Alex Garland’s New Iraq War Movie Tops Civil War In Its Rotten Tomatoes Score Debut (In More Ways Than One)

Name: Warfare
Genre: War

By Jerome Casio

Published Mar 28, 2025

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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

The Rotten Tomatoes score for Alex Garland's new war film has been revealed. Garland is easily one of the most sought-after filmmakers in Hollywood, even though his career consists of just writing eight movies, of which five he helmed as a director. Nearly all his films were critically acclaimed, with movies like Ex Machina and Annihilation being some of his highest-rated on Rotten Tomatoes.

Last year, Garland released the A24 dystopian thriller Civil War, which starred Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson. The movie easily became one of the highest-grossing movies for the studio, with an impressive $127 million at the box office. Now, the filmmaker is busy with several projects, including his reunion with Danny Boyle on 28 Years Later. However, before that, Garland has a new war movie that may easily top anything he has made in his career.

Warfare Debuts With High Rotten Tomatoes Score

It Sounds Brutal, Filled With Action, But Without The Narrative Depth

Warfare, which was directed and written by Garland and Ray Mendoza, has debuted with a high Rotten Tomatoes score. Based on the latter's experiences during the Iraq War, the film, in real-time, followed a platoon of Navy SEALs navigating insurgent territory in 2006. It includes an ensemble cast with D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (playing Mendoza), Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Joseph Quinn, and Charles Melton.

Jessie-Buckley-Harper-from-Men-(2022)-&-(Kirsten-Dunst-as-Lee)-from-Civil-War-

All 4 Alex Garland Movies Ranked From Worst To Best (Including Civil War)

Alex Garland has directed three films so far, each with its own unique style and story. We rank his films - Men, Annihilation, Ex Machina & Civil War.

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At the time of this writing, Warfare has an impressive 93% Rotten Tomatoes score based on 26 reviews. Reviews so far praise its immersive filmmaking techniques and call it a brutal portrayal of the Iraq War that highlights the cost of human life. However, critics also call out its seeming lack of plot and narrative depth. ScreenRant's own Mary Kassel, who gave it a 7 out of 10, pointed out that, "it's not as original as Mendoza and Garland are making it out to be ... It's gripping and effective but doesn't have anything new to say."

Our Take On Warfare's Rotten Tomatoes Debut

Warfare & Civil War Sound Like Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Warfare sounds like either a well-crafted companion piece to watch with Civil War or the very antithesis of the cerebral thriller. The former provides what disappointed moviegoers Civil War, which is gripping thrills that are not bogged down by political or thematic weight. The latter was able to paint a portrait with provocations and questions meant to linger with viewers and spark debate. While I tend to lean toward preferring the latter, the raw brutality of Warfare and the high marks in Rotten Tomatoes are exciting.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes