CIVIL WAR. I would never call myself a science fiction head, as much for fear of reprisals from within the community as for the sake of accuracy. When the genre works, though, it can deliver vivid, exciting, not-so-thinly veiled commentary on the triumphs and tragedies of humanity as we have known it. Properly executed, it may be the most effective medium by which satire — or satirical horror — can be communicated. And Alex Garland, active now for a quarter-century or so, stands out among precious few writers and directors who have made careers of it. My bias being what it is, I clearly prefer the cinematic variant. I've read a few of the seminal novels and short stories, of course, but I would never enter into anything like a debate with anyone truly studied; I know my place. Further, I like what I like and I have found that the literary strength of a great many sci-fi authors is outstripped by the breathtaking reach of their imaginations. What results can be a frustrating rendering of something that, by its suggestion, could be so much more. Either in prolix, ostensibly vivid description or ruthless elision, the fullness of a great vision is sometimes lost to the frustrating requirements of the written word. Which is not to say that movies, by default, have a better shot at getting it "right;" the opposite could, in fact, be true. But when they succeed, through the creators' judicious navigation of their imagination and the concrete limitations of budget, environmental conditions and other people, the vision comes to life with a force that can, even at this late stage, remind us of the magic of the medium.

All of this is, of course, made more effective by the guiding hand of a writer/director who can use the genre as a lens through which current circumstances (usually cultural ills) can be enlarged and examined (a little black humor never hurts). And it is in that little, volatile, alchemical combination that Garland has found such great and prescient success. More than any other "mainstream" movie maker, he has been able to transmute issues of the day into grand, concise, awesome, awful future-visions suffused as much with horror as they are with humor. His insight and incisiveness, coupled with his unique visual sensibility, allow him to render otherworldly scenarios on-screen that, in their adherence to and departure from the strictures of the known world, create a discomfiting but all-encompassing atmosphere of familiarity within the unfamiliar.

Garland's scenarios, from 28 Days Later (2002) to Ex Machina (2014) to Men (2022) — and yes, I've omitted more than a few for spatial limitations — set within or just after the fall of civilization as we know it, are defined by recognizable geography, tropes and metiers as points of departure: What would happen if a rage virus of artificial intelligence or phantasmagorical male aggression became real tomorrow, or right now? And his command of that technique has never been more effective, prescient or chilling than in Civil War.

Against a brutally familiar backdrop (the United States at war with itself), Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura), a photographer and writer respectively, take a road-trip across the battle-scarred Eastern seaboard, from a decimated but painfully recognizable New York City to Washington, D.C. They intend to interview and photograph the president (Nick Offerman) before opposition forces (a military representing the unified secessionist states of California and Texas) sack the capital. Joined, despite Lee's great trepidation, by her mentor Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and aspiring photojournalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), they undertake their own Willard's journey into the heart of darkness.

As much war story as road movie, Civil War does more to unpack the chaotic, nonsensical nature of conflict and combat than any other major release in the last decade (or more). With Lee and Joel as inseparable foils and the shared narrative center of the piece (he's a fiend for the action, she's a reluctant but committed witness), we are shown acts of hideous violence that, as in reality, will remain maddeningly unexplained, if not unexamined. And the climax, an extended over-the-shoulder procedural study of fighting forces in-theater, should go down as one of the most gripping combat sequences ever staged for the screen.

While the unnerving proximity of this story, with its jarring brutality and accompanying technical acumen, keep us constantly vigilant and on the edge of our seats. Garland tempers it with the lyricism and aesthetic beauty that have defined his work. The result is a fuller, more troubling vision than any other this year, a meditation on war and dissolution that is as gorgeous and elegiac as it is brisk and breathtaking. R. 109M. BROADWAY, MILL CREEK, MINOR.

John J. Bennett (he/him) is a movie nerd who loves a good car chase.

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Fortuna Theatre is temporarily closed. For showtimes call: Broadway Cinema (707) 443-3456; Mill Creek Cinema 839-3456; Minor Theatre (707) 822-3456.