Time for this week's disposable Netflix Original movie, War Machine, starring Alan Ritchson (Amazon Prime's Reacher) as an Army Staff Sergeant whose brother (Jai Courtney) was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan where the unnamed soldier was the lone survivor. To honor his brother's desire that they try to become Rangers, he arrives at RASP (Ranger Assessment and Selection Program) two years later and is assigned the number 81 as his identity.
For 8 weeks, 81 and his fellow numbered candidates perform grueling training with members washed out weekly. Despite his veteran status, he refuses to bond with his fellow candidates or take the lead as pressured by his superior officers (Dennis Quaid and Esai Morales). When he makes it through to the final test phase, they want him to drop out to cope with his PTSD over his brother's death, but he refuses. Reluctantly, they allow him to do the Death March final test and put him in command.
The Death March mission is to locate and destroy a simulated shot down plane, rescue the pilot from a "prison camp", and get to the finish line at the base. The team of about a dozen soldiers is dropped off and while 81 fails to inspire them much, he is supported by 7 (Stephan James in what borders on a Magical Negro role). The first night the squad is startled by a fireball in the sky. The next day they locate what they believe to be the downed plane, but when they attempt to demolish it, it is unscathed. Then it begins to rise up, revealing itself to be an alien mech which scans the platoon then proceeds to blow the bejeebers out of them.
Half the numbers buy it and the rest are forced to run for their lives, sustaining grievous injuries which slow them down carrying the wounded through the mountainous terrain. 81 suffers flashbacks to his ill-fated attempt to save his brother and the survivors continue to doubt him. Unarmed (they only have blank-firing weapons) and pursued by a giant murder walker, who will survive? Duh.
Co-writer and director Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3, The Hitman's Bodyguard) does a solid job staging the grisly action set pieces, but the characters are all stock tropes and the ending is not only not in doubt, but handled ridiculously in Temu Michael Bay fashion. (We're supposed to believe 81, carrying a wounded soldier on his back, heading for the all-important finish line, is surrounded by soldiers rushing around dealing with things but not one person intervenes to aid the wounded.) They also seem to be setting up a sequel because why not.
The 4K Dolby Vision presentation has some good highlights during nighttime action scenes, but it's a far cry from the eye-searing visuals the format can deliver as in Apple TV's 2nd season of Hijack which recently concluded.
An adequate concept adequately executed is War Machine's box score and is another watch-once-and-forget-it that Netflix churns out.
Score: 5/10. Catch it on Netflix.
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