War Machine Review
Director: Patrick Hughes
Date Created: 2026-03-06 16:05
2.5
War Machine Review: Directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Hughes and James Beaufort, Netflix’s 2026 action-sci-fi thriller stars Alan Ritchson, Stephan James, Dennis Quaid, Esai Morales, Jai Courtney, Blake Richardson, Daniel Webber, Keiynan Lonsdale, Alex King, and others. With a runtime of about 106 minutes, the film attempts to blend military survival drama with alien invasion spectacle while also sprinkling in moments of humour.
War Machine Review
The Netflix film War Machine centres on a loyal soldier, character 81, who enrols in the tough Ranger assessment selection program to fulfil his brother’s dying wish. Although the program is intended to be a tough challenge of character for the Rangers, it quickly becomes a battle for survival when they stumble upon a mysterious alien war machine in the woods.
From the outset, War Machine seeks to establish a strong foundation of emotion. Our hero, character 81, is plagued by memories of the Taliban War, which cost his brother his life, and seeks to pass the Ranger program to fulfil his brother’s dying wish. This establishes a strong foundation of emotion, which the film seeks to explore throughout the story, indicating a character-driven war drama narrative.
However, at the climactic final test, the story takes a sudden turn when the soldiers stumble upon a mysterious object, which turns out to be a deadly alien war machine. Suddenly, the story shifts to a high-octane action film filled with thrilling chase sequences, explosive battles, and a ruthless enemy who won’t give up. The premise has tremendous potential, but the film’s tone shifts too frequently, pulling you in different directions. One moment, it wants to be a gritty story about grit, trauma, and survival, while the next, it wants to be a big, loud sci-fi monster film.
Netflix’s War Machine stars Alan Ritchson as 81, the quiet soldier whose strength and determination define the character. While he does have the physical presence for the role, the character himself feels somewhat underdeveloped. Not only does he remain unnamed throughout the film, but the character also feels somewhat distant. While he does have the determination of a character, the film does little to explore the character beyond that.
Dennis Quaid, who takes the role of Sergeant Major Sheridan, is the real star of the film. While he’s not in every scene, the ones he does appear in carry weight. As the character who oversees the military world, he brings the weight of authority to the film. While Jai Courtney does appear as one of the soldiers, the film’s support cast does help to establish the idea of the team. While some of the roles may feel somewhat archetypal, the film does shine in the action sequences.
Directed by Patrick Hughes, who’s known for making big, adrenaline-fueled films, the film does have several moments where the survival of the team is at stake. As they seek to outrun the alien machine, the team must also evade the two-legged predator that’s tracking its prey. While the alien itself feels somewhat underutilised, the tension between the crew and the alien does have its moments.
The movie takes us through some familiar moments, which then blend into a cycle that seems quite repetitive. The alien device lands, and it is almost invincible, with our heroes running, ducking, and shooting with little effect. The initial tension is soon forgotten as we watch the movie circle through this motion. There is some pacing issue here, too, as we delve into ranger training lore, but then see the latter half, which is the alien attack, get quite messy and disorganised. There is some bloodshed, but it is hard to connect with these characters on an emotional level.
Stephan James is fantastic as 7, who is part of the small team that understands 81’s true nature. His character is part of the small team that actually understands 81, and they share some great moments, especially when they talk about 81’s brother. There is a larger story about an alien invasion, especially towards the end. The device they find is not the entire invasion; it is simply a part. This is where we see some depth, but it feels like we are simply leading into a sequel.
Netflix War Machine Review: Summing Up
There is still some mileage left here, despite all the negatives. The 2026 War Machine movie is fast-paced, and there is some spark in the fight scenes, which keeps us interested, thanks to Alan Ritchson’s focus, though the script is not quite there. There is a moment when we see military survival and sci-fi possibilities, which might actually work.
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