00:00There are two ways to look at Patrick Hughes' sci-fi action thriller War Machine.
00:04Some viewers might consider it just another stereotypical survival action movie with a
00:08paper-thin plot, while to some others, it might appear to be a no-nonsense compact adrenaline
00:13rush that acts as an homage to 80s action movies, especially Predator. To each their own,
00:19but no one can deny that as a whole, War Machine is quite entertaining to say the least.
00:23Following the simple yet impactful premise of having a group of trainee army rangers
00:28fight for their lives to escape an extraterrestrial threat, War Machine proves less is more when the
00:33basics are done right. Before discussing details about the narrative, it should be mentioned that
00:38the lead, played by Alan Richson, remains unnamed throughout the course of the movie,
00:42like most of the members of the cast, and is referred to only as 81, which is his designated
00:47number in RASP. The anonymity emphasizes the importance of the collective over the individual,
00:52and also denotes that the sacrifices, struggles, and traumas experienced by the leader are not
00:57an exclusive experience. They are a shared one. So, with a spoiler warning, let's jump straight into the
01:03movie. 81's past burdens. A former member slash engineer of the elite exfil Spartan unit of the
01:11United States military, 81 joins the RASP program to get enlisted in the United States Army Rangers,
01:17the elite most light infantry unit in the entire world. 81 clears his RASP admission on his fifth and
01:24final attempt, as it is revealed that he spent almost the entirety of the past two years single-mindedly
01:30pursuing this goal. His motivation comes from the traumatic experience of a past tragedy, as it is
01:35revealed that two years ago, during an exfiltration mission in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 81 lost his dear
01:41younger brother in a Taliban ambush. 81 and his brother had long dreamt of joining the Army Rangers
01:46together, and the last time, when they spoke while 81 was helping his brother's unit to get their convoy
01:51going, he reminded 81 of their shared dream. The Taliban ambush wiped out the entire unit,
01:57and an injured 81 tried his best to carry his dying brother back to base. However, 81 collapsed
02:03from exhaustion just before reaching the base, and his brother perished. As if the PTSD of being the
02:08sole survivor of the ambush was not enough, 81 was given the Silver Star as a recognition for his
02:14bravery, which actually acted more as a cruel reminder that he had failed to save his brother.
02:18Often experiencing panic attacks and sleepless nights due to the pent-up emotions, 81 decided not
02:24to open up about his degrading mental state, and didn't opt for therapy either. To fulfill his brother's
02:29last wish, he focused solely on getting into the Army Rangers, hoping it would help him cope with the
02:34tragedy on better terms. At RASP, 1st Sergeant Torres and Sergeant Major Sheridan notice 81's impeccable
02:41performance in the rigorous training regimen, and, initially, they offer him the role of leader,
02:46which he refuses to accept. Unwilling to form emotional connections in fear of having to open
02:51up, 81 alienates himself from the rest of his batch, and one of the members, number 7, sympathizes
02:56with him. During the final phase of the two-month-long training exercises, 81 pushes himself hard enough
03:02to go through a near-death experience when Torres and Sheridan decide to confront him. They are aware
03:07that 81 is hiding the truth about his crippling mental state, and, no matter how much he excels in
03:11physical tests, without being able to process his trauma in an unstable mental condition, he is a
03:16liability to his unit. They offer to let him step down by taking voluntary leave, but a stubborn 81
03:22refuses still. To test his resolve, Torres and Sheridan agree to keep him in the unit and let him
03:27participate in the death march, the final RASP test, along with the members who have qualified. In the
03:32meantime, news reports start highlighting the appearance of a strange extraterrestrial construct
03:36that is going to enter Earth's atmosphere. Arrival of an alien threat, the formation of the sentry.
03:43In the final mission, 81 is assigned to be a leader of his unit, and as a part of the
03:48assignment,
03:48which is set as a simulated scenario, he has to lead his fellow rangers to a specific area to rescue
03:54a crash-landed pilot and also destroy the advanced aircraft to keep it from falling into enemy hands.
04:0081 is not good with pep talks, or the kind of responsibilities attributed to leaders,
04:04and 7 helps him in that regard. However, things go awry when mistaking an alien spaceship
04:09slash the titular war machine for the crashed aircraft the unit members try to detonate it,
04:14activating the mechanism in the process, which launches a vicious attack on them,
04:18laying down a barrage of gunfire and bombs. It should be mentioned that the war machine,
04:23the bipedal sentry mechanism, is inspired by the DT series droids of Star Wars and the T1 and F
04:28slash K units from the Terminator series. The way it scans its surroundings with blue lasers and,
04:33upon sensing the organic composition of its adversaries, locks onto the target by displaying
04:38a red laser. It at once reminds viewers of the Yautja, aka Predators, the apex alien hunters from
04:44Predator, which inspired the movie itself. The sentry also has the ability to filter out noise
04:49to capture sounds made by its adversaries, almost like death angels from A Quiet Place.
04:54A strong reference to xenomorphs is found in the way this unstoppable killing machine continues to rage
04:58throughout the wilderness to exterminate its opponents. It also wields a terrifying pulse energy attack,
05:03mimicking the nuclear-powered Pacific Rim Jaegers. With no live rounds at their disposal,
05:09the unit is practically a sitting duck against an adversary so fierce as the majority of them perish
05:15brutally after the sentry's first assault. Initially, some of the members speculate it to be a weapon
05:21testing drill or an invasion by foreign enemies, and realize way too late that the threat is of alien origin.
05:2881 is hit with a sensation of deja vu upon witnessing the horrifying situation, but manages to take his
05:35unit to safety by somehow escaping from the machine. Seven gets severely injured in the leg, prompting the
05:41surviving unit members to carry him while trying their best to remain undetected by the machine. At one point,
05:47the team finds out that the unit who was supposed to act as their adversary in the simulated scenario
05:51has been wiped out by the vicious attack of the machine. Despite knowing how hopeless and desperate his fellow members
05:58must be feeling, 81 advises them to bottle up their emotions and try to return to the base to warn
06:04the Rangers
06:04about the impending attack. However, one of the unit members calls 81 out for mistaking his emotional
06:10vulnerability for a misplaced superiority complex, prompting 81 to lash out and open up about the darkest moments of his
06:18life.
06:18This cathartic release of emotions allows him to bond with his unit members, and also helps them see him
06:24not as an organic manifestation of the unstoppable machine chasing him, but as a vulnerable human made of
06:29flesh and blood. Working together, the team manages to activate a Guardian armored vehicle and get their hands
06:36on live rounds. A prolonged chase ensues with the sentry, which remains unharmed even after having 50 caliber
06:42bullets fired upon it, and ends up destroying the vehicle, which results in the death of all the unit
06:48members, leaving 81 and Seven as the sole survivors. The crippling survivor's guilt and remorse return
06:54once again, as 81 can't help but feel he failed his unit. Did 81 finally beat the sentry?
07:02Somehow Seven gets to safety. 81 breaks down, and opens up to him about his repressed feelings. Seven consoles
07:10him by mentioning he never gave up on his unit, which matters more than the success of their mission.
07:14Seven reveals that he recognized 81 from the very first day, seeing the matching tattoo his army
07:20buddy, 81's brother, also fashioned. Seven mentions tried to extend a hand to help 81 with his traumatized
07:26mental condition, but he had closed walls to the rest of the world. This revelation gives 81 a renewed
07:32sense of purpose, as, by saving Seven, he wants to earn his redemption. Landing upon a plan,
07:3881 sets a trap for the sentry and lures it to a quarry, where he ambushes the machine using a
07:44construction vehicle and pushes it to a corner. Pouring gravel and stones into the machine's radiator,
07:5081 forces an internal combustion procedure, which causes the machine to overheat and get destroyed.
07:57Finally taking down the killer machine, 81 carries Seven back to the base and learns how a global invasion
08:03led by the sentries has already begun. 81 bids farewell to Seven, knowing how crucial his presence
08:09was to help him process the unresolved trauma and finally learn his purpose as a ranger. 81 shares his
08:15strategy of taking down the sentry, which is surely going to prove vital in the upcoming global-scale
08:19war with the extraterrestrial threats. Sergeant Major Sheridan congratulates 81 for his success,
08:25and offers his condolences for his brother's demise. Despite being exhausted and tormented by the
08:30ordeal of the last 24 hours, 81 once again sets out on a new mission, this time leading a unit
08:36of
08:36rangers from the front by example and motivating them with a simple yet rousing pep talk. Finally
08:42getting some closure, 81 dozes off in a deep sleep while boarding a ranger's chopper heading to a crisis
08:47zone. Possible Sequel Speculations
08:52During the final moments of the movie, it is shown that ranger troops are bringing parts of the destroyed
08:56sentry mechanism to the base, and if Independence Day has taught viewers anything, the military is
09:01going to use the alien tech to create an advanced arsenal of its own to take down the invaders with
09:06their own means. Additionally, the minds that are controlling these sentries, which are basically
09:11unpiloted drones, are yet to be revealed. If a sequel is released, we might get to know the true nature
09:17and
09:17appearance of the alien invaders who are controlling the sentries in the first place.
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