A Geeky Guy's Guide to War Machine
I just looked up the age of the writer of this movie. I figured he absolutely had to be near my age. Sure enough Patrick Hughes is also a child of the 70s... although he was born after Star Wars was released. But he is still in the exact wheel house I thought he would be in.
Why was it so easy for me to predict his age? War Machine is basically a combination of just about every one of the action and sci-fi movies I loved as a kid. It is honestly like a bunch of 50 year olds were sitting around drinking and saying, "Man wouldn't it be cool if we could make a movie that combined the Predator and the Terminator?" And then that really got the ball rolling with someone adding in , "But let's also make it like Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge!" Another adds, "How about a little nit of An Officer and a Gentleman for the ladies?". Finally someone screams, "And add in Southern Comfort!"
Boom! There you go! The perfect recipe for a sci-fi action movie.
Somehow I got my wife to watch this movie with me. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that hunky and all around nice guy Alan Ritchson was the star, but that's cool with me. I was just happy she watched it. She did not know one very important detail of the movie. She thought it was just going to be a war movie. Clearly she had not seen a single preview that reveals that this is a sci-fi movie. As soon as the first hint of an alien appeared she made me pause and asked "What is the. movie about? is it about..." I just nodded my head and smiled, "Oh yeah, its aliens!" She laughed and continued to watch.
And it was a good thing she did otherwise she would have missed the sheer joy of unadulterated ridiculous action sequence after action sequence.
I already give the writer, Hughes, credit for mashing together a ton of great 80s movies, but he actually did write enough of a story to make you care about some of the characters. Even though I would have been five with five minutes of exposition and a few flashbacks, Hughes takes his time to set up the movie. For the first half hour, it seems like it could be a really cool advertisement for the Army Rangers. But then... it gets batshit crazy! And we loved every second of it!
After those first 30 minutes of establishing the characters, the movie becomes 60 minutes of action scenes with a few breaks in between so the CGI artists didn't get carpel-tunnel syndrome. So much stuff (and people) blows up real good. It is insane!
If you like even one of the movies on the list of mashups, you will love this movie. It knows what it is and never pretends to be anything than mindless entertainment.
Wait. there is actually a message in there. Mechanics are the greatest heroes in the world! Not only is this movie a non-stop action roller coaster, it is also a love letter to every mechanic out there. Thank you for being so smart! We could never defeat alien killing machines without you! (And I couldn't change my oil).
If you like action movies and think your brain needs a 90 minute break, go watch War Machine on Netflix!
Honestly, this just sounds like fun. Action, nostalgia, and aliens all mixed together? I’ll definitely check it out soon.
That whole group of 50-year-olds throwing ideas around description is exactly how it feels. The moment you mentioned mixing Predator with The Terminator, I was like yet that’s the DNA right there. And somehow it still works without taking itself too seriously.
Just the movie I'm currently seeing. I was impressed by the beginning, the Ranger selection training, and how several army recruits stood out, 44, 81, and the rest. I've enjoyed the movie so far.
I'm wondering how they are going to deal with an alien threat that bombs and bullets can't take down. I guess I'll keep watching to find out.
Lol!!, This read less like a review and more like a love letter to the 80s!, will try to check it out this weekend.
Let me go and check it out right 👍 away!🤗
ok you bought me with this, i'm gonna add it to my to watch list!
I washed the movie it is terrible
Hope the soldiers get better tech to support their campaign
lol. They seemed to have a magic humvee. That’s some sweet technology. It got hit so many times and just kept going lol.
It really does seem like something from our time, with plenty of action and science fiction. I don't usually watch many TV shows these days, but as you rightly say, these are genres we watched as kids, and they'll surely bring back some good memories
I might have to check this one out. I have seen the previews of it, but I haven't had the time to check into it too much. The preview I saw definitely reminded me of Predator and maybe a little Robocop with that mechanical thing. I can't remember the name of it. I've never heard of Southern Comfort before though besides the liquor. I am going to have to hit up IMDB now.
I’m going to do a write up on Souther Comfort soon. Underrated 80s movie. A National Guard unit on a training mission with blanks only get attacked by mountain people.
Interesting.
The only thing that I felt was missing was the other rangers looking a bit like they wouldn't naturally fit in those roles. Even though you can't compare regular rangers to Alan Ritchson, they had a very strict strike-out process of culling the "weak" from the program, but in the end the ones that made it still seemed like more actors than actual rangers physically to me. Or maybe it was just Alan overshadowing them way too hard all of the time, not sure.
I did notice that too. But they were all pretty much fodder anyway. I 100% turned off my brain for this one.
Thanks for the recommendation to watch War Machine. It's sure to be good; it has a lot of action, and the special effects are fantastic. It's a great 90 minutes to enjoy. For a moment, I thought it might be a series, but after reading it again, it's a movie, and based on what I've already described, I'm sure I'll like it since Terminator is one of my favorites.
I am also a child of the 70s! This looks pretty good, likely to go down well as a series as well. Sounds like there is also a decent storyline and not just mindless action. Thanks for the recommendation.
Mechanics are the greatest heroes in the world!
I've already watched the movie and liked it, almost, time well spent.
I'm also a 70's kid and the way you've written this post, I had a constant smile on my face while reading it.
I haven't seen it, but from what I've heard and from some comments I've read from friends who have seen it and think it's really good, I think we'll have to see it. And if we add a good dose of action, we'll have, let's say, 90 minutes of our time well spent.
The 70s connection makes total sense, War Machine’s vibe screams Tron and Blade Runner nostalgia.
This looks excellent! I just watched the trailer and it looks like a must watch. I also think Alan Ritchson is the perfect guy for the role. Thanks for sharing!
something to check out later
Did you ever end up watching it?
haha, well good you ask i did start and fall at sleep. A classic. have to repeat it lmao
lol. I swear it speeds up after the first 30 min. I thought the same thing at first.
I will give it tomorrow another try haha
We were born in the nineties, but I had also heard about this film from my friend and he had told me that it was quite interesting, so now I am trying to find time to watch it as soon as possible because of all the films you have told us so far, each one is quite interesting