No, it’s not “irresponsible” to release 'Civil War'

Lots of arguments have been had about Alex Garland’s film, which is how it should be. But one particular talking point is especially wrong

Director Alex Garland’s Civil War is the 2024 film, at least so far, that has set off the most bitter and angry arguments of any film this year. 

Critic Akash Shetye has declared Garland’s film “our first front runner in The 2024 Wolf of Wall Street Awards Race for producing unhinged takes.”

There have been arguments about the film’s political viewpoint, its reputed lack of one, and whether the film would have been better off, I guess, making itself a more direct anti-Trump tract. And that’s before we get to the part about the film using footage from Twitter figure/Nazi-adjacent videographer Andy Ngo. 

There’s even a Substack specifically about the film by former Wonkette blogger Ana Marie Cox. 

My take on the film was that it was very good but could have been better. It looks fantastic and has worthwhile things to say, even though it was ultimately more about war journalism than politics. 

That said, there’s one strain of anti-Civil War discourse that I can’t get behind: The notion that, in the current environment, it was “irresponsible” for Garland to make the film or for A24 to release it.