Tag: alex-garland

Ranking The Films of Alex Garland

AdamLeave a comment

Alex Garland is one of the most interesting filmmakers in recent memory. He tends to make film that is able to deliver beyond anyone’s expectations for both the better and the worse. Regardless of what you think about his films, you can’t deny the man is usually not afraid to go all in on controversial matters or explore hidden depths within the sci-fi genre. Results always vary but no doubt, it’s always compelling to see a filmmaker always swing for the fences even if it always doesn’t work off.

With what is perhaps his biggest film to date just coming out in theaters in Civil War, let’s take the time to rank his four films released up to this point that he has been credited as a full-on director.

However, I would like to give one honorable/unqualifiable mention to this list.

Dredd (2012)

Dredd (2012) is one of the most underrated/overlooked gems that has been released for the past decade. A solid, intense, and incredibly enjoyable sci-fi action flick that’s able to improve on nearly every shortcoming that the original Judge Dredd had and be something even more than that. The main reason I can’t add this to the list is that despite writing the screenplay for it and did help complete the film, Alex Garland did NOT get any credit as director, that goes to Pete Travis.

Still, Dredd (2012) is a gem and it tanking at the box office still remains one of the biggest cinematic tragedies in recent memory! Hopefully, the cult following for this remains so strong that one day a sequel will be greenlighted!

Now that mention is out of the way, let’s get to ranking the official four films in Alex Garland’s directing library!

4.) Men

Alex Garland’s first film set outside his comfort zone in the sci-fi genre attempts to explore the inner depths of toxic masculinity and the mental state that abused women go through when having to deal with it. It’s just a shame that Garland couldn’t think of anything compelling to go along with that or provide an engaging narrative to get this obvious point across.

Men is ego-filled filmmaking at it’s absolute worst! The message of toxic masculinity is thuddingly obvious and not well handle, sequences are way too drawn out and repetitive as hell, it’s own attempt at shock value gets old very quick, and the final act remains one of the most infuriating climaxes of a film that I’ve ever suffered through in theaters. Even commendable performances from Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear along with a handful of stand out sequences (particularly the haunting tunnel scene) can not save Men from being the preachy and pretentious mess that it is!

Men was always going to be a film that was controversial no matter what given it’s subject matter but the end results of Men just gives certain folks more ammo to support their own grift-filled narrative. Between this and the next film I’m about to talk about, it’s for the best that Alex Garland does more research on the subject matter he is tackling so the films don’t come across as distractingly obvious or inaccurate as it does. Plus, having a woman co-write or co-direct this film likely would have helped to! Just saying!

3.) Civil War

On the surface, you think you know exactly what you are going to get with a film like Civil War. In a year with yet another controversial election for America that is expected to arrive in the coming months, what better way for A24 to coast on this hot topical year than putting their own spin on what an effed up America would like? The kind of film that leaves no stone unturned and be unafraid to tear into every single realm of America politics and inner turmoil of the U.S. governments! The kind of film that is basically guaranteed to earn it’s F rating on Cinema Score like a pride badge of honor! The kind of film that would likely cause fights from hard core liberals and conservatives during theater screenings! However, when you sit back and look at Civil War with an open mind, it’s surprisingly as apolitical and pointless as they come.

It’s doesn’t amount to being the political cringe fest that most viewers envisioned it as. It doesn’t commit to being the overblown disaster flick that it constantly flirts at throughout the entire picture. And it doesn’t even seem to be interest on exploring it’s own take on what a civil war set in America could or would be like. Civil War just acts as a typical America murder porn flick with not much rhyme or reason do it and will likely leave viewers wondering what point Alex Garland was trying to make here.

It’s certainly as well made and well acted as you would expect from Garland himself but it lacks any creativity or boldness that this director is usually unafraid of showing off. I don’t know if this was because Garland was unsure which kind of movie he wanted to make or if he just didn’t want to piss anyone off but Civil War just seems as confused as all the people that are fighting in the movie are. Between this and Men, perhaps Alex Garland should remain in the sci-fi genre as that is clearly the field he is best playing on.

2.) Ex Machina

Alex Garland’s directorial debut that came out in 2015 was about as perfect of a first impression as you could imagine. Ex Machina is able to be an imagative, creative, and engaging tale about the emergence of A.I. and how the human race responds to being in a world with technology as their overall counterpart with the realization that there is not much different between the two. The film has big ideas that it executes tremendously well, while also leaving a lot of room for further analysis. 

You also have to credit the stellar performances given by the main players here which consists of Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and ESPECIALLY Alicia Vikander, who all carry the entire picture on their backs all the way through with little to no hassle. Seeing Ava’s transformation from being a mindless robot to an artificial intelligence that is perhaps more intelligent than either Nathan or Caleb realize is really fascinating to see play out and keeps leaving you guessing on what will come next. Even the somewhat iffy last stretch isn’t enough to derail the impressive achievement that Ex Machina is.

Ex Machina is the best kind of sci-fi. The kind that treats it’s audience like human beings and doesn’t need to rely on pure action and spectacle to make for a satisfying experience. Masterfully directed, smartly written, and wonderfully performed by it’s main cast, Ex Machina was able to start Alex Garland’s directing tendure on the best note possible. Even in a year that saw the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ex Machina remained as the best sci-fi film of 2015 that happened to star Oscar Issac and Domhnall Gleeson.

1.) Annihilation

For as great as Ex Machina is, I still don’t think it tops the absolute sci-fi horror masterpiece that is Annihilation. This still remains not only the best film in Alex Garland’s filmography but one of the best sci-fi films of the 21st century thus far. Even when facing release problems by Paramount and Skydance and criticism from the original Author, Annihilation is Alex Garland at his most creative, ambitious, and pure visionary!

This is a very engaging and complex story of a group of female scientists who are summoned to an enchanted forest to uncover a mystery as to what happen to a group of male scientists during this phenomena. The mystery as to what is happening on screen is intriguing and full of hidden details that beg for repeat viewings, the characters are well defined and engaging, the visual imagery is mind blowing, the slow pacing feels well utilized and earned, the tension is felt the whole way through, the score is absolutely mesmerizing, and the final 20 minutes contains one of the best and haunting climaxes I’ve seen in any film. It also feel refreshing to have an all-female cast done in a way that makes sense for the story it’s telling and not strictly to try to earn a few brownie points.

I understand it’s divisive to some but Annihilation still remains my favorite work from Alex Garland and one of my personal favorite sci-fi movies. It remains one of the most engaging and mesmerizing theater experiences that I could recall. There wasn’t a single moment where I wasn’t blown up away by the visuals, tension, performances, plot turns, score, and just plain attention to details. I sure hope that author Jeff VanderMeer comes to his senses one day and realize the absolute brilliance that is the film, Annihilation. This isn’t just Alex Garland or sci-fi at it’s best, it’s pure filmmaking and cinema at it’s best! Annihilation remains a sci-fi film that I’ve gone back to many times and will continue to do so in the future!

Civil War (2024) Movie Review- Fighting A Pointless War

AdamLeave a comment

On the surface, you think you know exactly what you are going to get with a film like Civil War. In a year with yet another controversial election for America that is expected to arrive in the coming months, what better way for A24 to coast on this hot topical year than putting their own spin on what an effed up America would like? The kind of film that leaves no stone unturned and be unafraid to tear into every single realm of America politics and inner turmoil of the U.S. governments! The kind of film that is basically guaranteed to earn it’s F rating on Cinema Score like a pride badge of honor! The kind of film that would likely cause fights from hard core liberals and conservatives during theater screenings! However, when you sit back and look at Civil War with an open mind, it’s surprisingly as apolitical and pointless as they come.

It’s doesn’t amount to being the political cringe fest that most viewers envisioned it as. It doesn’t commit to being the overblown disaster flick that it constantly flirts at throughout the entire picture. And it doesn’t even seem to be interest on exploring it’s own take on what a civil war set in America could or would be like. Civil War just acts as a typical America murder porn flick with not much rhyme or reason do it and will likely leave viewers wondering what point Alex Garland was trying to make here. It’s certainly as well made and well acted as you would expect from Garland himself but it lacks any creativity or boldness that this director is usually unafraid of showing off, even with his last godawful film in Men. I don’t know if this was because Garland was unsure which kind of movie he wanted to make or if he just didn’t want to piss anyone off but Civil War just seems as confused as all the people that are fighting in the movie are.

Premise: In a dystopian future America, a team of military-embedded journalists (Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson) races against time to reach Washington, D.C., before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

The element that is the most striking about Civil War is how little it is interested in exploring this dystopian version of America that we are follow our four main characters in. There is no explanation as to what this civil war is about, why either side is fighting one another, or the concrete difference between the current political climate in the real world vs the one that this movie is set in. The film basically expects you to fill in the blank yourselves about the context of the world this movie is set in and insert your own politics to have the civil war make any sense.

There are hints of that kind of version that is scattered throughout the film. The major example is that of Texas and California being on the same side. That’s a great start in going all in on the ridiculous nature of that concept but the film doesn’t go far beyond that. The screenplay by Alex Garland is shockingly stale, lacking any sort of risk taking on exploring this own version of America or any logical reason as to why the civilians are fighting in the first place.

The biggest plot element involves our four lead characters, who are professional journalists and assigned to cover all the commotion that is happening throughout the course of the film. Despite the clear intend on exploring the impact of journalism and the consequences that can come from those involved in that industry, it’s hard to be invested in it because the film constantly makes it clear that they are in the wrong the whole way through when they truly believe they are in the right. It also doesn’t help that the main characters are constantly making dumb decisions throughout the entire movie with no self awareness that it makes you wonder how they even got hired for this job in the first place. While that might be the intention when it comes to the overall arc that Cailee Spaeny’s character, Jessie Cullen, she is so out of the league with everything happening that it makes it so hard to root for her. Even when we get to the point where she learns the lesson she is suppose to, it doesn’t feel earned in the slightest because none of it feels real.

And that is the exact issue with Civil War at it’s center. Despite the film throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you when it comes to war, causality, and politics, it doesn’t feel real because it doesn’t seem interest as to why this is all happening in the first place. And if there is no purpose, then what is even the point of all this fighting in the first place?

I’m well aware certain folks are gonna argue that is the true intention of Civil War. Alex Garland is trying to make it clear that all of this is pointless because war itself is pointless since no one truly wins at the end and we all lose. If that’s the case, then why make the movie at all? Just because something is intentional by design doesn’t automatically make it good. Like if someone took a dump in my mouth and then say it was okay because it was done on purpose, then does that make it any better? No, it doesn’t! It’s just tasteless!

At least the movie is well-shot with solid production throughout. Outside of a few scenes with distracting CGI, this does have the proper care and treatment as you would expect from Alex Garland behind the camera. The best sequences involve the main cast of journalists we follow having to take photos while massive battles are happening. They make for some rather intense and suspense heavy sections with glorious sound design to aid them. Those are easily the standout sections of the entire movie and definitely shows the hidden potential that is constantly hinted at throughout the entire picture.

The entire cast does their part as well. It’s always nice to see Kirsten Dunst in movies and she does the best here with what she is giving as basically the leader of the group. Wagner Moura acts strongly as the right counterpart to the rest of the cast, Stephen McKinley Henderson is entertaining in every scene he is in, Cailee Spaney has strong potential to stand out as her own as an actress, and we desperately needed more of Jeff White throughout the picture. And as everyone has said, Jesse Plemons is great in his one notable appearance in the movie, even if it makes even less sense when you put it within the context of the movie and not just with the trailers.

Civil War comes across as a cinematic equivalent of a make-your-own buffet that expects the audience to bring their own ingredients with them because it doesn’t seem to have much of it’s own. When taking into perspective of the nonexistence politics and overall lack of context to anything happening, Civil War is at its heart just an empty disaster flick with only a handful of intense sequences and a strong cast to help pull it through. And considering it’s timing and placement as to when this movie is coming out, it’s clear that A24 was wanting something way more than that.

Perhaps this has to do with Alex Garland tackling something outside of his comfort zone and coming from the UK rather than the USA but it’s baffling how Civil War seems to be utterly unaware and confused of not just the current political climate in America but even in it’s own distinct universe. It may not be my least favorite film from Alex Garland (That honor goes to Men!) but Civil War is easily his most tame and thematically empty film he has ever released!

The only kind of politically heavy folks that will get angry over this film are the ones that brought their own politics into the theaters with them moments before it even started. Because when you look into the deeper meaning of the film’s politics and it’s current status quo of it’s own America, it all just feels pointless. If that is what Alex Garland intended from the beginning, that’s on him but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Congrats, Disney! When it comes to making the superior Civil War movie, you guys win this round1