[Film Review] War Machine
A group of US soldiers taking part in Ranger selection encounter a giant robot from another world. Its only purpose appears to be killing. Outmatched, and very much outgunned, the only thing the soldiers can do is survive long enough to warn their superiors of this war machine’s arrival.
Netflix’s latest movie, ‘War Machine’ is a lot like Predator, mixed with a little Battle: Los Angeles, Lone Survivor and Transformers. Only this squad of soldiers isn’t dealing with a silent and stealthy hunter. No, they’re in the wilds of Colorado, battling what looks to be ED-209’s much bigger brother.
After a brief introduction to Alan Ritchson’s ‘81’, everything gets delightfully intense. This includes the brutal selection process for which 81 has signed up. The fact that our heroes are on a training exercise when ED-209 (XXL) shows up adds an extra level of desperation to this unexpected conflict. Essentially unarmed, their battle quickly becomes one of survival as they attempt to escape the seemingly unstoppable robotic behemoth.
War Machine is essentially a chase movie. And while it does tend to telegraph where it’s all going, it is still an unrelenting and fast-paced pursuit. The pursuer rarely lets up on its quarry, forcing the soldiers to do some pretty hair-raising stuff. A lot of which – rather impressively – appears to have been done for real. And it’s all backed up by beautiful locations and some good VFX. Even the behemoth itself looks sufficiently imposing, enough to send a chill down your spine. Scarily robotic and unwavering, you might say.
Whereas Ritchson is on good form as the troubled soldier looking to avoid both friendship and leadership, who is suddenly forced to lead in horrific circumstances. He certainly gets more of an arc than any of his fellow nameless soldiers. However, it’s not really anything we haven’t seen before in movies like this. What is disappointing, however, is that Dennis Quaid and Esai Morales aren’t given more of a role. It seems they’re there merely to do the ‘gung-ho AMERICA!’ bit. All of which can be a little OTT, with Quaid especially hamming it up.
That said, the biggest disappointment is the finale. After watching 81 and his not so merry band run a gauntlet of alien firepower, their final confrontation with the pursuing war machine is a little on the short side. Yes, it’s both explosive and kinetic, but all that awesomeness is also over far too quickly. Something that seems to have been done to accommodate a last-minute exposition dump, and set up for a potential sequel. And while I’m not opposed to another battle with alien robots, maybe on a more of a global scale, it’s a shame that it almost comes at the cost of the movie we already have.
It may be overly cheesy at times, and the final battle over all too quickly, but overall War Machine is an intense and exciting sci-fi/action movie. Perfect viewing for a Friday night at home on the sofa.
Review Score: 7.5/10
War Machine is currently streaming on Netflix.
