Alan Ritchson Claims Explosive New Sci-Fi Movie Beats 'Reacher' in 1 Key Way
For reasons unknown, he enjoys analyzing box office receipts, giant sharks, and has become known as the go-to man for all things Bosch, Mission: Impossible and Christopher Nolan in Collider's news division. Recently, he found himself yeehawing along to the Dutton saga on the Yellowstone Ranch.
He is proficient in sarcasm, wit, Photoshop and working unfeasibly long hours. Amongst his passions sit the likes of the history of the Walt Disney Company, the construction of theme parks, steam trains and binge-watching Gilmore Girls with a coffee that is just hot enough to scald him.
His obsession with the Apple TV+ series Silo is the subject of mockery within the Senior News channel, where his feelings about Taylor Sheridan's work are enough to make his fellow writers roll their eyes.
Alan Ritchson has built his current action-star run on sheer physicality, and that’s a huge part of why Reacher has connected the way it has. The Prime Video hit turned him into one of TV’s most reliable heavy-hitters, giving audiences a bruising, stunt-heavy showcase that plays directly into his size, charisma, and deadpan intensity. But according to Ritchson himself, his latest movie role managed to outdo even one of Reacher’s toughest challenges.
The actor recently revealed that filming Lionsgate and Netflix’s new sci-fi action thriller War Machine pushed him even harder than the punishing physical demands of Reacher Season 3. That’s saying a lot, considering the latest season of the Lee Child adaptation built toward a massive showdown between Ritchson’s Jack Reacher and the towering Olivier Richters.
Speaking with Gamesradar+ about the challenge of shooting the film, Ritchson explained that he thought he had already completed the hardest action work of his career before War Machine came along. “I had finished shooting Reacher Season 3, the whole season was this build up towards this fight with the giant Olivier Richters... he's 7'2, 400 pounds,” Ritchson said. “And we spent three weeks filming this entire episode where we just fought continuously. The reference was like a Family Guy episode where Peter's fighting the chicken or whatever, and it goes on forever. I thought when I left that season that I had just shot the hardest piece of IP that I'd ever work on, until I went into War Machine... and every day was a unique kind of physical challenge [that] left me drained in the best way. I think War Machine took it to another level, for sure.”
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Is 'War Machine' Worth Watching?
Directed by Patrick Hughes, War Machine follows Ritchson as a combat veteran called 81 as he endures one of the most unforgiving Army Ranger training programs imaginable, only for that already brutal test to be interrupted by an alien crash landing. What starts as a military story quickly pivots into a sci-fi survival thriller, with 81 and the other trainees forced into a desperate fight against a deadly otherworldly machine.
Collider’s review stated that War Machine gives Alan Ritchson one of his biggest opportunities yet to headline a major action spectacle. Aidan Kelley said the Netflix sci-fi thriller combines brutal military training with an unexpected alien invasion, delivering plenty of action even if the story rarely breaks new ground. What elevates the film most is Ritchson himself, whose committed performance provides the movie with its strongest source of momentum.
"War Machine does indeed struggle to stand out in a crowded subgenre of alien invasion movies, but it also does enough to likely satisfy action and sci-fi fans. There are glimmers of brilliance with Ritchson's surprisingly nuanced performance in the lead role and at least one truly great action sequence, but just about every other aspect falls into "just fine" territory. Is it Ritchson's breakout actioner that will finally put him on the filmmaking map? Maybe not, but it's still a fun enough adventure that streaming fans should find a good amount of enjoyment in."
War Machine is streaming on Netflix now.
- Release Date
- March 6, 2026
- Runtime
- 107 minutes
- Director
- Patrick Hughes
- Writers
- Patrick Hughes, James Beaufort
- Producers
- Todd Lieberman, Alexander Young, Patrick Hughes, Greg McLean, Rich Cook
Cast
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Sheridan
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