The latest from director Alex Garland, Civil War, opens on Friday. It’s an interesting and possibly thrilling concept. We’re used to seeing unique concepts from Garland. In honor of the film’s opening, this week’s binge focuses on the previous projects from Garland. The projects appear in chronological order.

Ex-Machina (2014)
About: This one features a unique concept with good execution. Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander take the lead in this futuristic tale. I love the visuals and the way that Garland, who wrote the script, brings this world and these characters to life. This is a favorite among many.

Annihilation (2018)
About: Natalie Portman takes the lead in this film, which is another sci-fi thriller. That seems to be a hallmark for Garland. This time, he adapts a novel, bringing the source material to life in his own unique way. The visuals here are impressive, but the story feels muddier than in his debut. It’s an interesting film though.

Devs (2020)
About: This unique series came to Hulu. It was released during an interesting time owing to the pandemic and might have been somewhat lost in the shuffle. I really enjoyed the style and the world building here. I was also moved by the performances, especially from Nick Offerman. This was one of my favorite series when it was released and is probably my favorite of Garland’s projects.

Men (2022)
About: This was a bit of a different project for Garland. It’s mysterious and has some unique visuals, but it’s more of a psychological horror film than some of the more science fiction/technology tales that he’d previously taken on. It has some good visuals and some good performances, but this didn’t click for me as well as some of his other projects.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.