War Machine Ending Explained: What are the Machine’s Origins? Is 81 Able to Get His Team Out Alive?

War Machine Ending Explained: When a rookie Ranger squad gets ambushed by a being from another planet, it’s up to the no-nonsense squad leader to protect those under him and bring an end to the terror.

The film has a runtime of 106 minutes.

War Machine Review

Alan Ritchson has almost perfected the art of a no-nonsense, clenched-jawed muscle man capable of breaking through almost anything and everything, and Netflix’s War Machine seems to be no different. Showcasing a bunch of new Rangers being picked off by some alien being in the middle of the woods, the film is all booms and bams, and, interestingly enough, it doesn’t try to be anything different, which, believe it or not, might just be its winning strategy!

Ritchson is the emotionally unavailable unit leader who puts people on his back while fighting said aliens without a second thought. I love it – it made me watch with giddy anticipation as things went kaboom in the night. We shift from the obvious and repetitive (somewhat) slop in the first half to the fun survival thriller in the second, which is when it shines. The film doesn’t shy away from being the tropey thriller that it is, which is, somehow, what makes it a fresh and engaging affair.

I have enjoyed watching Ritchson in almost everything that he has starred in, and, in this slick affair, he’s enjoyable as well. As is everyone else, which is why War Machine works… in a comforting way. I love watching an impossible battle between mere humans, who constantly talk about strength and survival, and a bipedal war machine. Seriously, what can go wrong?

War Machine Ending Explained

The film starts with a routine military training exercise turning into a death game when an unknown enemy with advanced skills and weapons starts hunting the group down without explanation. Headed by Combat Engineer 81, the squad, at first, think that it’s a part of the simulation meant to test their endurance and skills. However, as the casualties begin to mount, they soon realise that the merciless hunter is no ordinary enemy.

What is the machine?

As things start to go south, 81 realises that the machine has arrived in front of them right through a mountain and realises that there is something more complicated going on than just casually dangerous simulations. As the team gets targeted by the machine that somehow refuses to give up, he sees it communicating with something in the sky, but has to quickly leave before it lays eyes on him.

We eventually learn that the machine was only one out of a huge wave that was landing from outer space to Earth to take over the planet. Although the military has been able to stop the first wave, the sheer number of machines has resulted in global forces joining hands to save the planet. No one really knows why they are on Earth, but that becomes a non-issue, considering they are hellbent on bombing everything in sight.

Is 81 able to get his team out?

81 and his team desperately try to get away from the machine, but are left disappointed when the machine engages in a high-chase situation with them. Although they try their best to shoot the machine down, it doesn’t work, and their tanker gets brutally shot down, resulting in most of the team dying. The only person who survives is 7, but since he’s already badly injured, it’s up to 81 to save not only himself, but also 7.

81 eventually lures the machine away from the forest and uses heavy machinery to lure it into a trap and fight with it at a construction site. Thankfully, the machine eventually overheats and blows up, leaving 81 successful in his quest. 81 eventually carries 7 back to base, turning this into a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Thanks to him defeating the machine, he finds its weak point, resulting in him helping tackle these weapons and earning him a spot on the Regiment as a Ranger.

What are your thoughts on War Machine? Let us know in the comments below.

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