Commentary: ‘Civil War’ Is Actually A Fantasy Story
by Frank Martin
Given its title and marketing campaign, Civil War was advertised as an action thriller. It featured soldiers in prominent locations around the United States, ready for battle. But this is far from the story that was delivered on screen. While there is a lot of action and combat-heavy sequences, it’s not the main focus of the story. Instead, the film’s setting — an America torn apart by civil war — is more of a backdrop for a completely different kind of story about reporters journeying through the country on a mission. In fact, if the word “mission” were replaced by “quest,” it’s not hard to see that the film is actually a fantasy.
Renowned war photographer Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) partners with her friend Joel (Wagner Moura) to travel across America during the war to interview and photograph the President (Nick Offerman). Before they depart, they talk in a hotel lobby with Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who asks them if he could join. Aspiring war photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) also manages to join the group, despite Lee’s objections. As they drive across the country, they encounter battlefields and rogue combatants before ultimately entering the White House for the final confrontation with the President.
Although the story takes place in a fictionalized America, the plot has all the hallmarks of a fantasy tale. The group begins their journey in a hotel lobby, which is very similar to a group of travelers convening in a tavern before setting out on a quest. Along their journey, they encounter many individuals, some friendly and some dangerous. It’s also easy to see the fantasy parallels if the role of the President is replaced with a king held up in his castle. The protagonists have to storm the fortress alongside soldiers in order to finally take down the king. It might look like an action thriller because of its setting in the contemporary US, but when the curtain is peeled back, this is very clearly a classic fantasy adventure.
Civil War is now streaming on HBO Max.
