Amazon Prime Video’s War of the Worlds is trending online, with critics (and the internet alike) mostly rebuking the film.
The 2025 adaptation of H. G. Wells’ 1898 novel of the same name stars Ice Cube as Will Radford, a Department of Homeland Security officer, who is tasked with keeping Earth safe from an infamous hacker when an alien invasion simultaneously occurs.
This isn’t the first time Wells’ story has been refurbished. Orson Welles’ was the first to adapt War of the Worlds with his infamous 1938 radio broadcast. Additional reiterations include Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film of the same name, and several other movies and TV shows.
The official logline for the film reads, “A gargantuan invasion is coming with this fresh take on the legendary novel of the same name. Renowned actress Eva Longoria is joined by iconic rapper and actor Ice Cube, along with Michael O’Neill and Iman Benson, for a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure that is filled with present-day themes of technology, surveillance and privacy.”
Following its release last Wednesday, War of the Worlds made headlines this week for having a zero percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. (As of Thursday, that score rose to four percent from 23 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.)
Clark Gregg, Henry Hunter Hall, Devon Bostick and Andrea Savage also star. Patrick Aiello and Timur Bekmambetov serve as producers while Rich Lee directs.
Below, read what critics are saying about the film.
The Daily Telegraph’s Ed Power wrote in his review, “It is silly, shoddy and features far too much of rapper-turned-leading man Ice Cube staring at a computer screen while looking as if he’s working through a reasonably urgent digestive ailment. Like a heat-ray in reverse, it leeches all the fun out of what should be an epic tale of alien invasion.”
Power added: “It’s one of the most tragic things Prime has put on screen — and I say that as someone who had to watch its Mr Beast game show. Any aliens considering invading our planet will take one look at the new War of the Worlds and change their plans. Why bother making the trip when all humanity has to offer is five-star brain-rot with atrocious special effects?”
Empire’s Ian Freer wrote, “In his radio dramatisation of the story in 1938, Orson Welles used the medium of the moment to create widespread panic, and there is something in the idea of telling the (oft-told) story through contemporary media. There are also some interesting tweaks here: the red weed and the killer virus get a fun modern makeover. But this is weak: poor filmmaking (Eminem promo director Rich Lee has no idea how to depict people talking on screens convincingly), cheapo special effects, dumbass plotting, terrible dialogue (choice cut: “Take your intergalactic asses back home!”), poor performances and a climax that sees an Amazon service save the day. Prime nonsense.”
Marshal Shaffer, with Decider, wrote, “This limp, lifeless take on Wells’ War of the Worlds feels shoehorned into the ‘screen movie’ format just to harvest clicks from the recognizable name. If this film has any value, it will be for illustrating a depressing truth about the nature of civic participation in the second Trump era. What’s depressing is that even someone who claims he is the government surveillance state is rendered just another person spectating behind a screen at the collapse of society. There are no protagonists here, just posters.”
Loud and Clear’s Jordon Searle wrote, “The script itself is utterly atrocious, but combining this with Ice Cube’s performance makes this the nail in the coffin in viewing this as a serious adaptation. The film is not meant to be funny, but there are some so-bad-it’s-funny moments. Any time Ice Cube witnesses a tragedy on screen, his reaction is very underwhelming. The biggest reaction we get from him is when the aliens are eating all of the data in the world and one of the few places they attack is his dead wife’s Facebook page. In terms of story beats, it’s one of the most laughable of the year.”
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