Chris Pratt’s SEAL Turn: Can Uncle Jake Save Family Dramas This Fall?

Max Sterling, 2/4/2026 Chris Pratt ditches dinosaurs for discipline in Apple TV’s “Way of the Warrior Kid”—a feel-good, pull-up-packed family drama that muscles earnest SEAL wisdom into your holiday streaming diet. Prepare for heart, grit, and just enough 5 a.m. inspiration to make Grandma proud.

At the center: Chris Pratt, adopting a role that’s several sizes down from his Star-Lord leather or Jurassic cargo shorts. Here, he’s Uncle Jake—the improbable Navy SEAL all bullied middle schoolers secretly wish would materialize on their doorstep, duffel and wisdom in tow. Imagine the quintessential cool relative, now with actual medals and just enough emotional baggage to keep things interesting.

If Pratt seemed a bit battle-scarred from last year’s box office misadventures (with “Mercy” still lurking in Amazon’s queue, sparking more industry gossip than excitement), this turn feels like a notable pivot. No phasers. No genetically resuscitated predators. Just positive masculinity and that familiar, slightly goofy optimism. Swapping out special effects for life lessons, it’s a pivot both personal and, for Apple, calculated. After all, the release tiptoed from a jam-packed holiday slot to the relative calm of a pre-turkey Wednesday, clearly seeking a little breathing room in a streaming year crammed with nostalgia bait and algorithm-driven originals.

Adapted from Jocko Willink’s bestseller—a book that’s practically required reading in some households, right alongside multiplication tables and “The Outsiders”—the movie retains that flavor of tough-love advice disguised as adventure. The setup is classic: Marc, played by Jude Hill (who brings a kind of “Belfast” earnestness to the mix), is slogging through middle school life when his uncle comes to stay after being benched by an injury. The summer promises transformation, thanks to a homegrown “Operation Warrior Kid” regimen that’s less about knuckle sandwiches, more about pre-breakfast pull-ups and learning the algebra of courage.

McG, whose résumé sparkles with neon-drenched crowd-pleasers—think “Charlie’s Angels” and that wild detour with “Terminator Salvation”—directs. It’s an odd but not unwelcome match for Will Staples’ script, and there’s something to be said for handing the reins to filmmakers who know their way around a training montage. The supporting cast? More than serviceable, with Linda Cardellini—forever Hollywood’s go-to everymom—anchoring scenes as Marc’s long-suffering mother. Add a blend of fresh-faced talent and familiar character actors, and the vibe is somewhere between your friendliest rec center and that one, slightly too-earnest school assembly.

What’s different here, beneath the high-gloss surface, is a distinct whiff of sincerity. Willink’s approach (equal parts stoic Navy discipline and TED Talk vulnerability) seeps into the narrative, shaping Uncle Jake’s mission to guide Marc through not just the usual schoolyard standoffs—think: dodgeball flashbacks and cafeteria politics—but also toward a deeper sense of self. It’s not hard to picture some viewers grinning at the prospect of early morning burpees, while others pause and wonder if a daily journal is a better form of resilience than another round of Fortnite.

In 2025, with the entertainment landscape cluttered by franchises, docuseries, and so many “must-watch” dramas it’s hard to keep your streaming queue orderly, “Way of the Warrior Kid” enters the ring with a faintly retro sensibility. Family films are almost quaint now, striving for that rare alchemy of earnestness and edge. The risk, of course, is falling into after-school-special territory—a touch too sweet, too telegraphed. McG can thread spectacle with sentiment, but there’s a thin line between inspiring and cloying.

Still, the film seems poised to offer a little food for the soul between bites of mashed potatoes. Will audiences embrace it as a new Thanksgiving classic—or will it slip through the cracks like so many well-meaning fables? Time will tell, as it always does in the swirling morass of year-end releases. If nothing else, Apple’s bet on “Warrior Kid” underlines a broader appetite for guidance in uneasy times and maybe even a soft spot for stories where old-school values and new-school anxieties collide.

In any case, popcorn pairs nicely with push-ups. Or, at the very least, a glass of apple cider and the sense that maybe—just maybe—the family couch is as good a dojo as any. “Way of the Warrior Kid” tests not just Marc’s grit, but perhaps the audience’s willingness to believe that getting a little tougher together is still possible, even when the world prefers a snarky tweet over a sunrise jog. Try not to spoil the ending for Grandma.

Apple TV, never content to sit out a genre revival, is barreling into the family drama fray this fall. "Way of the Warrior Kid" arrives with all the motivational energy of an early morning boot camp—minus the grumpy PE teacher. Mark November 20 on the calendar, somewhere between leftover pumpkin pie and this year’s marathon of high-strung prestige premieres.At the center: Chris Pratt, adopting a role that’s several sizes down from his Star-Lord leather or Jurassic cargo shorts. Here, he’s Uncle Jake—the improbable Navy SEAL all bullied middle schoolers secretly wish would materialize on their doorstep, duffel and wisdom in tow. Imagine the quintessential cool relative, now with actual medals and just enough emotional baggage to keep things interesting.If Pratt seemed a bit battle-scarred from last year’s box office misadventures (with “Mercy” still lurking in Amazon’s queue, sparking more industry gossip than excitement), this turn feels like a notable pivot. No phasers. No genetically resuscitated predators. Just positive masculinity and that familiar, slightly goofy optimism. Swapping out special effects for life lessons, it’s a pivot both personal and, for Apple, calculated. After all, the release tiptoed from a jam-packed holiday slot to the relative calm of a pre-turkey Wednesday, clearly seeking a little breathing room in a streaming year crammed with nostalgia bait and algorithm-driven originals.Adapted from Jocko Willink’s bestseller—a book that’s practically required reading in some households, right alongside multiplication tables and “The Outsiders”—the movie retains that flavor of tough-love advice disguised as adventure. The setup is classic: Marc, played by Jude Hill (who brings a kind of “Belfast” earnestness to the mix), is slogging through middle school life when his uncle comes to stay after being benched by an injury. The summer promises transformation, thanks to a homegrown “Operation Warrior Kid” regimen that’s less about knuckle sandwiches, more about pre-breakfast pull-ups and learning the algebra of courage.McG, whose résumé sparkles with neon-drenched crowd-pleasers—think “Charlie’s Angels” and that wild detour with “Terminator Salvation”—directs. It’s an odd but not unwelcome match for Will Staples’ script, and there’s something to be said for handing the reins to filmmakers who know their way around a training montage. The supporting cast? More than serviceable, with Linda Cardellini—forever Hollywood’s go-to everymom—anchoring scenes as Marc’s long-suffering mother. Add a blend of fresh-faced talent and familiar character actors, and the vibe is somewhere between your friendliest rec center and that one, slightly too-earnest school assembly.What’s different here, beneath the high-gloss surface, is a distinct whiff of sincerity. Willink’s approach (equal parts stoic Navy discipline and TED Talk vulnerability) seeps into the narrative, shaping Uncle Jake’s mission to guide Marc through not just the usual schoolyard standoffs—think: dodgeball flashbacks and cafeteria politics—but also toward a deeper sense of self. It’s not hard to picture some viewers grinning at the prospect of early morning burpees, while others pause and wonder if a daily journal is a better form of resilience than another round of Fortnite.In 2025, with the entertainment landscape cluttered by franchises, docuseries, and so many “must-watch” dramas it’s hard to keep your streaming queue orderly, “Way of the Warrior Kid” enters the ring with a faintly retro sensibility. Family films are almost quaint now, striving for that rare alchemy of earnestness and edge. The risk, of course, is falling into after-school-special territory—a touch too sweet, too telegraphed. McG can thread spectacle with sentiment, but there’s a thin line between inspiring and cloying.Still, the film seems poised to offer a little food for the soul between bites of mashed potatoes. Will audiences embrace it as a new Thanksgiving classic—or will it slip through the cracks like so many well-meaning fables? Time will tell, as it always does in the swirling morass of year-end releases. If nothing else, Apple’s bet on “Warrior Kid” underlines a broader appetite for guidance in uneasy times and maybe even a soft spot for stories where old-school values and new-school anxieties collide.In any case, popcorn pairs nicely with push-ups. Or, at the very least, a glass of apple cider and the sense that maybe—just maybe—the family couch is as good a dojo as any. “Way of the Warrior Kid” tests not just Marc’s grit, but perhaps the audience’s willingness to believe that getting a little tougher together is still possible, even when the world prefers a snarky tweet over a sunrise jog. Try not to spoil the ending for Grandma.