Netflix’s latest action flick, War Machine, doesn’t exactly break the mold, but it manages to nail everything that makes these kind of films so much fun.
War Machine (2026)
Directed By: Patrick Hughes
Written By: Patrick Hughes and James Beaufort
Starring: Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Keiynan Lonsdale, Esai Morales
Release Date: March 6, 2026 on Netflix
In the endless scrolling of movies on Netflix, War Machine might look like any other quickly thrown together, generic, action movie—even as it puts action-star power at the forefront thanks to Alan Ritchson. While it may hit on some familiar, formulaic, beats the movie does a lot of things right and manages to stand out.
The film puts the focus on 81 (Ritchson) an otherwise unnamed soldier. Following an attack on a convoy that claimed the life of his brother (Jai Courtney), he commits himself to accomplishing the dream they’d shared of joining the Rangers. Having flunked out of the heavily intensive Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) multiple times and now facing the maximum age limit, this is his last chance to make it happen.
His dedication, and inability to deal with the trauma he’s endured beyond this single-minded focus, keeps him isolated from the other candidates even as his skills put him at the top. He, along with the remaining candidates, make it to their final challenge, a “Death March” simulating a real-life mission (albeit using blanks instead of live-fire ammunition). Dropped off in the wilderness the soldiers inadvertently find themselves caught up in an alien invasion when they mistake a crashed robot fighter for the target of their training mission.
Things, obviously, get crazy from there as they’re forced to contend with a powerful alien mech despite having no weapons of their own and being completely cut off from everyone else. I don’t want to go much further (to avoid spoilers), but the gist is: 81 must deal with the trauma of his past to trust in others, in order to keep himself and his men alive against the massive alien robot hellbent on wiping them out.
It’s a simple/straightforward concept for the most part and isn’t interested in trying to complicate things. The result is a highly engaging action film that doesn’t necessarily change up the genre formula, but remains a whole lot of fun.
One of the things I found myself thinking (especially towards the end), is that War Machine is what 2011’s Battle: Los Angeles should have been/wanted to be. Where Battle: LA tried to be bigger in scale than it’s smaller story called for, War Machine knows exactly what it wants to be and keeps the scale appropriate. While it hints at bigger things potentially happening, the film remains focused on the personal journey of 81 and his team of candidates.
This is a big part of what makes War Machine work, along with how it plays on your expectations. You see a description about a Sci-Fi/action movie focused on prospective badass Army Rangers dealing with alien weaponry, and it’s easy to assume it’s gonna be some wild, balls-to-the-wall affair. While it certainly has those moments, the story keeps its focus on this specific group and their arduous journey back to base. It’s not about saving the world at large like other alien invasion stories.
The situation the story forces the characters into makes their dynamic distinctly different from similar movies. Yeah, you’ve got a bunch of “best of the best” bunched together that could easily devolve into a bunch of gun-toting shootouts. Having it all framed within a training exercise where they don’t have access to any live rounds or weapons, effectively renders them helpless. The story is more about survival for the characters rather than all out war; giving them a vulnerability I wasn’t expecting. Hell, even when they finally came across weapons, it only serves to highlight how outmatched they are against the alien technology.
In many ways, War Machine feels more like a creature feature than anything else. It has all the hallmarks of the genre. You’ve got a set of characters with their own backgrounds embarking on what seems to be their own journey (81’s quest to finish RASP). As things progress, however, strange incidents begin to add up until they find themselves in another kind of trouble all together. Once the threat is fully revealed, it becomes a race for help as they’re hunted down one by one. The comparison to Predator was pretty obvious, and not at all a bad thing.
None of this is to say War Machine is a perfect flick, it’s not. It’s got some ham-fisted dialog, isn’t even trying to be subtle in its storytelling, and packs in enough machismo to feel right at home with late 80s/early 90s action films (not surprising given the director’s filmography). It’s dated, thankfully not in an offensive way, which holds it back from being any more than it is: a fun popcorn flick to watch on the weekend.
