Image Credit: Netflix
Netflix and Originals sci-fi action films may be characterized by their critics as slogs that border on painful to watch. electrical state. rebel moon Movies. atlas. project power. outside the wire. The critical performance of all major star vehicles is moderate to poor. So one can imagine seeing Netflix try again with a rising star this year Alan Ritchson’s breakout role may bring those hopes to fruition for a critic like me.
Produced by Lionsgate and Hidden Pictures, war machine It centers Ritchson as a medal-winning combat engineer who joins the elite Army Ranger program, a final wish that was never fulfilled for his brother and fellow soldier who died after a Taliban attack in Afghanistan.
Traumatized by his brother’s death, which he witnessed firsthand, Ritchson’s character (addressed mostly as “81” throughout the film) moves forward in his honor, beating out wave after wave of recruits despite knee reconstruction and severe PTSD.
On one last grueling mission, 81 and her fellow finalists face something beyond their standard training exercises: an extraterrestrial killing machine with advanced weaponry and tracking abilities that will not stop until it has eliminated all that threatens it. When the commanding officer of the 81st is seriously injured, it is up to him to take command of his unit and survive the alien robot long enough to warn the military of its presence.
Co-written and directed by Australian filmmaker Patrick Hughes (hitman’s bodyguard, red Hill), war machine makes a smart decision considering Netflix’s past failures within this genre pairing: It dilutes the sci-fi to an almost negligible level. While many of his sci-fi blockbusters rely on musings about topics like AI, androids, cloning, or what the future holds for us as a society, this film wants no part of it.
Instead, the presence of an alien robot (think a Transformer mixed with the machine that replaced RoboCop in the original 1987 film) that can’t communicate and only wants to kill is the most common, non-confrontational way to approach villainy in the modern age. Are aliens here to destroy all of mankind? Unclear. Are we sure it is foreign and not shipped here from another country? Also unclear.
What we do know is that Hughes discarded all the usual plot twists of a sci-fi story to create a film about survival, survival, and American exceptionalism, especially from a militaristic perspective.
war machine. (L-R) Jai Courtney as Squad Leader and Alan Ritchson as War Machine 81. Ten million. Ben King/Netflix © 2026.
He very keenly wants the film to descend into the Venn diagram of Predator (1987) and Independence Day (1996), with a non-speaking Transformer being the central villain. Unfortunately for us as an audience there is no charm, wit or humor here. No Arnold. No Will Smith. Not even a shrewd, cantankerous military leader as opposed to Richesson’s actions. No Carl Weathers or Jeff Goldblum either. There is no supporting cast with any backstory that doesn’t directly relate to 81’s tragic family arc. Most of the “red shirts” are lining up to be smoked by an alien’s laser. This is as bare bones as you can get for a military action story with a dash of science-fiction.
war machine Satisfied with a personal story about personal grit, fortitude, determination and the bond of brotherhood; Echoing the rallying cry and values of a specific military unit. Ritchson, as a huge human specimen and an actor who can play stoic and sad roles, is a cheat code for this kind of movie. He dwarfs all the men around him. You believe in His abilities and His purposes. You believe he can cross that finish line. If you’re looking for a reason to watch this simple tale, Ritchson is it. Duration.
But if you’re looking for something else, sadly, war machine In fact it does not provide. A script with minimal emotion and character depth, the supporting characters given little to work with despite being embodied by some impressive actors (If Beale Street Could Talk’s Stephan James, Golden Globe/Emmy nominee Dennis Quaid, and Mission: Impossible franchise villain Esai Morales to name a few), and an alien robot killing machine that doesn’t quite live up to that moniker.
While not giving its viewers some lame vision of the near future at which to roll their eyes, it is welcome, war machine The Netflix original barely passes the low bar set by sci-fi action film peers. Alan Ritchson is an undeniable star who shines brightest when he’s given the chance to be a little more playful and funny while dealing with the worst of the world; Something they never got in this one-note survival film.
If you liked it, check out War Machine
- predator
- transformer
- Independence Day
- reacher
- red Hill
- outside the wire
war machine mvp
Alan Ritchson as “81”
As a big fan of “Reacher”, I adore Alan Ritchson and try to capture his performance if I can. Creating a “one man army”, his combination of tremendous humor and credible conviction makes him a rare combination in the industry.
While his choices in leading man vehicles can’t always pique my interest or sustain it once it starts, Ritchson is rarely disappointing in performance alone. Even in War Machine, he takes a very simple alien survival story and embraces all the aspects that could possibly bring it to life: his rare big brother moment with Jai Courtney, his athleticism in army training and action stunt work, and his commanding presence when he has to rise to the occasion.
Although the movie wasn’t what I expected, we’ll still be getting plenty of episodes of “Reacher” in the coming years, and one can only wish he’d do more interesting work like his previous roles in Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare or DC/HBO Max’s “Titans.”
when i heard reacher Star Alan Ritchson plays a soldier fighting an alien, something my 80s and 90s action movie fans took notice of. But sadly, this film doesn’t even come close to that hype.
