Review: A Sci-Fi War Movie About the Pentagon's Inscrutable Budget
The Netflix movie War Machine explores the complexities of the Pentagon's vast budget through a sci-fi lens. The film features an Army staff sergeant who, after witnessing his brother's death, embarks on a mission that is interrupted by an extraterrestrial machine. Despite its predictable elements, the movie raises critical questions about military spending and accountability.
- ▪The film stars Alan Ritchson as an Army staff sergeant inspired by his brother's death to become an Army Ranger.
- ▪A key moment in the film involves soldiers speculating that an alien machine could be a military project due to the Pentagon's obscure budget.
- ▪The Pentagon has struggled with financial transparency, taking 28 years to comply with a law requiring annual financial statements.
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Movies Review: A Sci-Fi War Movie About the Pentagon's Inscrutable Budget The Pentagon's budget is so vast that a soldier believes the extraterrestrial machine shooting lasers at them might be taxpayer–funded. Jeff Luse | From the June 2026 issue Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google Media Contact & Reprint Requests <img src="https://d2eehagpk5cl65.cloudfront.net/img/c800x450-w800-q80/uploads/2026/04/miniswarmachine-800x450.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" width="1200" height="675" alt="miniswarmachine | Photo: <em>War Machine</em>/Netflix" /> (Photo: War Machine/Netflix) Amid a lot of patriotic rah-rah, predictable writing, and subpar acting, the Netflix movie War Machine manages to convey at…
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