A recent adaptation of H.G. Wells’ iconic science fiction novel, “War of the Worlds,” has premiered on Amazon Prime Video, quickly drawing an overwhelming wave of negative feedback from both critics and audiences, with many labeling it among the worst films ever produced.
Despite Prime Video’s otherwise successful year, marked by popular action thrillers like G20 and Heads of State, alongside acclaimed series such as We Were Liars and the popular return of The Summer I Turned Pretty, this latest cinematic offering stands out for all the wrong reasons.
The highly anticipated War of the Worlds film, starring renowned rapper Ice Cube, has been met with comprehensive condemnation. This particular film adaptation attempts to bring a fresh perspective to the beloved narrative.
Diverging significantly from previous iterations, this science fiction thriller casts Ice Cube as a cybersecurity specialist for Homeland Security and employs a contemporary “screenlife” format, where the entire narrative unfolds through computer and mobile phone displays. This innovative approach, however, failed to resonate with viewers.
Many movie reviews and public reactions have highlighted a perceived lack of effort, with one disheartened viewer remarking, “Even those [other bad movies] have a certain charm and a certain level of effort behind them. This movie is the absolute laziest movie I’ve ever seen, and it’s so blatant about it.”
The significant production values and celebrity involvement, including actress Eva Longoria alongside Ice Cube, also drew cynical commentary. Another viewer posted, “Have to assume Eva Longoria and Ice Cube must have got PAIDDDD to be in this AI junk. Didn’t think we could see worse than the weekend’s movie but here it is!”
Further reinforcing the critical consensus, a reviewer on Letterboxd awarded the streaming film a meager half-star, declaring it “arguably one of the worse movies to be released/distributed by a major platform in the last 5 years.”
The widespread disappointment surrounding this film criticism suggests a significant misstep for Prime Video, casting a shadow on their recent successes and prompting questions about the quality control for their streaming movies original content and adaptations of classic literature.
