Perhaps it’s unfair to expect much from an action film released directly to Netflix in January, but the makers of Outside the Wire seem uninterested in doing much to clear even that low bar.

The latest from Mikael Håfström, director of such ambition-free fare as 1408 and Escape Plan, is likewise content with merely delivering a few thrills, and fails to provide a narrative framework to support these fleeting moments of excitement.

Hampered by a military seriousness that discourages charisma across its buttoned-down ensemble, the 2036-set adventure gets off to a fairly entertaining start with U.S. Army drone pilot Harp (Damson Idris, Snowfall) catching heat for attempting to help a platoon of pinned-down fellow servicemen in Ukraine.

The involvement of robot soldiers — aka Gumps, though good luck getting them to share a box of chocolates with you — enlivens this introductory shootout, and despite closely resembling the Moose weapons from Chappie, their scattered presence offers consistent intrigue to the otherwise familiar combat.

The bots’ hulking appearance and battle skills are far more interesting than Harp’s reassignment to android Capt. Leo (Anthony Mackie), whose determined efforts to stop clichéd terrorist Victor Koval (Pilou Asbæk, Game of Thrones) from starting a nuclear war are both overly simple in nature and too convoluted in their execution to sustain viewer investment.

The duo’s journey into enemy territory is occasionally bolstered by Leo getting to showcase his super-soldier skills, and Mackie is generally fun to watch in this unpredictable role, but he finds little support from Idris, whose performance is so devoid of emotion that one half expects a big twist reveal that he too is a machine.

Through it all, Håfström’s middling yet competent direction and the frequent explosions and headshots are enough to shake drowsy onlookers awake, but the lack of reasons to care about the fireworks makes full-on slumber the better option.

Grade: C-minus. Rated R. Available to stream starting Jan. 15 via Netflix

(Photo: Jonathan Prime/Netflix)