If you’re in the mood for something action-packed to hold you over until Reacher returns, fans can rejoice as Alan Ritchson continues his run of high-octane adventures in Netflix’s latest sci-fi hit War Machine. While Ritchson’s “81” isn’t quite Jack Reacher, he certainly knows how to command the screen (and kick some butt while doing it) in this new made-for-streaming feature that pits him not just against intense military training, but an otherworldly force that has arrived with every intention to kill. With a quick 107-minute runtime and plenty of suspense throughout, War Machine is a great evening watch for those looking to blend military thriller and science fiction — and it’s certainly a different role for Ritchson to undertake.
Alan Ritchson’s ‘War Machine’ Goes From Intense Military Action Flick to Sci-Fi Survival
War Machine has been marketed quite plainly as a military-centric science fiction action thriller, and while there’s no denying that’s true, it doesn’t start out with anything remotely sci-fi. The picture is anchored by the bond between two unnamed brothers, Ritchson’s 81 and Jai Courtney‘s “Squad Leader,” stationed overseas in Afghanistan who agree to become Army Rangers together. But when 81’s brother is killed after intense enemy fire, the film jumps forward two years to find the surviving brother still trying to earn that “scroll” patch. The entire first act of War Machine centers on 81’s attempts to prove himself to Sergeant Major Sheridan (Dennis Quaid) and First Sergeant Torres (Esai Morales) as a worthy candidate for the Rangers, pushing past the physical pain and the mental burden he carries after his brother’s death. But when 81 is tasked with leading a group of candidates on their final mission, they encounter an alien mech that crash-landed on Earth, seeking only to destroy. It’s here that the film then becomes a haunting game of hide-and-seek as the soldiers do their best to keep out of the living weapon’s line of fire.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
There isn’t anything exceptionally profound about War Machine, which isn’t to be confused with Netflix’s other War Machine movie from 2017, which was a more satirical take on the Armed Forces (nor does it have anything to do with the Marvel Comics character). This is an action movie through and through, aiming to entertain its audience while offering some commentary on the high stress that U.S. soldiers are often under. War Machine may not reinvent the alien invasion wheel, but it does pull from many of the same trimmings and trappings that make these alien survival adventures so thrilling and tosses in some excitement along the way. The action sequences are top-notch, and the looming threat of the alien battle mech is a constant danger.
But just because the emphasis is on the action doesn’t mean that there isn’t some good material for Ritchson to chew on here. Rather than playing an action hero like his Reacher character, who swings into town, saves the day, and gets the girl, War Machine presents the star with a role that’s a bit more understated — one that works perfectly for the intense, world-changing material. As Collider contributor Aiden Kelly wrote in his review of the film, “It’s a nice change of pace from Ritchson’s usual charisma-laden escapades as Jack Reacher to see him be a much quieter and introverted soldier who is clearly experiencing the telltale symptoms of PTSD.” Indeed, as Ritchson’s character is burdened with the responsibility of getting his teammates home safely, he becomes the type of war hero that many of his contemporaries already assume he is.
‘War Machine’ Is Exactly What You Think, and That’s Why It Works
If this at all sounds to you like Predator or the often forgotten Battle: Los Angeles, there’s no doubt that they influenced War Machine on some level. There’s something about the idea of a military unit on the run from a seemingly unstoppable alien creature that just works, especially when it all comes down to the fractured last man who finds a weakness in the extra-terrestrial’s armor just in time to exploit it. While aliens and the military have gone hand-in-hand for almost as long as alien invasion stories have been told, War Machine is another addition to the growing collection that lives up to the hype. There’s a reason it continues to be a streaming success and the creatives involved have entertained the idea of a possible sequel. Frankly, War Machine is fun enough to warrant one, so long as Ritchson returns.
Again, don’t expect anything that will simply blow your mind. War Machine is strictly sci-fi entertainment with a military bent and an interesting lead to keep your attention for the next 107 minutes, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Sure, some of the supporting characters could be a bit more developed — Stephan James‘ 7 is probably the most interesting of the bunch — but, on the other hand, the fact that each Ranger candidate is boiled down to a number, stripping away their individual identities, is sort of the point. Either way, it’s best not to think too hard about it and just enjoy the ride. It’s certainly not a bad way to spend an evening or an afternoon.
