The history of military drones dates back to the early 1900s. During World War I‚ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used for reconnaissance missions. These early drones were primarily balloons equipped with cameras. However‚ it wasn’t until World War II that more sophisticated drone systems emerged. These drones served as targets for training and were also used for intelligence gathering. In recent years‚ armed UAVs like the MQ-1 Predator have played a crucial role in military operations‚ including combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Land of Bad shows audiences how far they’ve come. Land of Bad When his Spec Ops team is ambushed‚ Air Force Sergeant JJ Kinney’s only hope of survival lies with drone pilots thousands of miles away to guide them through 48 hours of hell. Falling somewhere between SISU’s relentless and over-the-top action and Guy Ritchie’s The Covenanent’s grounded depiction of combat‚ Land of Bad is a surprisingly engaging action war thriller. It may not add much new to the genre‚ but it manages to deliver what genre fans want: compelling and realistic men depicting visceral heroism while unironically exploring universal themes of duty and survival under impossible conditions. Its limited cast does its duty by giving equally natural performances that expertly hook the audience and provide them with a raw connection to the film’s stakes. Hemsworth‚ who gets the lion’s share of the film’s focus‚ proves that he has what it takes to be a serious action star. Were it not for every other aspect of the show‚ his turn as Sergeant Kinney would be more than enough to give Witcher fans hope. Admittedly‚ though‚ there are one or two very brief moments in which his intensity isn’t quite commensurate with the scene. The rest of the cast is brimming with enough charisma to work quickly within the constraints of their relatively brief screen time to infuse a richness to their characters that lesser performers would have missed. This is especially true for the once-svelte star of Gladiator‚ Russell Crowe. Crowe proves that his talent is as expansive as his waistline by infusing a character that could have just as easily been completely omitted with heart and purpose. He delivers a magnetic performance for an otherwise cutting room floor subplot. Land of Bad isn’t a perfect movie. Its plot has been recycled from countless other films‚ and it overlooks some basic details (especially toward the end). Still‚ for those few things it gets wrong‚ it more than makes up for with its primal stakes‚ perfect pacing‚ and some first-rate cinematography. It’s been a while since I left the cinema with a smile on my face. I’m happy to mark Land of Bad as Worth it. Role Models The self-sacrificing‚ no-quit‚ complete-the-mission attitude that exemplifies the best of U.S. soldiers is on full display and honors those who have sacrificed much for more.   WOKE ELEMENTS None. The post Land of Bad first appeared on Worth It or Woke.