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Y<\/span>ou\u2019d be forgiven for skipping past Netflix\u2019s gory, militaristic action thriller War Machine at this particular moment. There is, after all, an actual war raging on (is there ever a good time, one could argue?) but those behind the film would likely use its sci-fi bent as a differentiation defense. The war being raged here is not between the US and a foreign earthly entity but rather one from somewhere above, our umpteenth soldiers v aliens matchup. It\u2019s a clear \u201cif you like\u201d column filler for fans of Predator, Edge of Tomorrow or, if they exist, Battle: Los Angeles, yet unlike the many films it\u2019s clearly inspired by, the extraterrestrials here are designed to resemble machines that could have originated from another country rather than another planet, robotic whirring over tentacle slithering.<\/p>\n It gives the film a slightly generic sheen, like a cheaper Transformers spin-off, but it\u2019s also thankfully devoid of the dreaded Netflix murk, that flattening filter that reduces most colours to grey, the film an acquisition from Lionsgate. Set in Colorado but shot in Australia from native writer-director Patrick Hughes, and granted a theatrical release there last month, it makes for a slicker-than-usual streaming premiere, an easy, drink-your-way-through-it Friday night option for those who wish to remain entirely unchallenged.<\/p>\n In another time, it would have been granted a wide big screen release and in another time, its comically muscular lead Alan Ritchson, of Reacher fame, would have been one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The actor, who has found an unusual lane as the progressive man\u2019s action hero (despite his brawn-first on-screen persona, he\u2019s become an eloquently outspoken critic of all things Maga, much to the right\u2019s fury) is an obvious Arnie upgrade, at 6ft 3in with the body of an over-pumped GI Joe, and so he makes for the obvious star of a Predator rip-off (the pair are co-headlining a Christmas comedy later this year).<\/p>\n It\u2019s ironic that as the Predator franchise has trailed off into surprisingly diverse territory with leads who are either female, of colour or both, this remix has taken things back to its more conventional red meat roots \u2013 white, bro-y, gung-ho \u2013 with even a mercifully small role for Trump-loving sycophant Dennis Quaid<\/a>.<\/p>\n