Kirsten Dunst's new film "Civil War" is getting mixed reviews online.
Shortly after the film's release on Friday, April 12, fans took to social media to share their thoughts about the war flick, which shows what could happen in a dystopian future if a second civil war in America were to happen.
To tell this story, the movie focuses on a small group of journalists who travel from New York to the White House in an attempt to speak to the president before rebel factions get there. In addition to Dunst, the film stars Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno and Nick Offerman.
"Surprisingly very impressed with #CivilWar," one person commented on the film on X. "It smartly doesn’t pick a side, leading to a film that just focuses on journalists and their eagerness to capture the battlefield. There are some haunting moments, and the performances are all very strong. Truly thought-provoking."
Another fan agreed.
"#CivilWar worked for me," the X user wrote . "I was nervous the entire runtime. Masterclass tension & haunting sound design. A very compelling POV of war journalists. Smart move to keep it apolitical, imo. (Cailee) Spaeny is a star."
However, the fan noted that there were a few things that they didn't like about the film.
"My only cons are a few silly script decisions. A very scary & visceral film," the person added.
On X, another moviegoer agreed and said the film didn't provide a lot of context for its plot.
"CIVIL WAR is kind of weaponizing the audience’s politics against them, by throwing us into the middle of a context-less war, we are forced to provide our own context and graft our own reality onto the one the movie is presenting, and I just find that fascinating," the person said.
However, most of the reactions to the film online seemed to be positive. On RottenTomatoes, the film received a 84% rating from critics and audience members, and then a 78% on Metacritic.
"Finished #civilwar," another moviegoer said on X, before listing what they liked about the film.
"Great shots + sound (like you expect from Garland)," the person said. "Cast is great across the board, especially Dunst and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Third act is crazy and delivered some legit existential dread."
Another fan added, "Very much in the pro #CivilWar camp (the movie ofc; don’t get it twisted!). There is no clear-cut ideology for the central conflict, true, but the movie *itself* has a clear-cut ideology, which is what really matters," they said. "This and Nope would kind of make a killer double feature."