Just a month and a half after entering theaters, A24's dystopian thriller is available at home. Unlike the most recent quick-to-digital release "Fall Guy," Alex Garland's "Civil War" was considered a box office success, grossing $112 million worldwide on what was the studio's most expensive film to date.

Alex Garland's fourth film is set in a near-dystopian future and follows military-embedded journalists Lee (Kristen Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura), and two tag-alongs: Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), a veteran they worry might slow them down, and Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), a novice who admires Lee. The film tracks the four as they depart from New York, hoping to make it to Washington D.C. to interview and photograph the President (Nick Offerman) before the western forces take the capital.

In the current divisive climate of these United States, the film comes around in an election year and at a time of uncertainty. However, the film makes no grand political statements outside of observing the horrors of a nation falling apart. Following the journalists through the country, you are able to witness the unspeakable actions of both sides but are largely left to wonder about the world you are witnessing.

Certain moments in the film provide some insight: The President is not fond of journalists, shut down the FBI years prior, and has ordered strikes on American cities. While we are able to glimpse some of the horrors of the western front firsthand in a particularly tense scene with the fantastic Jesse Plemons, Garland is one of the best at writing and shooting scenes that have us praying for our protagonists. Their interaction with Plemons joins the dance scene in "Ex Machina" as a startling change in direction for our mains. The lack of information about inciting events allows us as viewers to stay present with our characters as they race to try and get the shot without getting shot.

I am bummed I missed the movie in theaters, as some of the sound design and action really give a great first-hand experience to the film, but I am thrilled I got to see the movie as I thought it was well-acted and extremely engaging. "Civil War" is now available on digital and should be heading to HBO Max later this summer.

Critic Cal Score: 8.6