The Big Picture

Civil War
‘s new poster reveals a dystopian America at war with itself in a hostile environment.
Plot details kept under wraps by A24, but journalists are key to the story, hinting at political aspects.
Director Alex Garland’s track record of dystopian sci-fi elements and an all-star cast promise a thought-provoking experience.

With a little more than a month till its anticipated premiere, political thriller Civil War got a new poster to tease its arrival. This time, however, we’re urged to watch it in IMAX theater – even though the movie might not be a huge action-packed blockbuster, there is still plenty to see of it in the biggest screen possible. The story takes place in a fractured America which, as the title suggests, is at war with itself. More specifically, Texas vs. California.

The new poster depicts a picture of Manhattan that we’d never wish to see: Dark, with Liberty Island turned into a fort, war vessels circling it, helicopters flying over it like in Apocalypse Now and New York burning in the background. It was pretty obvious from the start that the movie would depict the United States as a pretty hostile environment, but seeing it on a poster like this greatly increases the impact.

Despite the tone of the movie being clear to audiences, details of the plot are still kept under wraps by fan-favorite production company A24. We know that journalists will play an important part in the story, which speaks to the political aspects of the plot. But we still don’t know the roots of the title event or other kinds of characters that we’ll follow.

Who’s In The Cast of ‘Civil War?’
Image via A24

At the same time, it’s pretty safe to assume that the production company is confident in whatever story director and screenwriter Alex Garland wants to tell. Not only did they make the scale of the movie big enough for IMAX screens, they selected an all-star cast that features Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man trilogy), Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Nick Offerman (The Last of Us), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Beau is Afraid) and Wagner Moura (Narcos).

Fans of Garland’s work are also understandably excited, because the filmmaker has an excellent track record when it comes to dystopias and sci-fi elements. Aside from writing the scripts of acclaimed titles such as 28 Days Later… and Never Let Me Go, he also wrote and directed Ex Machina and Annihilation. The director told Empire last month that, like his previous films, Civil War will not be too easy to digest: “I sometimes feel overly spoon-fed by cinema, and so I probably just react against that. That question, why Texas and California, is a question that I want the audience to ask.”

Civil War is set to premiere in cinemas – and IMAX theaters – on April 12.

Civil War The film follows events in the U.S. during a civil war. Government forces attack civilians. Journalists are shot in the Capitol.Release Date April 12, 2024 Director Alex Garland Writers Alex Garland