The opening scene of “Warfare” (2025) features a group of largely interchangeable soldiers staring with lurid curiosity at the infamously suggestive music video for “Call on Me” by Eric Prydz. It’s an indulgent, intentionally provocative work of art designed to provoke a reaction, but those with moral obligations would be too engaged to ever dismiss it entirely as not being worthy of discussion. The soldiers watching share a collective sense of fascination, as if each is unable to determine if they are all gravitated towards the exhibitionist material, or if they’re all watching with a degree of irony.

These questions of intention, effect, and purpose are all relevant to Alex Garland’s latest feature, which marks the most dramatic shift in his filmography thus far. While Garland’s career behind the director’s desk started with the high-concept genre films “Ex Machina,” “Annihilation,” and “Men,” he pivoted towards realism...