War Machine Review: Another competently boring Netflix flick
A couple of my favorite reviewers were saying this film was one of Netflix's best throwback, high-concept action movies, so I felt I should give it a watch and review it, even though a ton of outlets didn't quite enjoy it. Action is usually a hit-or-miss genre for me; if there aren't interesting concepts or characters to latch on to, I don't really get much of a kick out of generic gunfights and explosions. So, would this film succeed and win me over, or would it be needlessly generic and Netflix-y? That's what I'll be answering in today's Reel Ranker review. Hope you enjoy today's article, and thanks for joining me! I'm always honored to be your entertainment. Enough sappiness, let's dive right into this.
I'm going to mix things up and start with the positives in today's review. First of all, the action meets expectations and, while it doesn't reinvent the wheel, if you just love guns, macho men, survival stories, and massive explosions, this movie will certainly satisfy your craving. The opening scene, in particular, was my favorite in the film because it successfully captured the emotional stakes of war and the grief of losing someone dear. The production, while generic, still possesses the sleek quality Netflix typically brings. The lead performance by Alan Ritchson was also a major standout, as his subtle masculinity and motivation to honor his brother's legacy are tangible in every scene.
However, I'm unfortunately overwhelmingly negative about this film. The first 30 minutes or so were great, being an emotional tale about a brother carrying on the legacy his brother never got to live out. With a great foundation, I thought that that was where the film was going, and I was confident that this would indeed be my favorite original Netflix action flick. Nonetheless, that doesn't happen, as the film hard-pivots, destroying its fantastic foundation in a tumultuous earthquake. I didn't see any promotional material for the film, so I'm sure this was telegraphed in the trailers, but the film's devolving into a basic-b**ch survival movie where the squad is being hunted and eviscerated by a rather hideous-looking alien warmech was simply bafflingly bad.
I love plenty of survival movies, even more Michael Bay-esque films. Give me The Island, and I'll eat it up. But here, all the potential is squandered on the least interesting action I've seen all year. The more gory, hardcore approach helps a tad. Still, I can't help but wish I was watching a bad, self-aware survival-action-horror film instead, one that wasn't wasting its strong opening... heck, I'd rewatch something like Anaconda 3: Offspring three times back-to-back over this film. Jokes aside, this film isn't terrible: it's made well, but it's about as generic as high-concept Netflix films get, and I simply can't recommend it. This could've been an action classic if it played into its loaded hand correctly, but instead, we're left with a hand of twos.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Unreel
The Reel Ranker Score: 35%
Letter Score: D
Star Ranking: 2 out of 5
War Machine has a strong start that's surprisingly emotional. Yet, it decrescendos into a whimper as it yet again proves that Netflix will continue to put out lame four-quadrant, low-hanging-fruit action-fests for years to come... and will also continue to forget to put anything in the films that makes them worth checking out.
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Brighton Nelson
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