As a seasoned gamer and cinephile, I find myself utterly flabbergasted by the omission of Alex Garland’s masterpiece, “Civil War,” from this year’s 2025 Golden Globe nominations. I mean, seriously, what’s a movie landscape without a thought-provoking, action-packed, politically charged film that keeps us guessing until the very end?
My friends, I’m about to go on a rant. Before I get in too deep, though, I’d like to say that I’m not trying to take away from any picture on the 2024 movie schedule that hasn’t been nominated. And hey, the 2025 Golden Globe nominations have rewarded some pretty fantastic movies from this year’s calendar. But with the pleasantries aside, I need to go into why I’m still pretty mad that writer/director Alex Garland’s Civil War was shut out of this year’s crop of nominees.
Isn’t it unusual to discuss an A24 film that didn’t receive some form of prestigious acclaim? After all, the extraordinary success of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” at the 2023 Academy Awards was quite remarkable. Given that the movie premiered in March 2022, it’s hard to argue that the April 12th release date of “Civil War” hindered its chances for recognition.
Since the movie’s debut in September for Max subscription holders, we’ve seen a fresh wave of viewers contributing their thoughts. My coworker Mick Joest explained how a grievance about “Civil War” surprisingly worked to its advantage. Additionally, one of our writers, Jason Wiese, pointed out an underappreciated moment by Kirsten Dunst that neatly ties up the political thriller’s powerful ending penned by the writer of “28 Years Later,” which revolves around a fractured United States.
Another reason I’m astonished that Civil War wasn’t recognized at the 2025 Golden Globes is that it taps into our political anxieties, yet avoids taking a clear partisan stance. Regardless of one’s political leanings, there’s a shared fear of a captivating Nick Offerman leading the U.S. to disaster, culminating in an epic confrontation.
If you believe that the unidentified head of state’s actions during his tenure as Commander-in-Chief are not well-known, you would be incorrect. One of the many strengths in Alex Garland’s direction of this film is skillfully providing a substantial amount of background information through an intelligent scene of exposition, subtly presented by Stephen McKinley Henderson, a seasoned actor associated with A24.
Maybe it’s a good idea for everyone to re-watch the movie “Civil War” to remind themselves, but for me, I plan to rewatch it specifically so I can determine if it will make it onto my top 10 favorites of 2024.
But before I leave you to ponder this subject for yourself, let me give you one final reason to celebrate Civil War. The entire movie is thoughtfully constructed and mindfully crafted to be an intellectually stimulating look at what a wartorn America could look like.
Concurrently, it encompasses a series of events similar to the freeing of Washington D.C., which was so astonishing and awe-inspiring that I couldn’t tear myself away from the screen during the initial viewing at the premiere.
In a cinematic environment where audiences often find movies too dull or overly simplistic, this remarkable production managed to strike a perfect balance. You could label it “a thought-provoking piece,” or an “adrenaline-pumping rollercoaster,” or even “an intellectually satisfying blockbuster success” as I did in my review of Civil War. However, do not dismiss it as unworthy of award recognition. That would be almost as severe as committing treason, without having to perform the daring feats depicted in this film itself.
In my rephrased version:
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2024-12-12 04:07