Civil Wardirector Alex Garland has shared how certain responses to the 2024 film affected his approach to his follow-up movie,Warfare. While his 2024 psychological anti-war film garnered an 81% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and became A24’s second-highest-grossing film with a global box office draw of $127 million, just behindEverything Everywhere All At Once’s$143 million,Civil Wardidn’t resonate with general audiences in the way it did with critics, as reflected in its 69% Popcornmeter. Even still, it didn’t keep Garland from returning to the war genre withthe newly releasedWarfare.
Speaking withThe Playlist,Garland expressed what kind of effect certain critiques ofCivil Warhad on his approach to this weekend’sWarfare. Reflecting on the mixed response to the seeming ambiguity of the 2024 movie, he spoke of the gatekeeping aspects within the industry, explaining that certain “quarters” expressed doubt in the moviegoers' ability to “figure this out.” He highlighted the fact that audiences are capable of coming up with their own interpretations of the art he presents. Read his full statement below:
It used to be the case that you had to smuggle things past studios. The studios felt that they were the gatekeepers of what audiences could or could not understand. The sort of gatekeeping aspect of that has migrated away from studios to other quarters. They’re basically saying, “I think people are too dumb to figure this out.” It’s incredibly patronizing. We present something, and believe we’re offering it up to adults. They can figure out what they think.
What This Means For Civil War and Warfare
Ray Mendoza & Garland’s Warfare Is A Solid Response To Civil War, Based On Its Reviews
A quick look at theRT scores of Garland’s filmsshows thatcritics enjoy his films more than the general audiences, with his three movies beforeWarfarehaving significantly lower scores from the latter. This could be a response to the ambiguous nature of his work, as casual viewers often tend to prefer straightforwardness to ambiguity. Based on the response toCivil War, something that most critics and viewers argued hit close to America’s current political trajectory, Garland’s seemingly apolitical approach felt off. Check out how Garland-directed films compare with critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes in the chart below:
92%
86%
88%
67%
69%
40%
81%
94%
93%
Warfaredebuted this weekend to a 94% score from critics and 93% from audiences, with both figures being higher thanCivil War’s and the latter setting a record for Garland as his highest Audience score on the platform.ScreenRant’s review ofWarfarehighlighted the film’s tight script and contained story, which gave general audiences the frankness they wanted fromCivil War. So far,things point towardWarfarebeing a respectable response to the critiques ofCivil War,with Garland’s co-direction giving the former a visual touch and some thematic depth, so that its most grisly moments don’t feel gratuitous.
Our Take On Alex Garland’s Response To Civil War’s Critiques
The 2024 Movie Was What Garland Wanted It To Be
Garland doesn’t hold his audience’s hand, drenching his films in ambiguity that allows for interpretation, which is my favorite element of the moviegoing experience.His films are meant to linger in discussion, with multiple theories and questions arising after the credits roll. The certain critiques Garland had to address afterCivil Warare arguably my favorite parts of his work.Warfareis the frankantithesis ofCivil War, capturing the violence of war and the intimacy between a brother-like platoon onscreen with seemingly little subtext, but while I enjoyed both, I ultimately don’t think the show of force was necessary.
Warfare
Cast
Warfare is a drama set against the backdrop of the Iraq War, focusing on a platoon of American Navy SEALs stationed within an Iraqi family’s home.
