Netflix’s “War Machine” has just moved onto the platform in the final flex of spaceships from aliens versus humans. This time, however, there’s only one enemy to deal with – but of Cybertron, this killing machine is wreaking bloody havoc on Alan Ritchson’s 81 (he’s only known by this call sign in the film) and his team of Army Rangers in training!
The narrative setup is simple: There is one last mission for a group of recruits to complete before they become Rangers. However, they must complete this task without the use of any real weapons, and after being dumped in the middle of nowhere. It’s convenient for the purposes of the plot, but bad timing for them as a menacing ship from outer space lands in the same area. At first the recruits wonder if this is all part of the big test, but when the machine starts slaughtering them, the sole survivors realize something else is going on.
The military against a vehicle from another planet… It sure sounds a lot like “Transformers” moviesnow doesn’t it? Absolutely, and it’s no surprise that “War Machine” has drawn many comparisons to Michael Bay’s film adaptations of the popular Hasbro IP. Still — and brace yourself for the first red-hot movie of 2026 — “War Machine” does everything better.
The article continues below
Let’s be real here for a second: nobody cares about the human characters in “Transformers” (and given all the crap Shia LaBeouf has gotten himself into since leaving the series, probably even less now). Transformers shines when it focuses on the war between the Autobots and Decepticons, while the Earthling stuff feels like a side quest to get more XP to level up. Consequently, this translates to the wooden and cake characters that make up the human element of the films.
Now, the people in Patrick Hughes’ “War Machine” aren’t about to breathe new life into an A24 drama either, but there’s definitely more character development on offer. The Ritchsons, 81, are struggling with a severe case of survivor’s guilt after watching their brother die in Afghanistan. He’s not in the right headspace—even his superiors are trying to get him removed from the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program—but he must face both the battle within and without to overcome the immediate danger before him. At the same time, his fellow recruits are not a team yet, so they must learn to work together as soon as possible, because their lives depend on it.
What makes “War Machine” more believable than “Transformers” is how genuinely helpless the human characters come across in the film. They have no weapons on them, so they have to move when there are gaps and pray that help is on the horizon. It’s like one room horror movie where everyone hides from the sinister killer alii, as anything that falls within the enemy’s periphery is minced meat. Even at home, the fear persists and pushes the tension to the edge, as the viewer chews their nails and rushes the characters as they try to cross rivers and climb mountains with this monstrosity on their tail.
Compare this believable tension with “Transformers: The Last Knight,” a film that bizarrely weaves the story of King Arthur and Excalibur into the already convoluted Transformers origin story. The oil-covered cherry on this rusty cake, however, is when Mark Wahlberg’s Cade Yeager picks up a sword bigger than him and duels with a giant robot. Get out of here with that bullshit. It would have been more believable if Wahlberg pulled out a classic Marky Mark rap and made the bot’s ears bleed in self-defense.
“Transformers” never really sells how powerful the Autobots or Decepticons actually are. They are not quite the size of Godzillabut they are bloody massive and yet somehow they don’t flatten Sam Witwicky or many people in their attacks. Conveniently, they also miss many of their targets, as if they took marksmanship lessons from Stormtroopers. That is not the case in the “War Machine”, as this vessel has an appetite for destruction. There are bloody and gruesome murders in the film that would have inspired Eli Roth to make “Hostel: Part IV”. All of this just adds to the legitimacy that aliens don’t come to Earth to touch our fingers and ask us to help them get home; they are here to conquer.
Another aspect that never makes sense with the “Transformers” movies is the actual message or theme. At first, it’s as if the Autobots are meant to teach us what it means to be human. Then it’s about believing in something far bigger than yourself. After a time King Arthur and beast robots is thrown into the mix, because Bayhem, baby! The only certainty in these movies is that the self-righteous Optimus Prime will always deliver a long-winded, sleep-inducing monologue at the end of the movie before a radio-friendly Linkin Park or Imagine Dragons song blasts over the credits. What have we done to deserve this, really?
“War Machine” doesn’t try to be too clever or overthink what it’s supposed to be. Instead of delving into the reasons why the aliens come to Earth, it just happens – sort of “Independence Day”. Sometimes aliens – much like humans – just want to go to war for the sake of it. In this case, there’s an invasion coming, and it’s up to humanity to fight back and protect Earth. Yes, it helps when you have a human brick house like Alan Ritchson in your corner, but every action movie needs an action star, so why not Jack Reacher himself?!
Judging by the end of “War Machine”, a sequel is on the cards – and then Netflix received $2.8 billion from the failed Warner Bros. Discovery deal, it might feel generous to give the green light to several projects right now. Who knows, maybe this franchise could evolve into something as silly as Bay’s “Transformers” in future films. At least one thing’s for sure: watching Ritchson’s 81 holes in aliens will be a lot more fun (and believable) than Sam Witwicky or Cade Yaeger’s antics ever endured.
“War Machine” is out now on Netflix.
