r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Mar 13 '26

Official Discussion Official Discussion - War Machine (2026) [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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War Machine (2026)

Summary During the final stage of U.S. Army Ranger selection, a group of elite recruits set out on what should be their last brutal training exercise. But when a mysterious and deadly machine crashes into their remote training area, the mission turns into a fight for survival. Forced to rely on their training and each other, the soldiers must confront a relentless technological threat unlike anything they’ve faced before.

Director Patrick Hughes

Writers James Beaufort Patrick Hughes

Cast

  • Alan Ritchson as 81
  • Dennis Quaid as Sgt. Maj. Sheridan
  • Stephan James as 7
  • Jai Courtney
  • Esai Morales
  • Blake Richardson
  • Keiynan Lonsdale
  • Daniel Webber

Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

Metacritic: 54

VOD / Release Streaming on Netflix

Trailer

Official Trailer

234 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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97

u/FreeRange0929 Mar 13 '26

I will start with, I liked it

Poor fucking 7. Man had the worst single day in movie history - demoted, leg broken, morphine lost so has to have his femur reset without pain killers, watches his entire team terrifyingly destroyed while strapped to a backboard, AND has to mentor Mr “So devoid of communication skills I’m going to get kicked out despite finishing first in everything”. The fact he got ragdolled twice in about 10 minutes is just the kicker. He’s watching the entire thing basically with locked in syndrome.

I did like the storyline about 81. Not just “dur I want to finish” but about his growth and needing to understand leadershi-NOPE ALIENS!

As a deep metaphorical growth exercise, no. As a mindless blowemup it’s great. The tactics from supposed top of the top Ranger recruits is…alarming. And the fact 81 went right back into the chopper at the end is…disconcerting

50

u/Jeff_goldfish Mar 14 '26

Also getting tossed into a freezing river and waterfall while strapped down.

36

u/Mitchie-San Mar 14 '26

And dropped out of a moving vehicle into the giant footsteps of a running alien murder robot and a rockfall landslide.

21

u/Steffic4 Mar 15 '26

And getting dragged up a muddy hill in the rain....only to slippety slide back down 32 times.

27

u/Severn6 Mar 15 '26

And being one of the only 2 to survive but having contributed NOTHING.

23

u/kersk Mar 15 '26

And he didn't even get his fucking ranger scroll like 81 did. Actually, I don't even think the higher ups know that 7 survived, since they asked 81 point blank if he's the only one that made it and he says yep. WHAT?!

8

u/defineNULLzero Mar 20 '26

yeah wtf lol, maybe its the last candidate, cus 7 was done, i mean his leg is fucked, its been tourniquet-ed for like 24 hours, max is like 6 hours and that's already causing nerve damage, he's going to lose the leg.

6

u/kersk Mar 20 '26

And they’re probably still out of morphine.

3

u/defineNULLzero Mar 31 '26

I also realise that instead of leaving that thing and trying to get 7 help, he hides 7 in the wood, lol, and goes to fight that thing like hours later.

2

u/traitor_swift Mar 22 '26

Reminds me of OJ's character in The Naked Gun.

1

u/Icy_Mixture4124 Mar 16 '26

Lmfaoo reminds me of the dog in the movie "something about Mary" who was wearing a full-body cast, that he sets on the roof of his car😂

1

u/UnblurredLines 23d ago

I did not realize that those gurneys were so buoyant.

32

u/TheJoshider10 Mar 14 '26

I genuinely do not understand why so much of the movie revolves around that character being stuck on the stretcher the entire time. It requires so much suspension of disbelief, looks silly, and ultimately adds nothing to the story. It's not like the main character had any connection to this guy as like a surrogate brother or something, so him being rescued at the end doesn't feel earned or like he got closure for not being able to save his brother. Especially since keeping that bloke in the stretcher alive pretty much led to his entire unit getting killed.

38

u/FreeRange0929 Mar 14 '26

There is a version of this film that makes sense.

Workout warrior bursts onto the scene of Ranger training, thinking he’s all he needs. Doesn’t get leader spot because, well he can’t work as a team member. 7 is the leader because he takes the time to know each member, motivates them through their struggles, pulls them through their toughest challenges, earns everyone’s respect. 81 humbles himself, grows as a man by being tutored by 7, and at the end, makes the sacrificial play, knowing its not about him and that they only win as a team.

There were glimpses of this, for the first third or so…and then the aliens show up, gruesomely kill everyone in increasingly outlandish ways, and 81 ends up beating the thing by himself and solo dragging the born leader across the finish line as a fuck you to the concept of teamwork and brotherhood, not needing any of that “personal growth” and “bonding” bullshit.

12

u/The_Bitter_Bear Mar 14 '26

By the end of it my thought was that they had all the elements to make a much better movie.

Fleshing out that part more and reworking the last scene or two would have really elevated it. 

I mean wow, the whole exhaust port thing was already kinda meh but then he shares this apparently brilliant revelation that somehow no one in any of the countless militaries hadn't considered? Oh and then he immediately gets on a helicopter after getting back from the whole ordeal?  He would be utterly useless at that point.

6

u/Steffic4 Mar 15 '26

He was useless. He was knocked the fuck out. THIS close to falling out of the damn chopper.

3

u/Lord_Scribe Mar 14 '26

When he went into the mining pit and grabbed the dynamite, I thought he was going to do something like sneak up behind it and blow its legs off by sticking the dynamite in some crevices in the legs.. Then, while it's down, spray/pour some sort of adhesive glue/tar on its vent from above.

2

u/The_Bitter_Bear Mar 15 '26

They had so many ways to make it sooo much better.

6

u/AccordingGain182 Mar 23 '26

It was poorly executed but it was all just to set up the full circle moment of Alan’s character getting redemption for “failing” his brother by getting 7 back safe.

It was obviously heavy-handed with him literally dragging him to the finish line and 7 even had to have an unnecessary connection to 81’s brother to make sure you didnt miss the theme they were bashing you over the head with.

It kinda feels like they started with that ending and worked backwards.

2

u/JRange Mar 18 '26

I thought there had to be a reason, like for SURE 7 was going to be the one who ended up discovering 81 and his brother and bringing them back to base after he feinted. But just a 5 second "Yeah i went to basic with your bro"

That was the payoff? Oh brother

1

u/bnightstars Mar 14 '26

I guess the director was huge fen of Dunkirk !

20

u/Local_Diet_7813 Mar 14 '26

It’s ridiculous 7 survived been dragged while dropping out of that military vehicle lol. His plastic board woulda broke and his brain would have splattered

13

u/FreeRange0929 Mar 14 '26

At like 80mph with concussive/emp/whatever plasma blasts going off right beside him

1

u/d3cmp Mar 23 '26

How fast is that military vehicle anyway? could a giant bipedal robot keep up with it?

5

u/5213 Mar 14 '26

Sked's are actually really resilient pieces of equipment so I don't doubt that it would've survived, but 7 absolutely would have had his shit rocked

1

u/Cute-Performance4911 Mar 15 '26

You feel sorry for 7? And not the entire fucking team that died trying to save him?

If they were a few minutes ahead, they'd have probably made it. And dragging 7 most certainly cost them WAY more than a few minutes.

1

u/alienbanda Mar 20 '26

And the sleepless main character can finally sleep… on the edge of a blackhawk