I grew up during the height of the video store era. I remember when the first VHS player arrived at my home and how it revolutionized my world. I no longer had to wait months for movies to reach television. I could go to the video store and rent anything I wanted. Luckily for me, I had an uncle who managed a couple of Video Ozama stores. I’m sure the 10-year-old version of me, who used to scan covers and pick movies based on how much action the artwork suggested, would have chosen War Machine without hesitation. Back in the 80s and 90s, a movie like this might have had a moderately successful theatrical run before finding its true profitability on VHS. In today’s digital era, the shelves are virtual, and starting with Netflix, that’s where most films like this now live.

War Machine is about as close as it gets to the definition of “content” today. It’s structured like a corporate exercise, where return on investment matters more than cinematic detail. The keyword here is entertainment. Director Patrick Hughes has walked this path before, already working with Netflix to deliver very similar products. The goal is to find a hook to build a straightforward action story fast, linear, and with no room for reflection.

Alan Ritchson, the new action hero of television, takes the lead role. He plays a veteran soldier who, in an effort to fulfill a promise to his brother, enlists to complete the Ranger program, one of the most demanding in the U.S. Army. As expected, our hero possesses exceptional physical abilities and only needs to complete the final exercise to earn his Ranger tab. During that last training mission, Ritchson’s character and his unit discover a mysterious robot that seems otherworldly, and that’s when things spiral out of control.

The script feels like a rehash of Predator (1987), but instead of an alien creature, we get an indestructible robot. After a lengthy montage sequence filled with cuts showing the soldiers’ intense training, we move into the battlefield where those same men must apply what they’ve learned to survive. The story is essentially built around two main acts, moving quickly from a brief setup to the central conflict. The script makes little effort to establish solid foundations for the action, nor does it develop secondary characters beyond serving as expendable accessories.

War Machine is pure content, a product aimed at a broad audience that easily engages with Netflix’s infamous Top 10 recommendations. Entertaining, perhaps, but ultimately repetitive and lazy, offering little in the way of innovative action sequences. That said, Alan Ritchson is undeniably a commanding presence on screen, with the charisma expected of a true action hero.