Alex Garland might be 23 years into his illustrious career as a filmmaker, but he’s certainly showing no signs of slowing down.
Initially establishing himself as an author in the 1990s, Garland would go on to write his first screenplay, 28 Days Later (2002), for future Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle, who had already directed an adaptation of Garland’s first book, The Beach. After breathing new into the zombie horror genre, his future scripts would consistently centre on dystopian and/or science fiction settings with their own unique perspectives (at least until Garland’s foray into folk horror with 2022’s Men), such as the alternate history romantic drama Never Let Me Go (2010), the criminally underappreciated comic book adaptation Dredd (2012), and of course his thought-provoking psychological thriller and directorial debut, Ex Machina (2014), to name but a few.
Most recently, Garland earned the praise of critics and the attention of audiences for writing and directing Civil War, which, as the title suggests, is a frighteningly relevant exploration of the outbreak of civil war in the United States through his usual dystopian lens. He has also notably written the screenplays for two upcoming sequels to 28 Days Later, with the first of them, 28 Years Later, once again directed by Danny Boyle, releasing on June 20th to much anticipation and fanfare. Despite this, it is actually his upcoming film, Warfare, which might actually be Garland’s most impactful production of the year, as it is not only his most grounded production to date, but also something of a biopic based on a particularly traumatic experience former US Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza had during the Iraq War, with Mendoza himself serving as co-writer and co-director alongside Garland, marking the former’s feature-length debut in both roles.
Warfare will see ascending indigenous Canadian actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, best known for his Emmy Award-nominated role in Reservation Dogs, depicting Mendoza, aided by a stellar ensemble cast that includes Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, Michael Gandolfini, and Charles Melton. The 94-minute movie takes place in real time, depicting a platoon of Navy SEALs who come under fire while conducting a mission in insurgent territory in 2006. The outstanding trailer alone emphasises a visceral, hard-hitting, uncompromising look at modern warfare, and the early responses from critics who have seen early screenings affirm as much, with one reviewer calling it “one of the most intense war movies” he had ever seen.
Yet, the praise didn’t end on this one sentiment. Far from it. Another critic called Warfare “Brutal, realistic, and one of the most harrowing depictions of war on screen,” before elaborating that it “plays out like a horror film ratcheting up tension”. This is a particularly intriguing comparison to make (and he is no the only one to make it), indicating that this will be not some jingoistic propaganda piece funded by the US military, but rather an unblinking treatise on the horror and brutality of war, partly created by someone who has intimate, first-hand experience with the subject matter. Such an outlook is made unequivocal by another critic writing for The Nerds of Color, who assures that Warfare “does not glorify the war or gloss over the devastating impact it had on the Iraqi people. It’s truly devastating on every level.”
It’s not just the handling of the subject matter that’s been so strongly praised either, with numerous critics singling out Warfare’s technical proficiency and performances, with Perri Nemiroff describing it most succinctly as a “staggeringly impressive production” with ”attention to detail in every respect, stellar performances, the impeccably choreographed battle scenes, the incredibly impressive photography and that sound design…to make the film an impossibly all-consuming and often overwhelming depiction of war.”
While I always advise that early screening reactions should always be taken with a degree of caution (I’m looking at you, The Flash), it is nonetheless readily apparent from the overtly consistent high praise that Warfare will prove to be something special. It will likely prove to be a difficult watch at times, but sometimes art with an important point to make must be just that and ask the uncomfortable questions.
Warfare will release on April 11th.