Ty Watches "Warfare"

I'm a fan of Alex Garland's work. "Ex Machina" is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. I think about that movie a lot, and to me that is the sign of a modern day classic. "Devs" was hard to understand at times, but it was a very provocative and interesting show. I kind of appreciate that it only lasted one season. "Men" wasn't great, but it had its moments. And "Civil War" is one of the most harrowing modern war movies out there. All of this led me to his newest movie "Warfare".

I had heard about this movie before, but it slipped my mind. Now it is streaming on HBO Max, so I sat down and watched it last weekend. This is an intense, bleak and tough movie to watch. It is also very, very good. I thought that what they were able to achieve was pretty incredible. "Warfare" focuses on a group of Navy SEALs that embark on a dangerous mission during the Iraq war. The movie is told by the memories of the involved soldiers. I do not know if any dialogue used in the movie was written. I believe that they went with what the soldiers' memories told them. This is a very interesting and unique way to tell this story. This isn't an old war either. This war took place only 19 years ago. This is all still pretty fresh for these soldiers I'd have to imagine. So, getting to hear it being told from them is the best way to do something like this. The dialogue is very much military speak. They talk about locations and coordinates. I heard them ask for backup and help many times. They had people doing voice overs that were all about what they were seeing from their monitors in the sky. The whole "story" of this movie is the mission. There's no love story or anything like that. This movie is about the SEALs. We see them coordinate and work alongside one another. You get a sense of camaraderie and understanding. The soldiers know their jobs and they do them to the best of their ability. They work as a team and they do what is best for said team. Being a team sports kid growing up, seeing that method used in another aspect of life was pretty neat. I really liked how well they did their jobs. When the mission starts to get hairy and go awry, I read after the movie that this particular mission was one of the bloodiest in the war, the movie gets even more tense and anxiety riddled. But, seeing each member of the team continue to do what they had to do was very harrowing. Guys were brutally injured, important members of the team, and the next guy stood up and took their place. Guys who may be having panic attacks or were frozen by fear, they were pretty much forced to snap out of it and continue to get the help they needed. When other soldiers showed up to help, seeing them all work together was fascinating. But, make no mistake, this movie also wants us to see the brutal side of war. These were kids for all intents and purposes. They must have mostly been in their twenties. They must have PTSD, and will for the rest of their lives most likely. "Warfare" doesn't shy away from showing us the brutality that war has on the people fighting it. I said to my father when talking to him about this movie that it is the most realistic fiction movie I've ever seen. It felt like you were right there with these soldiers. I was terrified the whole time. I was tense while sitting on my couch and watching this movie.

I feel like "Warfare" should be required viewing for high school students. This is an important movie that shows all the ins and outs of war. I recommend everyone watch this movie. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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