WAR MACHINE
Starring: Alan Ritchson, Stephan James, Esai Morales, Dennis Quaid, Jai Courtney, Blake Richardson, Daniel Webber, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Alex King
Director: Patrick Hughes
AMARÚ
You can’t help but root for Alan Ritchson. So much so that he makes a movie that unsuccessfully tries to blend two different, individually predictable movies together watchable and enjoyable. The character-driven war movie about redemption is much better than the video-game-like sci-fi battle against extraterrestrials, but both are carried by Ritchson and the likable supporting cast. They help offset some wonky script decisions, and the energetic pacing breezes through low-rate visual effects. Ultimately, your leash with War Machine goes as far as your fun-meter’s ability to be forgiving.
KATIE
War Machine is utterly absurd, but I can't deny that it’s entertaining. It begins as a standard military action-drama that is so predictable and stereotypical that it borders on satirical, before truly committing to being as ridiculous as possible. There is no logic to the intense violence, to why characters spend excruciating amounts of time watching threats approach them, or the terrible script that mostly consists of isolated one-liners. But, Alan Richardson makes a great action hero, and although War Machine is nothing special overall, it's fun watching him have it out with a killer alien robot.
