If you’re looking for a beefy and essential anti-war flick, this isn’t it.

Coming from a director with an impressive resume that includes some of my favorite films like Ex Machina and Annihilation, I’m disappointed to find anything positive to say about the empty and hollow Civil War.

Civil War is a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

Intriguing? Yes. But, if you’re looking for anything with depth or direction, look elsewhere.

The marketing for this movie had me engaged enough to spend money to see it in theaters, a feat that remains nearly impossible for me these days. The poster depicting Texas and California (among other states) seceding is puzzling, and throughout most of this movie, your questions are left unanswered.

Some are calling Civil War a masterpiece about war journalism, while others label it as disturbing, brilliant, and essential. Woof.

Film critic Dwight Brown paints the story better than I can describe it. He writes, “When the fire created by Civil War goes out, it’s easy to feel you’ve been manipulated. Like a house was burned down to the ground just to provoke a reaction. Nothing more.”

While Jesse Plemons delivers an intimidatingly haunting five-minutes on screen, I was left wondering why Garland didn’t showcase him more. Kirsten Dunst, my all-time favorite, seems to go through the motions of her journalistic endeavors, and newcomer Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) delivers a performance that’s just okay. However, it was Wagner Moura who was the standout for me, but even his screen time couldn’t save me from the absolute boredom of this “shocking” and “essential” film.

While there are more harrowing and essential dystopian films available, this one fails to meet expectations. Considering the director’s sharp scriptwriting in “28 Days Later,” it’s unclear why things went awry with this film.