Alan Ritchson’s Netflix Sci-Fi Showdown Is the Perfect Fix While You Wait for ‘Reacher’


Alan Ritchson is truly one of the biggest action stars in the world today, and that impressive feat is only compounded by the fact that he hasn’t really had a tried and true system-seller in the world of film. Sure, he’s had supporting roles in big projects like Guy Ritchie‘s WW2 epic The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Vin Diesel‘s tenth Fast Saga flick Fast X, and Michael Bay‘s divisive Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot (the latter of which Ritchson would prefer people forgot), but he hasn’t had a leading feature starmaker in the way that Harrison Ford had Raiders of the Lost Ark and Sylvester Stallone had First Blood. That said, he hasn’t really needed one, as Prime Video’s Reacher, which hooked in fans wanting a proper adaptation and newcomers looking for a new gripping procedural alike, is not just one of the biggest successes on the streamer, it’s one of the biggest shows on TV right now, period.

Still, a man of Ritchson’s talent as both an actor and action star is more than worthy of a breakout feature in the same way Arnold Schwarzenegger exploded onto the scene with back-to-back classics like Terminator and Predator. Those two films in particular are worth giving up, given they both have similarities to Alan Ritchson’s latest film, War Machine (not to be confused with the other Netflix Original with the exact same title from 2017 that also follows the military). It’s an ambitious sci-fi spectacle that might not quite reach the heights to be called a modern action classic, but it does do enough to get the job done, particularly thanks to a very strong performance from the man of the hour.

What Is ‘War Machine’ About?

War Machine follows Brad Pitt‘s wily general as he rallies the troops in Afghanistan to…, wait, hold on, that’s the 2017 War Machine. Seriously, did Netflix just forget they had a movie with that title already?

Anyway, 2026’s War Machine follows Alan Ritchson as a battle-hardened veteran who underwent an extremely traumatic experience overseas, only for him to almost immediately apply to join the U.S. Army Rangers in one of the most grueling and unforgiving training regimens in the entire American military. As recruits wash out of the program one by one, Ritchson’s character (known only by his assigned number of 81) keeps his eye on the prize to earn his scroll patch and cross that finish line. That relatively straightforward goal is suddenly and quickly upended when a mysterious aircraft crash-lands in the middle of the Ranger training facility, and it becomes clear that whatever metal this vast contraption is made from is not of this Earth.

Without a doubt, the easiest praise that War Machine can receive is regarding Alan Ritchson’s performance as 81, whom he consistently elevates in every scene. 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. It’s certainly not the most nuanced portrayal of mental health among combat veterans ever put to screen, but director and writer Patrick Hughes, along with co-writer James Beaufort, approach the subject with enough subtlety to make it intriguing. Couple that with a consistently great performance from Ritchson as he slowly gains confidence throughout the movie, and 81 has a rock-solid character arc that’s easy to follow and root for.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for War Machine‘s cast of supporting characters, just about all of whom dip far too deep into generic territory. There’s the strict general who doesn’t trust our hero’s judgement (in fact, War Machine has two for some reason), the aspiring boy scout-like leader, the sarcastic jokester, and so on, and you’ll be hard-pressed to remember their numbers, let alone their names. That’s a shame, as Ritchson does have some solid actors with the potential to bolster his strong lead, including Dennis Quaid, Esai Morales, Jai Courtney, and Stephan James. None of them is given anything interesting to do, giving Ritchson’s 81 even more heavy lifting.

‘War Machine’s Action Isn’t Revolutionary, But It Gets the Job Done

We can talk about plot until the cows come home, but as the movie’s title implies, War Machine is all about spectacle, and the sci-fi flick’s action is… good. Not great, not terrible, just good. Circling back to the Predator and Terminator comparisons, War Machine is like the former with its introduction of an alien threat midway through the runtime and like the latter with its mechanical villain hellbent on destroying humanity. The Metal Gear Solid-like robot isn’t really anything to write home about, as it’s a fairly standard Transformers-like pursuer who mostly serves as the source of big explosions and rampant kills.

The threat 81 and his team are facing may be rudimentary, but there are still more than a few moments of high-octane action that are at least fun to watch. The easy highlight of War Machine is a riveting chase sequence that sees both the military heroes and the robotic villain throw everything they have at each other, and it’s certainly where the action feels the most thought-through, unique, and engaging to watch. Everything else is, again, good, but it all most feels like stuff one has seen before in other human vs alien/robot/mech movies.

War Machine does indeed struggle to stand out in a crowded subgenre of alien invasion movies, but it also does enough to likely satisfy action and sci-fi fans. There are glimmers of brilliance with Ritchson’s surprisingly nuanced performance in the lead role and at least one truly great action sequence, but just about every other aspect falls into “just fine” territory. Is it Ritchson’s breakout actioner that will finally put him on the filmmaking map? Maybe not, but it’s still a fun enough adventure that streaming fans should find a good amount of enjoyment in.

War Machine is streaming on Netflix now.