Alex Garland is a filmmaker whose directing work is just as interesting as his novels and screenplay credits. The director, who had first started his career as a novelist, would eventually make the jump to film and television, writing movies such as 28 Days Later and the 28 Years Later trilogy. Garland had even tried his hand at television, writing and directing all eight episodes of the limited series Devs. With so much experience in a variety of mediums, the filmmaker has already cemented himself as one of the more impressive creatives of the last few years.
What’s even more fascinating about Garland’s work is how much it varies in genre between projects. While he has done plenty of writing work, the filmmaker has been selective about which projects he also directs, having written and directed five films in total. With each being different than the last, the ranking of Alex Garland’s films doesn’t necessarily speak to the overall quality of the film, but more about how effective each project is at conveying the themes and how successfully he has managed to execute his high-concept ideas.
5
‘Men’
Released in 2022, Men felt like Garland’s most high concept and surreal film to date. While his other films before it, like Annihilation and Ex Machina, would be rooted in the sci-fi genre to help mask the more outlandish elements, there was a more of a folk horror aspect to Men that made it harder to interpret or grasp for a wider audience. Although the movie has a phenomenal lead performance from Jessie Buckley and a variety of chilling supporting performances from Rory Kinnear, Men falls short in making its messages and themes hit hard, as the chilling imagery eventually seems to take precedence over the actual story.
Men feels like Garland at his most ambiguous, thoughtful, and symbolic, which could turn off audiences who don’t like leaving things up to interpretation. While some of the other films in this ranking are higher because of their imagery and symbolism, Men takes things to the extreme, which leaves its dark narrative without as much context or character work to make it truly impactful. Buckley and the rest of the cast make it a movie worth watching, and the folk horror aspect makes it an interesting chapter in Garland’s filmography.
4
‘Warfare’
Alex Garland’s work with co-director Ray Mendoza is an interesting and visceral film, told in real-time and recounting the story of Mendoza’s time as a U.S. Navy SEAL. It’s a succinct 90-minute feature that might just be Garland’s most straight forward work, on account of it being based on a true story. While this proves to be extremely effective for this film’s story, Warfare ranks lower among Garland’s filmography because it isn’t as groundbreaking as his earlier films, which challenged viewers with their provacative themes and existential musings. That doesn’t mean Warfare is a bad movie— it was just a more traditional narrative.
Warfare also came at a point in Garland’s career where the filmmaker had already extensively spoken about how he planned on taking a break from directing. Following the incredibly dark and relevant 2024 film Civil War, Garland wanted to shift more into writing, and even called Warfare a film that is much more Mendoza’s project than his. The co-directing credit and hands-off approach Garland took to Warfare also explains why the film, while well-made and effective in storytelling, isn’t as innovative or meditative as his past work.
3
‘Annihilation’
Loosely based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation is Alex Garland’s inspired take on the cosmic horror genre. What makes Annihilation one of Garland’s best films is the way it manages to convey powerful human emotions like grief and sorrow through the lens of a science fiction story. Despite all the larger-than-life horrors (the bear that screams like a human comes to mind), Annihilation is grounded in Natalie Portman’s powerful performance as cellular biology expert and army soldier Lena, who goes to investigate the disappearance of her husband in an extraterrestrial anomaly known as the shimmer.
Unlike Men, Annihilation’s story and its visceral, open-ended conclusion works because of how well its terrifying cosmic visuals conveyed the story up to that point. While there are things that can be left open to interpretation, there is a basic understanding of what is happening to the characters, as Garland weaves a narrative about dealing with broken relationships and owning up to who you are as a person.
2
‘Civil War’
Often considered Garland’s most controversial film, Civil War is a story of a fractured America that was released in theaters during a tense election year. In a time when we as a society have never felt more divided, Civil War arrived in theaters and reminded us that it could also turn into something so much worse. Trading in the sci-fi genre for a dystopian action thriller, Garland continues his trend of telling intimate stories with large-scale backdrops to devastating effect. Garland holds up a dramatized nightmarish reflection of a nation to his audience, and the result is one of his best films. While the film can at times feel bleak, there is a message calling for unity against abuse of power that can be found in the harrowing war film.
Civil War isn’t just Garland’s biggest film, it’s also the one film in his filmography that might have some of his most heartfelt and engaging characters. Telling the story of two photographers and a journalist on a cross-country trip to Washington D.C. towards the end of a second civil war, the movie examines violence through an incredibly realistic lens, with a political indifference that feels as observational as the journalists he is telling this story through. The examination of a fracturing society makes it a strong second-best movie in his filmography.
1
‘Ex Machina’
Alex Garland’s directorial debut is also his most accomplished work to date, as the 2014 film perfectly sets the stage for the rest of the director’s career behind the camera. Ex Machina is a haunting and provocative film that is as philosophically engaging as it is emotionally intimate. Alicia Vikander’s unnerving performance as Ava, paired with her onscreen chemistry with Domhnall Gleeson’s Caleb and Oscar Isaac’s Nathan, makes for a thrilling science fiction drama. The story’s focus on consciousness and the manipulation of others to gain power fits well with its isolated setting, choosing minimalism over the spectacle that would eventually become prominent in Garland’s later work.
Ex Machina strikes a delicate balance that few other films in Garland’s body of work can match, walking a tightrope of challenging existential musings and having emotionally resonant characters, all while breathing new life into the sci-fi genre. Garland came out the gate swinging with his first directing credit, with Ex Machina laying the groundwork for the kind of strong themes and genre experimentation that would come with the director’s later films.
Although Garland has spoken about taking a hiatus from directing, it seems that the filmmaker has found a project that he is passionate enough about to continue his work. A24 and Bandai Namco, who are partnering up for a live-action adaptation of the Elden Ring video game, have hired Garland to write and direct the film. Seeing the director delve into the realm of fantasy will undoubtedly be interesting to see, and only time will tell how this next movie of his stacks up to his short but incredibly impressive list of films that he has made thus far.
- Birthdate
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May 26, 1970
- Birthplace
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London, England, UK
