War Machine: Is the Alien War Just Beginning?

During the final phase of selection for the U.S. Army Rangers, a sergeant major identified only by the number 81 – because candidates are called by number and not by surname – takes part in an extreme military training camp in a rugged area. Recovering from a mission in Afghanistan where he lost his brother in a bomb attack, the protagonist of War Machine has an imposing physique but carries a deep trauma within him, which makes it difficult for him to bond with fellow soldiers and superiors.

81 continues to refuse leadership roles despite his abilities, at least until the final test, which will see him and his team – composed exclusively of selected individuals who have passed a very strict selection – engaged alone in the forests kilometers from the base. The platoon, however, is unaware of the threat they will face: a gigantic combat robot of extraterrestrial origin, highly destructive, which begins to hunt them down and kill them one by one in that barren and isolated context. It will be up to 81 to take control of the situation, lead his men to safety, and understand the scope of what could be a true alien invasion.

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A World at War

Leaving aside the discussion about the at least inopportune timing of releasing a film titled War Machine in a historical period when new winds of war threaten to redraw global geopolitical balances, the film proves to be a failure almost across the board. We are, in fact, faced with a conceptually dated work, which relies almost exclusively on the (pre)potent stage presence of the protagonist Alan Ritchson, an actor who, also due to his physicality, now struggles to shake off the tough-guy role that made him famous in the television version of Reacher.

After the brief prologue in which 81 – we must call him that – loses his beloved brother, the film moves to the training camp, which seems like a cross between G.I. Jane (1997) and Tigerland (2000). The difference, compared to the aforementioned titles, is that here the most exasperated militarism is overemphasized, with the American army depicted as a bearer of solid values that will also become central when facing the enemy from another world.

An enemy that the script had already anticipated through news reports speaking of an asteroid of unknown origin approaching Earth, destined soon to manifest itself in all its destructive infallibility. The plot may vaguely resemble that of a solid sci-fi b-movie from the last decade like Kill Command (2016), where a group of soldiers found themselves facing hordes of lethal robots in the heart of a forest. Here the enemy is only one, but its destructive potential is enormous: practically infinite ammunition, laser scanners, bombs, and missiles ready to decimate the unfortunate aspiring Marines.

Without a Moment's Respite

Australian director Patrick Hughes, whose filmography includes big-budget action films like The Expendables 3 (2014) and the Hitman's Bodyguard duology, does not seem to possess the gift of lightness. The hundred minutes of viewing proceed without any self-irony, dominated by an almost agitated seriousness that is also reflected in the characterization of the characters, both main and secondary. Dennis Quaid as the no-nonsense commander is no surprise, while the large group of supporting characters accompanying the stoic 81's mission remains rather anonymous, so heroic and courageous that it almost makes one think that the true "war machine" of the title is him, rather than the extraterrestrial robot.

The wound that haunts him – the loss of his brother with whom he cannot truly come to terms – remains little more than a narrative device exploited superficially, also because Ritchson does not possess particular dramatic qualities to make the character's inner torment credible. Hughes seems aware of this and therefore focuses entirely on continuous action, which dominates much of the narrative in yet another cat-and-mouse game. It's a shame that War Machine still ends up being short on personality, just like its improbable square-jawed hero.