Alex Garland’s A24 War Movie Sets Rotten Tomatoes Audience Record For Director

Alex Garland is easily one of the most acclaimed directors and writers in Hollywood today. The filmmaker started his career as a screenwriter and the writing mastermind behind the zombie horror franchise 28 Days Later. His ability to write compelling stories extended with movies like Sunshine, Dredd, and Never Let Me Go, which were all well-received by critics. In an already busy year, Garland will reunite with Danny Boyle, writing the scripts for the next 28 Years Later trilogy, with the first installment releasing this summer.

However, it wouldn’t be until 2015 that Garland accepted a new challenge by wearing the director’s cap. His directorial debut with the 2015 sci-fi movie Ex-Machina exemplified Garland’s talents in the directing chair, showcasing a stylistic and nuanced story of an android with deceptive motives. Although the filmmaker has only directed five feature movies in his entire career, most have been well-received by critics and audiences in the last decade. This includes last year’s Civil War, which became A24’s second-highest-grossing movie in history. Now, another collaboration between A24 and Garland is setting a new record on Rotten Tomatoes.

Warfare Becomes Garland’s Highest-Rated Movie With Audiences On Rotten Tomatoes

Both Critics & Audiences Agree That Warfare Is A Chilling Depiction Of A Real-Life Story

Garland’s first 2025 movie, Warfare, has already set a Rotten Tomatoes record. The war movie tells the real story of a team of American Navy SEALs, whose surveillance mission goes totally wrong in Iraq. With enemies corning after them and some soldiers wounded, they must work together to survive the carnage and reach safety. The story was co-written by Garland and Ray Mendoza, who lived through the dangerous mission in 2006.

Now, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score for Warfare is settling at 93%, which is based on over 250 ratings. If this record stands, the war movie will easily have the highest audience score of any Garland movie, topping the previous titleholder, Ex-Machina, which had 86%. Warfare is also Garland’s highest-rated movie by critics, holding a very strong 95% based on 111 reviews. ScreenRant‘s Marry Kessell awarded the war movie a 7 out of 10 stars, praising the harrowing story and execution of the intense action.

Our Take On Garland’s Latest Rotten Tomatoes Record

It’s An Excellent Visual About Survival & Brotherhood

It’s not surprising that Warfare has managed to become a big high for Garland. The cast members have spoken extensively about the boot camp process and growing close throughout their training. That has seemingly paid off, with the brotherly chemistry resonating right off the screens, while surrounded by the intense warfare environment.

While Warfare is not my favorite Garland movie, it’s still a great addition to his already incredible filmography. I have been following the director since Dredd and Ex-Machina, and except for Men, I have thoroughly enjoyed his movies. This is why Garland is easily one of my favorite screenwriters, and I look forward to his next directorial movie. Thankfully, his next film, at least as a writer, is coming in just a few short months.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Warfare

7/10

Release Date

April 11, 2025

Runtime

96 minutes

Producers

Allon Reich, Andrew Macdonald, Matthew Penry-Davey