Reviews
War Machine
Straight-to-streaming movies about extraterrestrial machines capable of destroying human life as we know it seem to be the flavour of the month. We had the infamous Prime original War of the Worlds that will go down as one of the worst movies of the modern era, and now Netflix is throwing their hat into the ring with their acquisition of War Machine (2026), not to be confused with the 2017 movie of the same name starring Brad Pitt.
This version of War Machine, co-written and directed by Patrick Hughes, follows 81 (Alan Ritchson), a US army engineer and combat veteran who, despite his age, is attempting to become a US army Ranger to fulfil a promise to his late brother. His brother died during a tour of Afghanistan that 81 also served in. After cementing himself as one of the top recruits despite the Sgt Major’s (Dennis Quaid) doubts and repeated attempts to derail his progress, only the final death march stands in his way before crossing the finish line and achieving his goal.
Of course, it was never going to be that easy. When the alien War Machine, which bears a remarkable resemblance to the aliens from Tom Cruise’s War of the Worlds, crashes through a mountain directly into the path of 81 and his fellow recruits, their mission to reach the finish line quickly turns into a fight for survival. With no weapons or communications available, it falls to 81 to take charge and lead his younger, inexperienced counterparts in a battle for their lives.
The fairly intriguing premise is given some early momentum with an opening sequence that will sadly be all too familiar to veterans who have served in conflicts within the Middle East. It continues to build with a mostly entertaining training montage that showcases all the brawn and grit of Alan Ritchson, alongside some spectacular sprawling shots of beautiful practical locations across Australia and New Zealand, where War Machine was predominantly filmed. Sadly, however, that is where much of the praise for War Machine abruptly ends.
The rest of the film unfortunately feels incredibly shallow. From the outset War Machine presents itself as though it will deliver a profound message about post traumatic stress disorder, something that 81 is clearly suffering from in the opening sequence and beyond. The film has the potential to be extremely relatable. However, it is largely glossed over with surface level references to the disorder without actually saying anything meaningful at all, almost as if the idea was a complete afterthought.
Outside of 81, no other character is remotely expanded upon, as though every one of them exists purely to serve as cannon fodder for the war machine and to create some admittedly fun and surprisingly gory kills along the way. Because there is no character development, there is no one to root for and the story ultimately feels entirely predictable. It quickly becomes obvious who is on the chopping block and who will survive, which is further highlighted by the egregious plot armour on display.
Narratively, there is also no expansion on why the aliens are here, something that even last year’s monstrosity War of the Worlds managed to address. As such, audiences are left with more questions about these extraterrestrial beings than they ever receive answers. The culmination leaves a sour taste in the mouth, with several baffling decisions that make little sense given everything that has happened in the run up to the final act.
Technically, aside from a handful of aesthetically pleasing explosions, things do not improve much. The camera work during the action sequences is particularly jarring, with excessive shaky cam that often makes it difficult to even tell what is happening. As is becoming an unfortunate trend in more and more straight-to-streaming titles, the CGI and visual effects are sloppy and end up being more of a distraction than an aid to the overall experience.
Performance wise, there is not much to write home about. Most of the supporting cast are not given the time or the material to deliver anything remotely memorable. Alan Ritchson, as the lead, is well suited to his role and delivers a committed and somewhat enjoyable performance throughout. He even manages to elevate some of the mediocre dialogue with strong delivery, but unfortunately it is not enough to lift the film out of the mediocrity it was destined for.
War Machine, despite raising some interesting themes and featuring a number of beautiful shots throughout, ultimately feels generic, forgettable and inferior in every way to the remarkably familiar War of the Worlds (2025). Ultimately, there are better ways to spend your time this weekend unless you are in need of some relatively inoffensive background noise.