Jarring, visceral and all too plausible, Alex Garland's Civil War is a must-see

It's those jarring images — the UN relief camp in the abandoned stadium and the thundering thrum of helicopters hovering over the capital — that give this near-future scenario a present-tense feeling.

A scene from Civil War shows helicopters arriving at the launching point as the so-called Western Forces prepare to take Washington, D.C. (Elevation Pictures )

Civil War rounds out the troupe with Cailee Spaeny as Jessie, an aspiring photographer who weasels her way onto the trip, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Sammy, an older scribe who works for "what's left of the New York Times."

Director Alex Garland, right, points on set of his film Civil War, with cast members who also appeared in his TV show Devs.

Gone are the golden oldies of Apocalypse Now and Good Morning Vietnam, replaced by incongruous but undeniably funky hip-hop jams and skittery post-punk melodies.

While there are moments that push the limits of belief (Jessie brings chemicals to hand develop her photos on the road), as the group approaches their objective, the hardened shell the reporters use to shield themselves begins to crack and the distinctions fall away.