Alex Garland’s Elden Ring Film Should Capture the Essence of Fantasy Warfare

Sure, here’s a version that should feel a bit more human and less like it was edited by a robot:

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Hey, so if you could get any director to whip up an Elden Ring movie, who’s your pick? Maybe your brain goes right to Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro. They’ve got that fantasy thing down, right? Or, sidestep to Miguel Sapochnik, the Game of Thrones guy who handled all those big fight episodes like Hardhome and Battle of the Bastards. But if you’re feeling weird and artsy, how about Robert Eggers or Yorgos Lanthimos? They dabble in that kind of eerie, what-is-happening vibe that FromSoftware’s games like to haunt us with.

But here’s the kicker — A24 gave the gig to Alex Garland. Yeah, the dude behind Ex Machina and Annihilation. Not exactly FromSoftware material if you ask me. Not to bash his stuff, I mean, Civil War and Warfare are cool and all, just… different. But I’m curious how he plans to tackle this Elden Ring thing. Like, is this a wise choice? Or did they just pull a name out of a hat?

Okay, pause. Picture Garland’s stuff — Ex Machina, Annihilation. Deep dialogues, lots of talking heads, layers of plot. Then there’s Elden Ring. It’s more about strange landscapes and cryptic clues hidden in item descriptions, right? Could get tricky if you’ve never danced with fantasy before. But I mean, the guy’s not a stranger to reinvention. So maybe — just maybe — it’s possible. Who am I to judge?

And here’s a twist: Garland’s a gamer! No joke. Resident Evil inspired the script for 28 Days Later, or so the story goes. And The Beach, which is sorta inspired by game elements. Oh, and he’s a Dark Souls fanboy. This could mean he gets it. Like, really gets it. He told Gamespot something about Dark Souls having “embedded poetry.” You know, existential dream stuff. Sounds like he’s tapping into the same energy.

So, hmm… imagine him going for an Annihilation-type vibe with Elden Ring. I mean, the psychedelic visuals have that trippy feeling, right? But maybe the Warfare style — gritty and suspenseful — makes more sense. Fear, anxiety, overwhelming odds kind of stuff. Swap Iraq’s Ramadi for Limgrave’s ruins or Caelid’s nightmares, and you’ve got a whole different beast. Like, forget about the epic lore mess — just zoom in on some lone Tarnished stumbling through the chaos.

Kit Connor, apparently from Warfare, might even pick up the lead here. Garland’s molding this into a thriller. Kit’s already into the fear and chaos stuff, so it’s kinda fitting. It’s the psychology of conflict that Garland loves to poke at. Whatever magic came out of The Last of Us — that understanding of raw emotional storytelling — will be key.

Elden Ring isn’t your hero versus world deal. You’re this nobody, a Tarnished wandering through challenges, getting comfy with failure before you hit triumph. Garland knows this bittersweet tango if he leans on that Warfare experience. Fingers crossed he nails it.

Anyway, Tim Brinkhof’s the name, and I write about art and history for places like Vox, Slate, GQ, and a few others. Check you later!