It is not easy to make an action movie. Whatever you do, you will be compared to films like John Wick and Mad Max: Fury Road, which revolutionized the genre and gave us something extraordinary. Then, there are action flicks that want to grab you by the collar and drag you through two hours of chaos. Netflix's latest movie, War Machine, falls comfortably into the second category, and honestly, there is nothing wrong with that.

The film chronicles the journey of a US Army veteran named 81 (played by Alan Ritchson). His journey began in Kandahar, Afghanistan, a location that immediately establishes the emotional weight behind the story. He lost his brother (played by Jai Courtney) while trying to help him and his team during a patrol.

That memory follows him like a shadow. His brother wanted to be a Ranger, and wanted 81 by his side too. After his brother's death, 81 tried to get into the US Army Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP), and this was the first time he had been selected for the main camp.

Right from the beginning, the movie wastes no time in showcasing what it takes to be the Ranger scroll, sometimes referred to here as the Tan Beret. It is not glamorous. It is punishing, exhausting, and makes you bite the dust. The candidates are pushed to their limits, and War Machine does a commendable job in depicting that strenuous process. There is sweat, fatigue, and a constant sense that one wrong step could mean failure. These sequences feel grounded and detailed, giving the audience a sense of just how much pressure these soldiers are under.

Despite being one of the decorated soldiers, 81 (that is how Ritchson's character is called throughout the movie) refuses a leadership role within the team. His hesitation makes sense once we understand the trauma he carries from Kandahar. Everything is going according to plan, and for the final test, 81 and the other selected candidates have been tasked with surviving the 24-hour "Death March."

But when the film seems ready to stay within the boundaries of a traditional military drama, it throws in something unexpected.

While 81 and others were getting ready for their tests, NASA detected an interstellar object approaching Earth. It is a very quiet moment in the story, almost easy to overlook at first. Yet this small detail ends up changing the entire situation. Because during their brutal death march, the upcoming Rangerd encounter is something they never could have prepared for. Something that is not even from this planet.

'War Machine' on Netflix: Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Sci-Fi Action Film

The moment 81 and his team come across the alien robot, War Machine shifts gears completely. What started as a military survival story suddenly becomes a full-blown sci-fi action spectacle. And to the film's credit, that twist actually works. The unraveling of the alien machine is one of the film's most exciting sequences. It arrives without much warning and instantly raises the stakes. Suddenly, this group of soldiers, already exhausted, must deal with a dangerous situation that no military handbook could explain.

From that point onward, the film relies heavily on action and spectacle. The visuals are strong, the combat sequences are intense, and the pacing keeps things moving quickly. Explosions, gunfire, and the mechanical menace of the alien technology dominate the screen.

We have seen similar storylines before: a reluctant leader, a team under pressure, and a mission that goes out of control. But sometimes familiarity is not a bad thing. Here, it simply allows the movie to focus on delivering adrenaline. What makes War Machine entertaining is that it never pretends to be something it is not. It is not trying to reinvent the genre by doing something out of the box or offering some deep philosophical message about war and humanity.

Instead, it focuses on what viewers expect from this kind of movie: bombastic action, strong visuals, and a constant sense of danger. And for the most part, it succeeds.

Ritchson does a good job as the troubled soldier at the center of the story. His performance is not overly dramatic, and honestly, it did not have to. Just like his persona in Reacher, his character is defined more by action and less by long monologues and emotional speeches. You can see the guilt he carries, and the feeling of not being able to save his brother, and that guilt becomes the motivation driving him forward.

In a lot of ways, the movie's emotional core primarily revolves around redemption. 81 was not able to save his brother in Kandahar. Now, he is determined not to lose anyone else. That theme is not groundbreaking, but it is effective enough to give the plot some emotional weight amid the chaos. Still, the real star of the movie is the spectacle. The action sequences are well-staged and visually engaging.

Even if you can predict some of the narrative beats, the pacing keeps you invested enough to see how everything plays out. In the end, War Machine may not break new ground in the sci-fi action genre, but it delivers exactly what it promises: an entertaining ride filled with tension, explosions, and a few surprises along the way.

Sometimes that is more than enough.

Meet The Cast Of 'War Machine': The Stars Leading Netflix's 2026 Sci-Fi Action

Did you watch War Machine on Netflix? What did you think of it? Let us know your thoughts.