparatus that is getting more and more in favor of greed and business?


I left the theater yesterday wishing we could have our own civil war. I wish we could have a coalition of good people, who value all individuals, and they take the country by force and boot these motherfuckers to the curb.

I'm sorry I'm ranting. I just don't want to live in or care about or support a place that has to have a group of people decide whether being homeless is illegal or not. I'd rather just start over. Watching the west take the White House at the end of the movie kind of gave me hope that maybe we could take our country back, too.
Oh yes, the "good" people who value all individuals . I too am one of the good people who wish for the deaths of millions.

The people dying in such a war won't be the business magnates or robber barons. If you actually believe that's the big problem your much better of trying to instill a class consciousness in ALL people and reforming things that way.

Clearly a movie with no clear message allows such people to project themselves into it as the good guys. Dude probably unironically roots for peacemaker when he says he'll achieve peace no matter how many men women and children must die for it.
 
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Big Boss

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,469
im not gonna dog pile that poster but I laughed for a few minutes after reading their post 🤣

Anyway. Saw the movie yesterday and loved it. Went in pretty blind and enjoyed the journey. I thought they explained enough stuff that I didn't have too many questions.

Will definitely buy this on UHD
 

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,530
So is the general feeling that the movie is a prediction of what might happen if Trump wins again?

The movie can't be bothered to make any real commentary on that but the president character is pretty clearly supposed to be a Trump analogue, it literally opens with him doing a speech along the lines of "we're going to have the best victory, the most beautiful victory, nobody's ever seen a victory like this".
 

Speevy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,381
Thankfully, short of actually murdering Congressmen, a real president Nick Offerman-type would be impeached pretty quickly.

(I hope)
 

lmog

Member
Jun 17, 2019
853
Brazil
This was completely shallow.

I know it's not supposed to reflect modern politics, but some actual story would be nice. It doesn't have any. I felt like I was watching a match of Counter-Strike.

Most stuff felt not organic and just there for shock value. Why are people fighting behind the frontlines?

The premise ultimatetly would have made more sense if it was the country disintegrating into multiple groups fighting for control. Didn't fit into 3 big armies fighting at all.
 

Kasumin

Member
Nov 19, 2017
1,948
Yes, I think it's a stupidly hyperbolic statement.
As someone whose parents grew up in a military dictatorship, I'm always amazed at how much Americans take their country's relative stability for granted.

There's dozens of articles by political scientists, historians, and other experts arguing why the idea of not having free elections in the future is possible given what we've heard from the right in the US.

Seeing as how I live here, I'd rather not take the chance at losing democracy. Or letting others in marginalized groups in the US come to harm.
 

JaseMath

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,413
Denver, CO
Saw it tonight and while I thought it was a well done cautionary tale and appreciated the subjectivity versus objectivity of war via experiences, thought the film really had nothing to say.
 

Loud Wrong

Member
Feb 24, 2020
14,297
As someone whose parents grew up in a military dictatorship, I'm always amazed at how much Americans take their country's relative stability for granted.

There's dozens of articles by political scientists, historians, and other experts arguing why the idea of not having free elections in the future is possible given what we've heard from the right in the US.

Seeing as how I live here, I'd rather not take the chance at losing democracy. Or letting others in marginalized groups in the US come to harm.
No one is asking you not to vote against Trump.
 

CloudWolf

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,668
Looked on Wikipedia and found this map of the different factions in this movie

1280px-Civil_war_2024_map.svg.png


Apparently the yellow part is the "New People's Army". Now, am I crazy or were these never even mentioned in the movie? Lol

Also, kinda funny how all the factions are connected territories and fairly large except the main one in the movie (Western Forces) which is literally only California and Texas.
 
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mbpm

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,718
Saying Trump winning isn't the end of democracy isn't taking it for granted. It's just common sense born of decades of being an American.
Yeah tbh it feels that the idea that Trump will successfully suspend elections/rule in a dictatorship is just the photo negative version of the idea that there will be a general strike/rebellion and we will have real freedom in America from leftists.

It's accelerationist dreaming, come back to reality. The harm Trump would do would be incalculable , and also not that. Stakes should be established and focused on regarding what the very real threats he represents
 

Cipher Peon

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,876
Loved it. Ending shook me to my core.
Hope Garland takes the rest he's earned.

Men > Annihilation > Civil War >> Ex Machina
 

AJUK

Member
May 28, 2019
539
This was completely shallow.

I know it's not supposed to reflect modern politics, but some actual story would be nice. It doesn't have any. I felt like I was watching a match of Counter-Strike.

Most stuff felt not organic and just there for shock value. Why are people fighting behind the frontlines?

The premise ultimatetly would have made more sense if it was the country disintegrating into multiple groups fighting for control. Didn't fit into 3 big armies fighting at all.


I felt the shallowness is there to represent how the War is seen from the viewpoint of the Journalists, like it doesn't really matter "why" it's happening, or who's right or wrong, it's just happening and they need to cover it, which I found refreshing.
 

sharkkiee

Member
Aug 6, 2018
147
This was completely shallow.

I know it's not supposed to reflect modern politics, but some actual story would be nice. It doesn't have any. I felt like I was watching a match of Counter-Strike.

Most stuff felt not organic and just there for shock value. Why are people fighting behind the frontlines?

The premise ultimatetly would have made more sense if it was the country disintegrating into multiple groups fighting for control. Didn't fit into 3 big armies fighting at all.

Competely agree, I just watched it before and I found it very bland and pointless. Zero backstory for the main characters, Why are they fighting each other? Only movies I've liked that was he was involved with was Dredd and Ex Machina.
 

9wilds

Member
Jan 1, 2022
3,661
I felt the shallowness is there to represent how the War is seen from the viewpoint of the Journalists, like it doesn't really matter "why" it's happening, or who's right or wrong, it's just happening and they need to cover it, which I found refreshing.

Sure. But how does that make for a refreshing or interesting movie? What does that say about journalists? That they're bad? That they just care about the story? How could such a broad statement possibly be universally true?

I don't know what the point of the movie was. But if it's a statement about journalism? I don't think it was effective.
 

theDidact

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,657
The movie is pretty middling, without examining the cause the message is basically just division is bad. But people in here wishing for a civil war are not jobs. The "Pure and righteous" vs the bad guys. You are the worst types of zealot. Everyone loses in civil war, it's one of the few points even this mid movie made.
Pretty much all that needs to be said.
 

AJUK

Member
May 28, 2019
539
Sure. But how does that make for a refreshing or interesting movie? What does that say about journalists? That they're bad? That they just care about the story? How could such a broad statement possibly be universally true?

I don't know what the point of the movie was. But if it's a statement about journalism? I don't think it was effective.

Because War films are normally about bad v good, this wasn't like that because it focused on the journalists mission, which is unique and interesting in my opinion.
 

astroturfing

Member
Nov 1, 2017
6,471
Suomi Finland
hmmm, pretty good movie. i'd give it an 8/10, third or fourth best thing Garland has made. Annihilation and Devs being my definite favorites.

i especially liked how the Trump-like President was a loser coward at the end, just begging for mercy. didn't even have a proper escape plan. what an idiot, hah.

and did Garland get the idea for this while playing The Last of Us, or what..? can't be a coincidence that it's also a dangerous roadtrip through America with a witty young lady tagging along and a dude who looks like Joel from the HBO show, and is also named Joel.

i really disliked all the sanitized deaths though, so many get shot in the torso/gut and just fall to sleep immediately, eyes closed and calm. i mean.. thats not how it works. if you get shot in the gut you WILL writhe and howl in absolute pain on the ground, it's not pretty.

also the journos aren't even wearing ear protection from what i could tell, even when the loudest goddamn guns in existence are going off right next to their heads. and no one gets any hearing damage, just wtf. i think it would have been quite effective and dramatic if maybe one of them completely lost their hearing during some of the most intense action..

IMO it seriously needed to be more gritty and realistic to really drive home the brutality of war, the action and deaths mostly just made me yawn (with a couple exceptions). the best and most exciting parts were all the quiet moments, when they were arriving in new places and you had no idea what was gonna happen.. was legit scary at times.
 

Keikaku

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,779
Looked on Wikipedia and found this map of the different factions in this movie

1280px-Civil_war_2024_map.svg.png


Apparently the yellow part is the "New People's Army". Now, am I crazy or were these never even mentioned in the movie? Lol

Also, kinda funny how all the factions are connected territories and fairly large except the main one in the movie (Western Forces) which is literally only California and Texas.
Totally missed the other factions, thought it was only the US vs WF. Was Meth Damon with the reds?

Also kinda unbelievable that two states could overpower the rest.
 
May 24, 2019
22,244
Totally missed the other factions, thought it was only the US vs WF. Was Meth Damon with the reds?

Also kinda unbelievable that two states could overpower the rest.
I bet Garland wanted to be almost totally vague and there's intentionally no answer to who most of the people they bump into are fighting for, but A24 heard the grumbles of people needing the world fleshed out and threw that together.
 

Aselith

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,460
. The main characters, coddled liberal coded journalists, assume that the US military won't fuck with them simply because they're press.

This is actually not correct. The movie explicitly states that there is a kill on sight order for journalists around Washington i.e. the US military. The premise of their journey is an assumption that they will likely die trying.
 

CloudWolf

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,668
Totally missed the other factions, thought it was only the US vs WF. Was Meth Damon with the reds?

Also kinda unbelievable that two states could overpower the rest.
I think the Florida Alliance is mentioned once, in the opening scene, but yeah otherwise they are not actually part of the movie.
 

Lost Lemurian

Member
Nov 30, 2019
4,303
Because War films are normally about bad v good, this wasn't like that because it focused on the journalists mission, which is unique and interesting in my opinion.
I think it's fair to say that most war movies are about the horrors of war, or the individual experience of soldiers, not "good vs bad".
 
Totally missed the other factions, thought it was only the US vs WF. Was Meth Damon with the reds?

Also kinda unbelievable that two states could overpower the rest.
It's strained since California and Texas were chosen as allies mostly just to avoid real-world politics. Regardless of how much practical sense it makes. Likewise other states that definitely would not go along with a fascist Trump-like administration are for it here just to, I guess, avoid actual current politics in the US.

CA and TX are large with a lot of resources, of course. But there are all sorts of complications that don't factor in the movie, like exactly how the distributed home bases of the US military decide to fall, what happens to existing national guard forces and supplies in each state, etc. We could imagine scenarios like mass-desertions of the guard in some states towards the western force states.
 

CloudWolf

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,668
Because War films are normally about bad v good, this wasn't like that because it focused on the journalists mission, which is unique and interesting in my opinion.
In my experience, the majority of war movies are not about bad v good, at least the well-known ones.

Is it ever actually stated who the forces they follow in the middle of the movie are? They could have been Florida Alliance for all we know.
The troops we see in the movie are the Western Forces (Cali + Texas), this is clearly stated. The Florida Alliance and whoever the New People's Army are are not in the movie.
 

Serpico99

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,860
NYC
hmmm, pretty good movie. i'd give it an 8/10, third or fourth best thing Garland has made. Annihilation and Devs being my definite favorites.

i especially liked how the Trump-like President was a loser coward at the end, just begging for mercy. didn't even have a proper escape plan. what an idiot, hah.

and did Garland get the idea for this while playing The Last of Us, or what..? can't be a coincidence that it's also a dangerous roadtrip through America with a witty young lady tagging along and a dude who looks like Joel from the HBO show, and is also named Joel.

i really disliked all the sanitized deaths though, so many get shot in the torso/gut and just fall to sleep immediately, eyes closed and calm. i mean.. thats not how it works. if you get shot in the gut you WILL writhe and howl in absolute pain on the ground, it's not pretty.

also the journos aren't even wearing ear protection from what i could tell, even when the loudest goddamn guns in existence are going off right next to their heads. and no one gets any hearing damage, just wtf. i think it would have been quite effective and dramatic if maybe one of them completely lost their hearing during some of the most intense action..

IMO it seriously needed to be more gritty and realistic to really drive home the brutality of war, the action and deaths mostly just made me yawn (with a couple exceptions). the best and most exciting parts were all the quiet moments, when they were arriving in new places and you had no idea what was gonna happen.. was legit scary at times.

We didn't wear ear protection in Afghanistan and we had 49 straight days of fighting. My hearing is fine and I had a MK 48.

I saw it last night with my cousin who isn't the biggest Garland fan. We both liked it. He liked that it was about journalists instead of a family trying to survive, which we have seen a million times. It kinda reminded me of Nightcrawler with a photo journalist trying to get that perfect shot of people dying.
 

Faddy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,167
Totally missed the other factions, thought it was only the US vs WF. Was Meth Damon with the reds?

Also kinda unbelievable that two states could overpower the rest.

Meth Damon with with the Blue group, USA classic.

He asks where each person is from and is happy to hear Missouri and Colorado. IDK about the accuracy of the map but the Western Forces were Texas and California with Florida as its own thing was mentioned. So you can infer Colorado and Missouri were still loyal to Washington.

CA and Texas have food, energy and people. It is not that unbelievable.
 

Aselith

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,460
We didn't wear ear protection in Afghanistan and we had 49 straight days of fighting. My hearing is fine and I had a MK 48.

I saw it last night with my cousin who isn't the biggest Garland fan. We both liked it. He liked that it was about journalists instead of a family trying to survive, which we have seen a million times. It kinda reminded me of Nightcrawler with a photo journalist trying to get that perfect shot of people dying.

Yeah, small arms aren't generally so loud that would cause hearing loss outdoors, right? You have to wear ear protection in-doors specifically because the small, enclosed space causes the noise to echo around the room and is more likely to damage your ears from my understanding.