A new sci-fi action flick is taking Netflix by storm, booting Jurassic World: Rebirth from the top spot with a story that feels eerily similar to Predator with a mecha twist. But when it’s also touted as a movie that returns to the old-school action-genre roots and makes no bones about what it is, and isn’t, what isn’t there to like about that?
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War Machine, which starts with a wildly explosive bang, stars Alan Ritchson (Reacher) as a soldier known only as 81, who, for the second time, leads a group of US Army Rangers on a training mission—one that has had deadly and traumatic consequences for him in the past. But training isn’t all that’s in store for these soldiers, and as the final stage of the exercise looms, they find themselves fighting for their lives against an unimaginable threat. So far, it’s faring right down the middle with critics and audiences alike, earning a 68% and 74% respectively.
It’s Old-School and Action-Packed
Critics are divided on War Machine, with some considering it derisive and trite in its attempt to appeal to audiences that enjoyed the original Predator or even Rambo. And while it is your typical soldier vs alien kind of flick, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing—sometimes what you really crave is a violent, action-packed movie reminiscent of what was so wildly popular in the 80s. “This testosterone-fueled throwback sci-fi action saga emphasizes brawn over brains while failing to cover any meaningful new territory,” says Todd Jorgenson of Cinemalogue.
But other critics and audience members disagree, finding that the quippy one-liners and nearly nonstop action are endlessly entertaining. And really, is it a requirement that War Machine cover entirely uncharted ground? Critic Tasha Robinson of Polygon summed it up well, saying, “The pleasures of Netflix’s sci-fi action movie War Machine are simple, straightforward, and gut-level. There’s a strong thread of competence porn here, and it covers both what’s happening on screen and what’s clearly going on behind it.”
The fact is that War Machine isn’t particularly original, and definitely takes itself too seriously in certain places and is more than a little formulaic. But that doesn’t negate that it’s, simply put, a damn good time—and sometimes, that’s all that a movie really needs to be. There really are worse ways to kill two hours than streaming it.
What are your thoughts on War Machine? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
A photo of the Retrovolt Arcade taken in 2017, showing several classic arcade cabinets and stools. -
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Courtesy of Saber Interactive
