'War Machine' Review
- Connor Petrey
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 03/06/26 [Netflix]
Genre: Action. SciFi. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Netflix.
The Verdict: A Maybe
War Machine, not to be confused with War Machine (2017) also on Netflix, is a scifi action film with a fantastic lead performance and a great start to an otherwise lackluster alien flick. Struck with continuous grief after his brother dies in combat, “81” (a number assigned on the first day of training) makes it his sole mission to cross the finish line and become a Ranger, fulfilling his brother’s dream of becoming one. Impersonal, hardworking, and not allowing anything to make him give up, “81” is not willing to be a leader of his group, until fate makes it so.
The first twenty minutes of the film are fantastic storytelling with great emotional weight, Ritchson really relays his emotions through his rough physique and willingness to overtake everyone else on the Ranger’s course. When placed on the final mission to complete his training - Ritchson and the remaining soldiers on the squad must rally together against a seemingly unstoppable force from beyond our solar system.
This alien creature that seemingly wants to eliminate all of humanity (or at least these soldiers), is eerily similar to the design from the Orson Welles classic War of the Worlds and honestly the CGI holds the tension back. While the soldiers range in their performance, with Alan Ritchson and Stephan James easily having the most gravity behind the dire situation they’re in.
Patrick Hughes has a history of directing action films with mixed results in terms of how compelling the action actually comes off - The Hitman's Bodyguard, The Man from Toronto. Here, War Machine is spoiled by a severe lack of tension and while literally everyone is on the table for the slaughter, the kills by this extraterrestrial lifeform become repetitive before it even begins; resulting in a bland journey to the film’s ultimate finish line.
