‘War’ Review: HBO’s Mindless, Meaningless Divorce Drama Gets Lost in the Fog of Bore

“The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.”

This quote, attributed to Mr. Keanu Reeves, is repeated by various characters throughout George Kay’s new legal drama, “War.” The full statement, the famous source, they’re both stated so often, it’s hardly a surprise to spot them again as the title of Episode 6 (though Reeves’ name is mercifully omitted). The first time, it’s cute. The second time, it’s forced, and each time thereafter it’s ridiculous. Clearly, the words will prove meaningful, but even clearer is that we’re meant to remember them, whether we’re paying attention or not — hence name-checking one of the most famous actors on the planet while planting the seed.

“War,” as a whole, is quite similar: It says one thing while doing the opposite. The case at the center of the first season is hyped as an explosive legal battle, but — despite billions of sterling and world-renowned reputations on the line — it never feels any bigger or more complicated than debate camp. The attorneys representing each side are said to be the best of the best, and yet they both make silly assumptions, obvious arguments, and implausible oversights that no client, wealthy or not, would tolerate.

Worst of all, the characters themselves are meant to be everything and nothing at once. Reckless choices reflecting absent morals are cast aside to curry unearned sympathy, while the supposed pressures that produce such bad behaviors are never properly demonstrated, personally or professionally. These people seem to do things simply because they’re dramatic, which could work if “War” was wielding its drama to make a point about tech oligarchs’ influence over the courts or how men and women are treated differently in a marital dispute. But it’s not.

So what is “War” good for? Well, you know how that quote ends.

Forgive me, dear reader, for not yet explaining what “War” is about. But I’m afraid I can’t do that. Not really. The premise is considered a spoiler by the powers that be, so the best I can offer is a description of the plot. Luckily, if it sounds overly familiar — like any ol’ broadcast legal drama from the past few decades (and not a particularly good one) — then you will be left with an accurate impression despite the impediments.

On one side, there’s Morgan Henderson (Dominic West), the founder of a “positive” social media service called Zephyr, and the kind of guy who says “I never do this” right before he cheats on his wife for the umpteenth time. That’s how we first meet the man: receiving an award for his beneficial addition to the internet, right before leaving the ceremony early to sleep with a woman who turns out to be one of his wife’s friends. West’s earnest performance, at least, pairs well with reputation-saving character notes like being a good step-father and genuinely caring about his business’ altruistic approach to “likes” and “hearts.” But his clichéd faults make for a neutered, inauthentic character, no matter the person playing him.

James McArdle, Sienna Miller, and Phoebe Fox in ‘War’Courtesy of Miya Mizuno/ Sky / HBO / New Pictures

His soon-to-be ex-wife, Carla (Sienna Miller), suffers from similar unresolved incongruities. A movie star whose most profitable years are behind her, Carla is at once a superstar of international renown and a celebrity the public generally dislikes. Someone who’s been famous for as long as Carla shouldn’t see her reputation shift so easily, but it unconvincingly pivots in accordance with the plot — as do too many of her choices. How her age and gender may affect perception is never brought up.

A lack of insight into Morgan and Carla’s marriage is but one damning element to “War,” which never asks us to pick sides or even pity the unhappy couple. Instead, it devotes its focus (still with absent investment) to their lawyers. Episodes are structured by the legal process — serving papers, mandatory mediation, challenging the pre-nup, going to court, etc. — and the attorneys themselves are treated with similar systemic formality.

There’s the big, bad firm called Cathcarts & Sons, which is old as dirt, wields its resources like a bludgeon, and always brings twice as many lawyers as the opposition. Then there’s the family firm, Taylor & Byrne, led by two married former Cathcarts attorneys: Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle) and Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox), the latter of whom is pregnant. The framing of each firm seems to matter more than their actions: Cathcarts is a cruel, cutthroat institution. Their offices are dark, made with lots of wood and leather, and their employees are unwelcoming. Taylor & Byrne is tightknit and supportive. Their office is filled with light, using lots of glass to convey transparency, and their staff gets along well, almost like friends.

But even if the two firms look different, they don’t behave that way. In a show with sharper edges, that could work, but “War” settles for acknowledging their similarities without accepting the consequences of what equally unprincipled protagonists mean to its audience’s rooting interest. The same can be said for our other semi-lead, Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux). Like Harper Stern (Myha’la) in the vastly smarter, richer, and more thrilling HBO/UK co-production “Industry,” Johnny arrives in England from America under suspicious circumstances. He interned at a prestigious firm in New York, but whatever he did over there has made it almost impossible for him to secure a position in London. He’s young, ambitious, and talented (or so we’re told), and he eventually lands smack dab in the middle of Morgan and Carla’s case.

But he sucks up the time of a main character when he’s really just a plot device. His importance to the story vastly outweighs his relevance to the audience, making him more and more exhausting to put up with as the episodes play out. There’s simply no good reason to care about Johnny, or Morgan, or Carla, or the lawyers, and “War” asks us to care anyway, all the way through to its nonsensical end.

As an anthology series, “War” is meant to introduce a new case every season. Different clients cycle in to hire the same lawyers, presenting fresh drama to unpack while the core cast grows from each seasonal battle. But the first dispute implies neither side has learned a thing from their experience, nor is the case itself effectively tense or twisty. “War” proves as inept at building characters that can support multiple seasons as it does depicting the legal drama in the here and now.

If you’re going to ask your audience to pay attention, over and over, you owe it to them to do the same.

Grade: D+

“War” premieres Thursday, October 1 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. New episodes will be released weekly through the finale on November 19. The anthology series is already renewed for Season 2.