I caugh "Civil War" last night and, honestly, it was a letdown. The film fell into this trap of what I call "Lazy Creativeness." It’s like they’re trying to look inventive with techniques that are actually pretty played out. They’d throw in this upbeat music in scenes where t felt wholly out of place and used clichéd visual motifs like a close-up of a flower during a combat scene, which may seem artistic but ultimately adds nothing to the narrative.
And the thing is, they didn’t spend enough time building up the characters. I couldn’t get why they were so intense about their roles because the movie didn’t give us their backgrounds. It was all style and no substance.
And it’s not just "Civil War," I felt the same about "Past Lives" and "After Yang." These films prioritize stylistic techniques over cohesive storytelling., focusing too much on showing off film techniques that aren’t even that fresh.
I plan to review "Lost in Translation" soon, which I think gets it right. "Lost in Translation" is an example of a film that achieves a balance between technique and narrative. It is a model I believe young directors should be aiming fool, where the focus is on enriching the story alongside the aesthetic presentation
