“Civil War” (** out of four) was a grandiose but grim melodrama set in a not-too-distant dystopian future in which a group of military journalists (Nick Offerman, Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and others) who race against time to reach the White House before rebel factions overtake it and declare monopoly and anarchy. Writer/director Alex Garland tries to be making a timely and topical story of historical proportion and elements but his ambition outweighs his excellence as film is clouded by a detached sense of indifference. Only the last half-hour (when they actually reach the White House) has any impact. Film has been released on exactly 163 years after the real Civil War.