Warfare, A24’s upcoming gritty exploration of modern combat by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza looks like the perfect follow-up to Garland’s last hit. Starring an ensemble cast of some of Hollywood’s most talented up-and-coming stars, Warfare is a collaboration between Garland and Ray Mendoza, a former Navy SEAL whose real-world combat experiences serve as the inspiration for the war action movie. Mendoza and Garland actually worked together on Garland’s last film, for which Mendoza was the military supervisor.

That movie, the 2024 dystopian thriller Civil War, was just the latest in a long line of critically-acclaimed movies from the talented writer/director. Warfare‘s early Rotten Tomatoes score has already surpᴀssed its predecessor, and while that number will certainly change as more critics see the movie, the first reactions certainly make it seem as though it will fall in line with the rest of Garland’s celebrated filmography. For those who appreciated the raw, unfiltered violence and cold, but necessary message of Civil War, Warfare should be a powerful experience.

What Warfare’s Early Reviews Are Saying About Alex Garland’s New War Movie

First Reactions Are Overwhelmingly Positive

Critics who have registered reviews already for Warfare have praised its authenticity almost universally. Between Mendoza’s real-world experience and Garland’s unparalleled filmmaking skills, the duo seem to have created one of, if not the most accurate, depictions of the emotional and mental strain of modern combat. The action is described as “relentless”, “brutal”, and “visceral”, and many critics praise the non-stop tension that’s present throughout the movie, as the soldiers the camera follows in real time do what they can to survive a hellish city war zone.

In her review of Warfare, ScreenRant‘s Mary Kᴀssel noted that one of the movie’s main attributes is how undeniably real the pull of the action is for the viewer. Framing the movie as if it’s happening in real-time creates a unique, immersive quality to the events, and ratchets up the intensity for the viewer:

If there’s one thing that can’t be denied about Warfare​​​​, it’s that it’s immersive, and there’s no escape from the onslaught of sound, gore, and anxiety that pervade the film.

The authenticity and honesty of the movie is also a common point of praise. While there is no overt anti-war messaging, the experience depicted in Warfare should have that natural effect on moviegoers. The movie strips away the political and philosophical questions during its runtime to shine a light on the oft-forgotten reality of modern soldiers. As Mendoza himself noted in Empire Magazine: “If you watch that and you’re like, “F***, yeah, war is awesome,” then there’s probably something wrong with you. This is what war looks like.”

It Sounds Like Warfare Builds On Some Of Civil War’s Best Elements

It Underlines The Unflinching Brutality Of War

The dystopian America portrayed in Civil War focused not on the political origins of the conflict, but the real, everyday experiences of the people who fight it (or in some cases, attempt to ignore it). Seen from the perspective of war journalists, Civil War showcases the terror and anxiety of combat in a few key sequences, although it’s not the movie’s central purpose. Warfare, on the other hand, does that for the entire movie, truly immersing the viewer in the reality of a battle where the only goal is the survival of yourself and your comrades.

Warfare’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Even Better Than Civil War’s (But It’s Early)

The Movie’s Reception Started On A High Note

As of this writing, Warfare has a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 94%, with 34 verified critic reviews submitted. While that’s not an indication of every critic praising it as near-perfect, it is an indication that nearly all critics have given the movie a positive review as opposed to a negative one. Nearly a year after its release, Civil War boasts a Tomatometer Score of 81%, while its audience-based Popcornmeter Score sits at a much lower 69%. That’s not unusual for Garland, as his elevated concepts and elite filmmaking prowess aren’t as appreciated by viewers with a less discerning eye.

As Warfare doesn’t hit theaters until April 11th, 2025, with early screenings on Thursday, April 10th, there will certainly be changes to the overall Tomatometer Score. Civil War‘s score is based on a whopping 398 verified critic reviews, so it’s certainly possible that Warfare settles into the sub-90% stratosphere by the end of its theatrical run. However, with such an overwhelmingly positive head start on a decent sample size (the score isn’t based on 5-6 reviews), Warfare seems destined to land among Garland’s most-lauded directorial excursions.

Source: Empire Magazine, Rotten Tomatoes