WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Civil War.

The concept of good versus evil is explored in unexpected ways in Alex Garland's 2024 film Civil War's box office success and Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 81% helped it become one of A24's highest-grossing movies, earning a worldwide box office total of $122.6 million. Civil War offers a hypothetical near-future scenario in which 19 states secede from the country.

Civil War's real meaning has more to do with the results of a totalitarian dictator clinging to power and the potential downfall of American democracy than highlighting any modern-day political and cultural divisions in the United States.

Civil War is now streaming exclusively on Max.

The Western Forces, New People's Army & Florida Alliance Are On The "Good" Side In Civil War

They are separate factions in the same fight against a tyrannical three-term President

Lee instructs Jessie not to insert her own opinions into their profession but it's evident that they are rooting for the President's downfall.

The Western Forces, Florida Alliance, and Loyalist soldiers in Civil War all either fight to take down or protect Nick Offerman's President character, who has betrayed the U.S. Constitution and the American people. The Western Forces, Florida Alliance, and New People's Army are all essentially different factions with the same cause, which is to take down the tyrannical President, making them the "good" side in the fight. They're the ones who are treated as heroes and patriots essentially by rebelling and fighting back, much like the original colonists of the United States did against Great Britain during the Revolutionary War.

The main photojournalist characters of Civil War are able to tag along with of the Western Forces and the Florida Alliance because freedom of the press, the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is not exactly a friend of the tyrannical President. The President aims to control the narrative of his reign and justify it through unconstitutional means, which makes him both an enemy of democracy and of freedom of speech. Lee, Joel, and Jessie's ambitions are to document history as it unfolds in front of them. Lee instructs Jessie not to insert her own opinions into their profession but it's evident that they are rooting for the President's downfall.

The President & The Loyalist States Are On The "Bad" Side In Civil War

The Loyalist states span from New England to Nevada and down to the Carolinas

The Loyalist states in Civil War include virtually the entirety of the East Coast besides Florida and Georgia, as well as New York and Pennsylvania.

As an enemy of democracy and the constitutional rights of American citizens, Nick Offerman's President is the clear antagonist of Civil War. Though it is never fully explained how he was able to cling to his power and overrule the long-established three-pronged American political system of checks and balances, the President has authorized heinous acts against American citizens such as drone strikes on United States soil. He also disbanded the FBI, which allowed crimes to run rampant across the United States without punishment. He is no longer the leader of the free world but of his own maniacal attempt to rule the country through absolute power as its dictator.

While the fascist President essentially started the conflict that sparked the civil war, many Loyalist states are aligned with him, and they're treated as the villains of the film. Most of the intense shootouts in Civil War are between the Florida Alliance/Western Forces and the Loyalists who obeyed and enacted the totalitarian will of the President. The Loyalist states in Civil War include virtually the entirety of the East Coast besides Florida and Georgia, as well as New York and Pennsylvania. Many midwestern states such as Ohio, Michigan, and Colorado are Loyalist as well. The westernmost Loyalist state is Nevada. Arizona and New Mexico, which divide California and Texas, are interestingly Loyalist too.

Civil War Isn't About Which Side Is "Good" Or "Bad"

Good and evil don't really come into play when it's a matter of life and death

Although there are clear divisions between the good and bad forces at play in Civil War, the battle for the soul of the country is not necessarily the point of the movie. The film is told through the eyes of the photojournalists observing and documenting the surrounding conflict rather than those who are actually in the fight. Civil War avoids diving into real-world politics in the United States and instead acts as an exaggerated cautionary tale about the abuse of power.

Within the major conflict are various lethal encounters where both sides may not know what flag they are fighting for, or it simply doesn't matter, as depicted in the sniper shootout scene in the field of abandoned Christmas decorations. That scene encapsulates the overarching theme of Civil War that good and evil don't really come into play when it's a matter of life and death.