War Machine (2026)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08 · Missing measurements appear as gaps.
A staff sergeant encounters an otherworldly killing machine while on a grueling training exercise.
The story
In the film, a staff sergeant encounters an otherworldly killing machine while on a grueling training exercise. During a simulated mission in the forest known as the Death March, the team is startled by an unknown blast from the sky that knocks out communications. They discover a strange-looking object which, after being detonated, transforms into a walking machine that begins targeting and killing the team. The survivors must navigate the consequences of this encounter while dealing with the realization that the threat is not a training exercise but a genuine, extraterrestrial danger.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Afghanistan, a Corporal's convoy is attacked by Taliban insurgents, leaving only his brother and a Sergeant alive. Two years later, the Corporal (candidate 81) undergoes intense training in Colorado. During the 'Death March' exercise, a mysterious object from the sky transforms into a walking machine that attacks the team. After the initial slaughter, the survivors realize the machine is extraterrestrial. They eventually discover it has a ventilation system. After a desperate battle where the machine is destroyed by a rockslide and then by being lured into a quarry where it overheats and explodes, the survivors are rescued. It is revealed that the 'asteroid' was actually an army of alien machines that have begun a global war with humankind. The protagonist is then assigned to lead the next assault against the machines.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- Australia; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Patrick Hughes
- Writers
- Patrick Hughes · screenplay; James Beaufort · screenplay; Patrick Hughes · story
- Cast and characters
- Alan Ritchson · not specified; Dennis Quaid · not specified; Stephan James · not specified; Jai Courtney · not specified; Esai Morales · not specified; Keiynan Lonsdale · not specified; Daniel Webber · not specified
- Genres
- military science fiction; action
- Themes
- post-traumatic stress disorder; alien invasion
- Tone and mood
- action; old-school
- Setting
- Afghanistan and Colorado, USA
- Premise and plot tags
- military; science fiction; action; robots; mecha
- Franchise connections
- War Machines
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, praising it as a fun, old-school, throwback action movie despite its familiar, formulaic storyline.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 54 · scale: 100 · review count: 11
- Production trivia
- It is the 9th most watched Netflix film of all time.; A sequel is in development.; The film was originally developed with the intention to release it theatrically.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…