It's a science-fiction survival film – the Ranger candidates are carrying blanks – with trace elements of Transformers, Battleship, and Spielberg's War of the Worlds. Somewhat derivative, but modestly enjoyable.

The film’s R rating is well-deserved thanks to the profusion of burnt and dismembered bodies on view in the alien machine’s wake. Unfortunately, the screenplay by Hughes and co-writer James Beaufort leaves much to be desired.

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.

War Machine is spoiled by a severe lack of tension and while literally everyone is on the table for the slaughter, the kills by this extraterrestrial lifeform become repetitive before it even begins…