Civil War - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Alright, I already know what you’re thinking. Why do you like Civil War, the movie justifiably lambasted for its vague, finger-wagging politicking? Alex Garland as a filmmaker has always been, at least to me, the kind of artist who will lure you in with what looks like an easy lay-up, but then deepens or shifts the narrative in unexpected ways. You see it clearly in DEVS, his TV series about the inner workings of a Steve Jobs-like tech CEO who finds the unknowable in seeking a deeper truth about humanity. You can take a similar approach to Civil War, which to me, is rather sardonic and mean about the state of the film image itself. All of the wanton destruction depicted carries less visual weight than the journalists obsessed with capturing the real-life impact of it all. 

Whether you take Civil War as being for or against the political actions it depicts is completely up to you, but I found it entrancing in the way it shows the viewer the clear text they could be angry about with the opportunity to look past that and focus on the characters. Because to Garland, his characters are people searching for deeper truth in the images they’re capturing no matter the destructive power. In a way, that’s Garland in a nutshell. That’s why I’m not surprised that he announced this to be his last film. It doesn’t necessarily make the case for his vision to continue, as it’s clear his anxiety around getting to his deeper truths has taken too much of a mental toll on him. I guess that’s why Civil War comes across as so transfixing to me. It’s like watching in real time the kind of indifference to humanity that similar war films tend to tackle, but with Garland’s fixed, clear eye for scope, the result is beautiful and disturbing all at once.

Kirsten Dunst’s performance as Lee, the legendary photojournalist who understands the fading power of her images, may be among her and Garland’s finest depictions of self-destruction caused by compartmentalization. And thanks to Lee’s younger counterpart, the shiny and new Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), the audience is treated to a character’s transformation into their worst, inevitable fear; the kind of unfailing journalist who will shove everything down to get the right shot. What happens when the “right shot” is literally everywhere? When your home has become a war zone, does it really matter? I don’t think Civil War sets out to answer any of these questions because that’s the biggest fallacy of today’s political climate. If we cannot crack into the nuance of captured images and stories, then what hope do we have?

All in all, Civil War is a deliberate, often jarring showstopper that I was shocked to find received such debasing by critics and audiences. That isn’t even to say that those who criticize it aren’t right, because Garland is a slick enough filmmaker to make easy mental work for anyone to hate this thing. Something this propulsive and obsessed with the impact of its images should be celebrated, or hated…up to you. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-rays
War has found its way home in Civil War, presented here by Lionsgate Home Entertainment with a two-disc release that offers a UHD100 for the 4K disc and a BD50 for the standard Blu-ray. These discs come housed in a standard amaray case with a slipcover over it. Both discs boot up to standard menu screens with options to play the film, set up audio and video, explore bonus features and select chapters.

Alex Garland’s Civil War in 4K offers a reference-quality transfer and presentation, full stop. The original film was captured using the X-OCN ST codec with DJI Ronin 4D/Zenmuse X9, Sony CineAlta Venice, and Sony A7S III cameras. The original film was captured in 6K and 8K resolutions depending on which camera was being used, plus the production had specifically designed Panavision H Series and Leitz M0.8 spherical lenses to really open each frame up to maximum clarity and fine detail. This 2160p presentation aided by Dolby Vision HDR is sourced from the film’s final master, which was a 4K digital intermediate.

If detail and clarity are two things you look for in your 4K Blu-rays, then you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better reference-quality example than Civil War. Rob Hardy is one of our foremost talents working in cinematography today, and his adeptness at playing with depth of field based on what’s in the frame could not look better than it does here. In many shots, I noticed how the camera’s focus would readjust to whoever is speaking, but not leaving the environment or other people around them soft enough that you can’t discern what’s going on. It’s a very difficult thing to pull off, which is part of why I’m not surprised that they shot everything spherical to get the most detail out of each frame. Even in the big finale, where the exteriors are lower-lit and rely upon the action to really illuminate the staging, there’s just such deep contrast and enhanced black levels to really pull the most out of the source.

Speaking of the source, the new Dolby Vision HDR grading is pretty concurrent with how the film looked in theaters. Garland usually tries to showcase things naturally and vividly, and the grading here is no exception to the rule. Blazing highlights like explosions and fire never blow out what’s also in the frame, leading to a very well-balanced presentation bolstered by a terrific bitrate and given space to breathe on a UHD100 disc.

Speaking of reference quality, the new Dolby Atmos track here will give your home theater system a righteous workout. The film opens with overwhelming white noise, which does in fact fill the surround channels and sets the stage for what’s to come – a jarring soundscape frequently cut by loud, bass-heavy notes that threaten to drown everything else out, but in fact do not. Exterior shots gain huge depth thanks to the myriad sound effects of birds chirping, wind in the trees and other natural effects, all rendered terrifically and given sonic movement in this track. Those jarring music cues are all resolved great with dialogue and your subwoofer is destined to flex throughout this presentation. 

As for supplements, there’s a terrific six-part making-of documentary that focuses specifically on the production of key sequences in each part. Filmmaker Charles de Lauzirika, who was also responsible for many other terrific making-of-docs on physical media releases, sidesteps any attempt to provide a comprehensive look at the production and instead focuses on how certain sequences were staged, leading to a much more insightful approach. Note: The Amazon-exclusive 4K disc adds an additional Cast and Crew Q&A bonus feature (which we haven't seen). 

• Torn Asunder: Waging Alex Garland’s Civil War (HD 56:58)
• Theatrical Trailer (HD 2:24)
• Other A24 trailers (HD 8:48)

Alex Garland’s Civil War has arrived on 4K Blu-ray to divide audiences at home, offering a stellar 4K presentation of the film and a robust Dolby Atmos score to boot. There is a great new making-of documentary included as a supplement to deepen your appreciation of the film rounding out this release as well. This release comes Highly Recommended! 

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