Indelible imagery and technically impressive, with great performances by most of the cast, but this is one of this times when the sum is less than the whole.
Garland takes us on an Apocalypse Now style journey with none of the gravitas of that film. Each set piece is bookended by obnoxious needle drops. The journalists seem entertained by the war, rather than horrified by it. They certainly are not unbiased purveyors of truth either. (If that’s the point, it was unclear.) And despite how provocative the concept is, this version of American civil war is so unlikely as to be fantastical.
So when it’s all said and done, the concept is under-utilized and the film feels underbaked. It’s not real enough to serve as a warning, and not distant enough to work as a metaphor. It’s just a mess.
This format will work well for Garland’s Elden Ring movie, though, although I will admit my hopes are not high.