When watching original action movies exclusively produced and released by global OTT platforms like Netflix, there are times when they feel ambiguous, failing to meet expectations. Even after seeing massive marketing campaigns boasting astronomical production costs or star-studded casts before the release, it is often difficult to hide the disappointment that the narrative structure is lacking or the plot is loose compared to the invested capital. Even when a famous director takes the megaphone, Netflix original movies strangely tend to exude a unique sense of lightness. Perhaps this phenomenon is an inherent difference in perception that comes from watching on a relatively small TV or monitor screen, as opposed to the massive screens and grand sound systems of theaters where we usually enjoy spectacular action blockbusters.
However, as Netflix continues to pour out countless original contents over a long period, experiencing both failures and successes, it seems they are steadily accumulating considerable experience and know-how in film production. While light entertainment movies meant merely to kill time and be discarded were the mainstream in the past, it is palpable that the overall quality of films planned and produced directly by Netflix has been steadily improving recently. Movies with excellent completion that pleasantly surpass the public's predictable expectations are frequently produced, and they are now even churning out masterpieces that proudly sweep various categories and win honors at the globally prestigious Academy Awards (Oscars). The vague prejudice against Netflix original movies is gradually breaking down.
The highly discussed new film War Machine is also a work that garnered quite positive reviews and word-of-mouth centered around various online communities and social media even before I started watching it. Personally, I usually prefer and frequently watch drama series where I can slowly follow a long narrative over movies with shorter breaths. Furthermore, I hesitated a bit before pressing the play button because I have always considered the Netflix platform itself to have a much stronger competitive edge in series dramas rather than the movie sector. However, since there were so many common reviews from netizens saying the movie was well-structured, and I was drawn by the heavy military action atmosphere of the trailer, I decided to sit down and watch it properly after a long time.
The beginning of the film is set against the barren battlefield of the Middle East, starting with the sight of two US soldiers playfully exchanging jokes in a friendly manner. The two, who showed off a strong bond even amidst the tension of the battlefield, turn out to be biological brothers. The energetic younger brother suggests to his older brother that they apply and join the Rangers, the elite special forces of the US Army, together. However, the peaceful conversation is short-lived, as a sudden and ruthless surprise attack by the enemy brutally destroys their unit. Amidst the hailing bullets and horrific explosions, only the protagonist and older brother, 'Number 81', portrayed with heavy presence by Alan Ritchson, miraculously survives with a severe leg injury, instantly driving the early atmosphere of the play into a tragedy.
Number 81, who alone survived the horrific battle, suffers from severe trauma and deep guilt over failing to protect his younger brother. However, instead of being forever consumed by that wound, he pulls himself together once more to honor and continue the last will left by his brother who perished on the battlefield, volunteering to enter the US Army Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP). His body had already suffered major injuries, and his age was right at the risky final cutoff line where he could no longer participate in training, but his eyes were colder and more resolute than any younger applicant. His arduous journey entering the extreme training camp, overcoming the fatal handicaps of age and injury, provides a deep sense of immersion for the viewers.
As if mocking the concerns of those around him, recruit Number 81, who entered the hellish Ranger selection training camp, constantly surpasses his physical limits, demonstrating tremendous results and overwhelming skills. However, his real problem was not his physical ability, but the psychological wounds festering deep within him. From the early days of the training camp, superiors who noticed his outstanding abilities encourage him to take the role of team leader and demonstrate leadership, but he stubbornly refuses the position of taking responsibility for the lives of others due to the horrific past memory of losing his brother. No matter how overwhelming his training abilities are, he is depicted as a complex character who constantly hesitates and harbors doubts when it comes to leading team members into life-and-death battlefields.
By the time the rough process of the protagonist agonizing and growing between past trauma and current extreme training unfolded, the movie's running time had not yet passed an hour. I assumed the remaining plot would show the protagonist, having successfully completed the harsh training and become an official Ranger, being deployed to a fierce real-combat zone to showcase spectacular military action. However, the final stage of training was a hellish survival exercise in the wild where one had to survive and reach the final destination relying solely on a map and compass to earn the true qualification of a Ranger. Having returned all live ammunition and been issued only blanks, a tension-filled situation unfolds where all they have to do is survive this final training to finally become official members.
Right from the point where this final survival training begins, the movie War Machine completely destroys the grammar of the authentic military genre that had been unfolding so far, undergoing a drastic change into a completely different genre. In fact, while watching this movie, I had a realistic curiosity about who the elite special forces known as Rangers would actually fight against. This is because, unlike military movies of the past Cold War era where a clear enemy state like the Soviet Union existed, there is no distinct, massive fictional enemy like terrorist groups for soldiers to aim their guns at in modern warfare. Due to the complex political situation of the real world, it is true that the existence of a massive enemy that soldiers in movies can strike has become ambiguous.
Because of this contextual situation of the times, even recent Hollywood commercial films mainly feature clumsy fictional terrorist organizations or focus on the undercover activities of spies and secret agents rather than soldiers, making pure military-themed movies rare. However, as if perfectly mocking the audience's predictable expectations, this movie introduces an unexpected and mysterious entity right in the middle of the forest. The enemy that appears before the recruits in training is not any biological creature existing on Earth or a special forces unit from an enemy state, but a massive bipedal robotic weapon that crash-landed from beyond space—the terrifying protagonist that is the very title of this movie.
Only then do we realize that the movie's title, War Machine, does not refer to the US Army Rangers reborn as murderous human weapons, but rather the terrifying extraterrestrial machine that physically appears. A breathtaking battle unfolds between the absolute alien War Machine, against which no conventional weapons work, and Number 81, who must fight while protecting his team members in extreme situations. The idea of mixing the survival theme against an alien robot into the potentially cliché training camp military genre is very fresh, and the movie is cleverly structured to make you appreciate it. It is an excellent popcorn movie where you can enjoy thrilling action without having to think too much.
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