War Machine is Brad Pitt's return to our screens following a hiatus, which resulted from the breakdown of his high-profile marriage to Angelina Jolie.
Pitt plays the lead role in the feature film that has been two years in the making and hotly anticipated by film fans globally.
So, did he and his crew nail it or was it a flop? Reaction has been mixed since the small-screen film dropped on the popular streaming website late on Friday (UAE time).
Netflix was strangely protective of advance screenings for press ahead of its release, but of course the Twitterati and Facebook communities were on hand to provide an immediate honest opinion.
There was plenty of love apparent for the movie, Twitter user @AngusTPaterson posted: “Watching #WarMachine on #netflix it’s absurdist to the max & also depressingly accurate”. @OfficallyEmz was in agreeance: “#Warmachine I absolutely loved it. Brad Pitt was brilliant as always, loved @PoulterWill and @KolaBokinni in it.”
Entertainment website @Collider was brief in its initial assessment posting: “@Netflix’s #WarMachine is “frequently hilarious” and intelligent”, they noted on Twitter, a fan it seems just like fellow website @Premscene who tweeted: “Totally #recommend @NetflixUK #Warmachine #BradPitt is as sublime as he ever was. #NetflixFriday #film #storytelling #mustse,” they tweeted.
Not everyone was convinced however, some saying it lacked "killer instinct", while others declared it "disappointing". Facebook user, Meranda Parada Limperis wasn't impressed: "Worst movie I have ever seen ... if it was a big budget flick, it would probably have tanked Pitt's career!" The New York Times though declared that "at its best, War Machine crackles with irreverent wit, even if American political craziness circa 2009 looks tame compared with the 2017 version".
The review goes on to refer to Pitt and his return to our screens as "engaging and complicated — somehow recalling both the wily and ruthless Aldo Raine of Inglourious Basterds and the lethally stupid Chad Feldheimer of Burn After Reading".
While it is still early days, and the featured UAE extras will no doubt have something to say about it, remember if you don’t want to take the social media or film reviewers word for it, it’s on Netflix for your perusal now.
cnewbould@thenational.ae