10 Best Movies Like Civil War

In April 2024, the popular film company A24 released a new film called Civil War, which follows a group of journalists in a dystopian future where the United States has fallen into yet another civil war that is about to come to a head. Civil War’s cast includes stars such as Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, and Jesse Plemons. Notably, the movie was written and directed by sci-fi icon, Alex Garland. Civil War stands out due to its unique premise, but also, its relevance to issues being faced today.

Throughout the film, Civil War brings up themes that are dark, prevalent, and particularly thought-provoking, and it is more than likely that audiences will want even more of these topics after seeing the end of Civil War. Luckily, there are countless movies that pull on the ideas explored in the 2024 Alex Garland movie. More specifically, there are amazing movies that delve deep into photojournalist characters, war and anti-war in America, and alternate United States history. No matter what aspects of Civil War interested viewers, there is always a similar movie to keep the excitement rolling.

10

The China Syndrome (1979)

James Bridges

Though it has little to do with war, The China Syndrome is a strong place to start when watching movies like 2024’s Civil War. The movie, starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, and Michael Douglas, follows a television reporter and her cameraman who unintentionally witness an emergency shutdown at a nuclear plant, or a SCRAM event. They go on to discover that the plant is using safety cover-ups. A large part of what makes Civil War interesting is the fact that its premise rings true to fears Americans are having in the present day, and when The China Syndrome came out, the same could be said. 12 days after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurred in Pennsylvania. For those seeking more journalistic, politically inclined movies to follow Civil War, this is a classic choice.

9

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola

Opposingly, Apocalypse Now has little to do with the journalism portrayed in Civil War, but it shines when it comes to depicting the horrors of war. This iconic movie by Francis Ford Coppola follows a Vietnam soldier who is sent on a mission to find and terminate another promising soldier that has reportedly deserted and gone mad. Though there are countless war movies that are successful at portraying the horrors of war, Apocalypse Now, and movies about the Vietnam War in general, stand out. This is a pressing story that induces the same sense of terror and helplessness as Civil War does, though their individual battles are much different. Apocalypse Now not only follows the same threads of anti-war sentiment, but it also has countless awards and a sensational cast to back it up, including Charlie Sheen and Marlon Brando.

8

A Private War (2018)

Matthew Heineman

Though Civil War is fictional, it pulls on several aspects of reality, and its main character is a perfect example of this.

Therefore, for those audience members who were entranced by Dunst’s performance and character, 2018’s A Private War is a great secondary watch. The biographical war movie follows Colvin as she sustains a life-altering injury, is diagnosed with PTSD, and how she works through these issues in order to continue telling important stories of war. Like Civil War, A Private War homes in on the destruction war can bring, but it also shines a light on the way it affects individuals as well.

7

Testament (1983)

Lynne Litman

Although Civil War explores the very specific situation in which parts of the United States rebel against the government, creating a second civil war, there are movies that evoke the same feelings of fear and confusion but with an entirely different premise. For the 1983 movie Testament, the concept is not civil war, but nuclear war. The movie takes place in a California suburb where a typical family discovers that the nation is under nuclear threat and they could be next. Like The China Syndrome, Testament came out at a time when fear of nuclear war, particularly against the Soviet Union, was very high. In this way, Testament is not just an examination of nuclear war, but put on display Americans actual fears. This makes the movie even more eerie and intriguing. Overall, Testament does the same job that Civil War does, only fifty years earlier.

6

Lee (2023)

Ellen Kuras

Returning to stories of journalists, Lee gets even closer to what Civil War depicts via Kate Winslet as the model-turned-photojournalist Lee Miller. Though her origins as a model at Vogue are quite different from the origins of Civil War’s Lee Smith, the two main characters not only share names, but also professions. Both women are photojournalists, intent on getting the perfect pictures to portray the gruesome wars before them. Really, the biggest reason why those who liked Civil War should watch Lee is because of these similarities that the main characters share. Despite the fact that these films are vastly different in genre and execution, their protagonists are connected across time, fiction, and audiences. Those who want to see a real life version of Kirsten Dunst’s Lee Smith should most definitely check out 2023’s Lee.

5

Children Of Men (2006)

Alfonso Cuarón

Despite verging more on the fictional side of things, Children of Men portrays an apocalypse that feels just as possible and horrifying as Civil War, and for that reason, it is a great movie to watch. Based on a 1992 novel of the same name, Children of Men follows a bureaucrat who must put the survival of the world before himself as society faces complete ecocide, infertility, and depression, and the last baby in the world dies. As previously mentioned, this is a movie that is much more stylized than Civil War, however the films are doing many of the same things.

Children of Men brings audiences’ attention to other huge problems being faced by society, including global warming. For those seeking a more dystopian, fiction-forward movie, this is the ideal movie to jump into.

4

The Killing Fields (1984)

Roland Joffé

In many ways, The Killing Fields and Civil War are two sides of the same coin. Where Civil War sees Lee Smith and other fellow journalists move closer to the core of America’s fictional civil war, The Killing Fields watches Dith Pran do the same, but in the very real context of the Cambodian civil war. The Killing Fields follows reporter Sydney Schanberg and his Cambodian translator Dith Pran as Schanberg covers the Cambodian civil war for the New York Times. However, when U.S. forces pull out of the conflict and Schanberg decides to leave, Pran refuses aid and instead goes deeper into the conflict to get the story, even as the Khmer Rouge closes in. Plotwise, The Killing Fields and Civil War are one in the same, and for this reason they are the perfect pair of movies to watch together. Together, fiction and reality merges into one great anti-war story.

3

The C.S.A: The Confederate States Of America (2004)

Kevin Willmot

Though it may seem like a strange or unlikely candidate to join this list, the satirical comedy The C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America actually brings quite a lot to the table when paired with Civil War. The C.S.A. is a 2004 comedy that delves into a version of America in which the Confederacy won the civil war of the 1860s. By no means does this movie make any realistic predictions about this alternate history, however, it certainly does get audiences thinking, even if it is through laughter. And in many ways, the real American civil war is inexorably connected to the fictional war that Civil War is trying to portray. All in all, both movies are doing a similar job, just in different genres and with different premises. So, for those seeking a more comical look at an alternate American history, The C.S.A: The Confederate States of America is the perfect watch.

2

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Stanley Kubrick

In terms of war movies, Full Metal Jacket may be the closest one will get to Civil War. Although the training sequences of the beginning of the film are completely separate from what Civil War depicts, once Private “Joker” Davis reaches Vietnam, the similarities are hard to ignore. Full Metal Jacket follows a Vietnam soldier from his time in boot camp to his arrival in Vietnam as a journalist during the Battle of Hué. Where the biopics mentioned above focus in on journalist characters, and the dystopian movies delve deep into war and crisis, Full Metal Jacket does a bit of both. Like Civil War, it is both a study of character and of crisis. Through the lens of Joker, and also Private “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence, audiences see the effect war has both on country and on individuals. As far as war movies go, this is certainly the most similar to Civil War.

1

Come And See (1985)

Elem Klimov

The most important movie to watch after Civil War is the movie it was inspired by, a 1985 Soviet Union film called Come and See. In the past, director Alex Garland has noted that this movie helped inspire Civil War, and it isn’t hard to see why. Come and See follows a young boy who is forced into the forest after his village is invaded and joins up with resistance fighters, including a young girl. However, upon returning to his home, the boy discovers his family massacred, and his continued survival becomes a mixture of hope and sadness. What particularly stands out about Come and See is the dynamic of those who survive the tragedies of war when other do not. This is an idea explored in Civil War as well, and is certainly an interesting part of the greater story of anti-war.