Civil War: how to watch, reviews, trailer, cast and everything we know about Kirsten Dunst war movie

Many science fiction tales attempt to show us what may happen if certain mindsets or current dilemmas aren't handled properly, a tradition that Alex Garland's 2024 new movie Civil War is honoring. Specifically, the movie imagines a worst-case scenario in the US where different factions of the country secede from the US government and cause the country’s second civil war.

Civil War hails from A24, the indie studio that has become one of the more popular brands among movie lovers. In 2023 they were behind critically-acclaimed movies like Past Lives, Talk to Me, Priscilla and The Zone of Interest. Civil War headlines a 2024 slate that includes Problemista, Kristen Stewart's Love Lies Bleeding and more.

But this post is focused on Civil War. Here is everything you need to know about the movie, from when it is premiering to its cast and its trailer.

How to watch Civil War

Civil War is now playing exclusively in movie theaters worldwide. Find out more info on how to watch Civil War right here.

Civil War cast

The cast of Civil War is being led by Kirsten Dunst, who plays a war photographer. This is Dunst's first movie since she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2021's The Power of the Dog, but fans also know her from the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, Bring It On and her Emmy-nominated performance in Fargo season 2.

Another big name in the cast is Nick Offerman, who appears to be playing the president of the US. Offerman is of course best remembered for his role as Ron Swanson in Parks & Recreation, but he also delivered a memorable performance in one of 2023's best TV shows, The Last of Us.

The rest of the main cast includes Priscilla star Cailee Spaeny, Narcos' Wagner Moura and Dune's Stephen McKinley Henderson as characters that journey with Dunst's war photographer.

Watching the trailer, it also is shown that Dunst's partner and fellow Oscar-nominee for The Power of the Dog, Jesse Plemons, also appears in the movie as a soldier; though how big of a role it is isn't clear.

Civil War plot

What we can tell from the trailer is that the movie takes place in a not-so-distant future where different swaths of the US (the trailer says 19 states) have seceded from the US government, causing a new civil war. With that as the setting, A24's official synopsis for the movie reads:

"A race to the White House in a near-future America balanced on the razor’s edge."

In addition to directing, Alex Garland wrote the script for Civil War.

Civil War trailer

Watch the first trailer for Civil War right here:

A new chilling trailer set to "America the Beautiful" is available, watch it here:

A24 has also released this behind-the-scenes look at the making of Civil War:

Civil War reviews

What to Watch has weighed in with its official Civil War review. But if you want to know what other critics are saying about the movie as well, check out the movie's score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the movie is "Certified Fresh."

Alex Garland movies

Alex Garland is a frequent collaborator with A24, with all three of the previous movies that he has directed being handled by the studio. They are:

• Ex Machina (2015)

• Annihilation (2018)

• Men (2022)

In addition to directing those movies, Garland also created and directed episodes of Devs. He also wrote 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and Dredd.