Netflix has an exhausting amount of material to watch, and with over 7,000 movies for you to stream, it can be hard to decide on just one. Some are obviously more worthwhile than others, which is why I’ve put on my streaming cap to recommend choices for the week, using metrics like popularity, ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, and individual preference. War is on everybody’s mind right now, and as original movie War Machine tops the global charts, here are some related flicks to screen.
War Machine
It’s not that surprising to see a combat action film topping the Netflix charts this week, as we’re currently at what seems to be war in the Middle East again. Maybe War Machine is the right kind of escapism for the modern world: a crisp, fun action film about a group of Army Rangers on their last training exercise before graduation. Set to destroy an airplane in the middle of a forest, they instead encounter an enemy from beyond the stars. Big Predator vibes here, and we love that one.
1917
Let’s rewind over a century for Sam Mendes’ brilliant World War I epic 1917, which also pits two soldiers against impossible odds. Protagonists William Schofield and Charles Blake are behind enemy lines on a mission that will determine not only the fate of their own lives, but also the world. It’s one of the best war films of the modern age, with painstaking historical accuracy, brilliant performances, and unbelievable visual effects.
Lone Survivor
The war in Afghanistan has left some serious scars on the American psyche, and one of the best movies to examine that conflict while still delivering top-flight action is 2013’s Lone Survivor, based on the true story of a Navy SEAL counter-insurgent mission that dropped four men in hostile terrain to capture a Taliban warlord. When local villagers alert his forces to their presence, it sparks a violent struggle where there are no winners, only losers.
Unknown: Killer Robots
The adversary in War Machine is a murderous automaton from another world, but we don’t need to look to the stars to find killer robots. Netflix documentary Unknown: Killer Robots dives deep into the heart of the military-industrial complex to reveal the many different ways humans are trying to teach machines to murder. From autonomous drones to bomb-carrying robot dogs and remotely controlled humanoid soldiers, this peek into the future of war should scare you.
Recommended by Our Editors
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Director: Jesse Sweet
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Genre: Documentary
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Rating: TV-14
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IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Want to see everything that’s new on Netflix this month? We’ve got you covered.
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About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.