War Machine 2 is basically confirmed. Here's why we don't need a sequel.

We don't need War Machines

War Machine is a perfect movie — if what you’re looking for in a movie is buff guys fighting an unstoppable killer alien across some far-flung, unforgiving terrain. Director Patrick Hughes delivers Netflix a modern interpretation of Predator with a few notable changes: For one thing, instead of an entire cast of recognizable beefcakes, War Machine star Alan Ritchson carries the movie on his back, while everyone else is mostly disposable. For another, we never actually see what the aliens look like in this movie; the only on-screen enemy is a robotic, weaponized spaceship.

But there’s one more potential difference between War Machine and Predator that I hope to see play out: Unlike the 1980s classic that inspired it, War Machine should never get a sequel.

There’s a lot going against this argument. Not only is War Machine already a huge hit for Netflix (which needs its own franchises now more than ever), but Hughes very clearly and deliberately sets up a sequel. “I know exactly where it’s going,” the director told ScreenRant in a recent interview. “War Machines is gonna be sick,” Ritchson added, referencing the Alien sequel, another franchise that clearly inspired this movie.

And yet, while War Machines (or War Machine 2) may seem inevitable, there’s no way to turn this modern sci-fi action classic into a franchise without undermining what makes War Machine so great in the first place.

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for the ending of War Machine.]

The bulk of War Machine follows Ritchson’s character (known only as “81”) and a squadron of would-be Army Rangers on a training mission that goes sideways when they encounter a deadly alien ship. Because it's a training exercise, they aren’t carrying real ammunition, so our heroes have to outsmart their enemy. 81 ultimately does just that by clogging the robot’s steam vents to overheat it.

However, it turns out this is only the beginning of the alien invasion. After returning to home base, 81 learns that while the Army was able to fight off a first wave of alien ships, an invading force numbering in the tens of thousands is headed for Earth. War Machine ends before the final battle to save the planet can begin, in a clear setup for a sequel. While this promise of an epic war between humanity and aliens might seem exciting, bringing it to life in a sequel would be a huge mistake.

For one thing, the enemy in this movie is a mystery. Hughes and co-writer James Beaufort never reveal who or what is piloting the alien vehicle. The war machine could be completely autonomous. It could be a drone controlled from the other side of the galaxy. There could even be an actual alien inside it that dies when the ship explodes in War Machine’s final act. The fact that we don’t know who these alien invaders are or what they want (besides destroying humankind) is a big part of what makes this movie so thrilling. A sequel would almost certainly reveal more about the aliens, which would retroactively weaken the original.

Additionally, while War Machine’s ending may feel like a cliffhanger, that’s just one way to read it. The reveal that a massive army of alien robots is headed to Earth (coupled with the fact that a much smaller first wave nearly wiped out the planet’s defenses) doesn’t exactly leave the story on an optimistic note. To put things bluntly, humanity seems screwed. Even if 81’s unconventional strategy can be applied to the entire war, the chances of survival seem slim. This precarious ending gives War Machine an edge that most similar movies never attempt. Releasing a sequel in which Earth fights back and somehow survives would completely undercut that cliffhanger.

The movie’s isolated setting, which gives War Machine so much of its texture, would also have to give way to a globe-spanning sequel. And 81’s character arc, which hinges on a big reveal midway through the story, can’t exactly be repeated. Without these elements, a follow-up film would likely suffer.

One could argue that Predator and Alien are still genre classics even though some of their sequels range from mediocre to unwatchable. But both of those movies end on a more positive note, and neither keeps the true nature of its extraterrestrial antagonist a secret. While War Machine might borrow from these franchises, Hughes has created his own unique entry in the sci-fi action canon. Churning out a sequel would undo much of what makes his movie unique, and risk sabotaging what already feels like a future cult classic.

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War Machine is streaming on Netflix.