War Machine Review: Netflix's Predator-Meets-Transformers Action Thriller
You might be tempted to skip past Netflix's latest gory, militaristic action thriller, War Machine, given the current global climate of real-world conflicts. However, the film's creators would likely defend its science fiction premise as a key differentiator. This is not a story about earthly warfare between nations but rather an umpteenth soldiers-versus-aliens confrontation, squarely aimed at fans of franchises like Predator, Edge of Tomorrow, or even Battle: Los Angeles.
A Slick Yet Generic Streaming Premiere
Unlike many of its inspirations, the extraterrestrial threats in War Machine are designed to resemble mechanical constructs that could have originated from another country rather than another planet, featuring robotic whirring instead of tentacle slithering. This gives the film a slightly generic sheen, reminiscent of a cheaper Transformers spin-off. Thankfully, it avoids the dreaded Netflix murk—that flattening filter that often reduces colours to grey—since it was acquired from Lionsgate.
Set in Colorado but shot in Australia by native writer-director Patrick Hughes, and granted a theatrical release there last month, War Machine makes for a slicker-than-usual streaming premiere. It serves as an easy, drink-your-way-through-it Friday night option for viewers seeking unchallenged entertainment. In another era, this film would have likely received a wide big-screen release, and its comically muscular lead, Alan Ritchson of Reacher fame, might have been one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Alan Ritchson as the Progressive Man's Action Hero
Ritchson has carved out an unusual niche as the progressive man's action hero. Despite his brawn-first on-screen persona, he has become an eloquently outspoken critic of all things Maga, much to the right's fury. Standing at 6ft 3in with the body of an over-pumped GI Joe, he is an obvious upgrade from Arnold Schwarzenegger, making him the perfect star for a Predator rip-off. Ironically, while the Predator franchise has diversified with female and non-white leads, War Machine takes things back to more conventional red meat roots—white, bro-y, and gung-ho—with even a mercifully small role for Trump-loving sycophant Dennis Quaid.
Predictable Plotlines and Serviceable Action
The film opens with a cold, almost parody-level predictable scene where Ritchson's hulking soldier, known as 81, is deployed in Afghanistan with his younger brother, played by Jai Courtney. As they quip about their future training to be army rangers on a dusty desert road, tragedy inevitably strikes. Fast-forward to the present day, and 81 is a pill-popping shell of his former self, still determined to become a ranger. He participates in a brutal selection course, but when his team is sent into the wilderness, he realises something more sinister than the US military is hunting them.
Given clumsy insertions of news stories about a falling asteroid, it's not hard to guess what's coming, nor how it will end. Surprise was never part of the equation, though there were brief hopes that Hughes might have a twist up his sleeve during earlier scenes heavy on suspicious looks. Instead, the film relies on action, most of which is staged effectively with decently super-sized special effects that wouldn't look out of place on a bigger screen. Hughes keeps things slick and to-the-point, even if some setpieces feel reheated, such as a cliff climb followed by a water crossing, both timed with the alien's arrival.
Lacking Personality and Emotional Depth
The alien itself relies too heavily on familiar "scan, target, destroy" tech rather than anything more creative or nasty, resulting in a sky-high body count with no real impact. The film has the feeling of a sequel or remake despite being allegedly original. Ritchson is stuck in the thankless mode of "haunted," making his performance easier to compliment for physical work over emotional depth. His by-the-book journey from stoicism to becoming "officially one crazy motherfucker" never really sparks alight.
Like the film around him, Ritchson does what he needs to do, with everything here just about serviceable for the moment yet never memorable enough for the moment after. War Machine is now available on Netflix, offering a passable but forgettable entry into the sci-fi action genre.
