War Machine [Movie Review]

War Machine [Movie Review] | Finally, War Machine lands on Netflix. After catching the trailer, curiosity got the better of me. Of course I had to press play.

Will I end up loving it? 

SYNOPSIS

War Machine (2026) Trivia

• Starring: Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, Keiynan Lonsdale & Daniel Webber
• Director: Patrick Hughes
• Producer: Todd Lieberman, Alex Young & Patrick Hughes
• Production Company: Lionsgate, Hidden Pictures, Huge Film, Range Media Partners & Emu Creek Pictures
• Distributed by: Roadshow Films & Netflix
• Release date: March 6, 2026
• Running time: 107 minutes
• Rating: MA
• Country: Australia & United States
• Language: English
• IMDb: 6.6./ 10
• Tomatometer: 73%
• Metascore: 54%
• This is the second Netflix Original titled War Machine, unrelated to the 2017 film starring Brad Pitt.
• Much of the film takes place in dense forests, a clever choice that both builds tension and helps conceal the limitations of the visual effects. 
• The signal sent into space suggests the machine was only a scout, hinting at a larger invasion and leaving the door open for a sequel.

A Staff Sergeant arrives to assist his brother’s stalled convoy somewhere in the dust and heat of a hostile valley. His brother, still optimistic despite the war around them, floats an idea: they should both try out for the Army Rangers. A bigger challenge.They never get the chance to finish that conversation.

Taliban insurgents attack without warning. The firefight is brutal and short. By the time the dust settles, the convoy is destroyed and the men are gone except the Staff Sergeant.

His knee is shattered, but he refuses to leave his brother behind. With sheer stubbornness he drags the wounded man across the desert toward base. Step after painful step. Eventually his body gives out and darkness takes over.

He wakes up in a hospital bed.

His brother didn’t make it. For the attempt to save him, the Staff Sergeant receives the Silver Star. 

Two years later he signs up for the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program. Candidate number: 81.

He proves himself quickly. Strong, disciplined and relentless. Yet something about him keeps the others at arm’s length. When offered the chance to lead the team, he declines. Leadership requires connection. And 81 keeps his walls high.

During one training exercise he nearly drowns underwater, refusing to surface even when it becomes dangerous. The instructors notice. Sergeant Major Sheridan and First Sergeant Torres question whether the ghosts of Afghanistan are still inside his head.

They suggest he step away. He refuses.

Instead, they hand him leadership for the final exercise: a simulated mission deep in the forest to destroy a classified aircraft and rescue its pilot.

At the same time, news circulates about an asteroid fragment drifting dangerously close to Earth.

During the mission, a strange explosion lights up the sky. Communications fail. The recruits discover a mysterious object near a creek and assume it is their target.

Explosives barely scratch it. Then it moves. The object transforms into a towering machine and begins hunting them. Their rifles carry only blank rounds. Completely useless.

Panic spreads as the machine tears through the team. By the time they regroup, only six remain: 81, 7, 15, 44, 109 and 23.

The machine interferes with their compasses, distorting magnetism whenever it gets close. The recruits learn to read the chaos like a warning signal.

They escape downriver and stumble upon the training cadre posing as enemy forces. They’re all dead.

Looking at the massive impact trail from the mountains down to the valley, the recruits realize something terrifying. This machine didn’t crash here. It landed.

They commandeer an APC and race back toward base while the machine chases them through the forest. Inside the vehicle they find live ammunition, but the creature’s armor shrugs off every round.

81 finally slows it down by triggering a rockslide. The machine disappears under tons of debris. But the victory costs them everything.

The APC is destroyed. Most of the team is gone. Only 81 and 7 remain.

As they hide in the forest, they see the machine reactivate and send a signal into the sky.

How do you destroy a machine with no weakness and will either of them survive?

MY REVIEW

What I Like:  

• Intense battles and survival scenes.  

What I Don't Like:

• No new recipe. 

Will I Watch It Again: Sure, I don't mind watching it again but not in my priority list.

Overall: 4.4/ 5.0

The pictures are taken from multiple sources on the Internet. Thank you.

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