The “War of the Worlds” film (2025), starring Ice Cube and released on Amazon Prime Video, promised to be a bold, modern reimagining of H.G. Wells’ iconic alien invasion story. Instead, it is one of the most comically awful movies of 2025, if not the decade. While Hollywood has successfully reinterpreted classics before, this iteration collapses under the weight of its own misguided choices, poor execution and baffling narrative decisions.
According to Rotten Tomatoes compilation of critical reviews, “War of the Worlds” holds a shockingly low 4% critics score and a similarly low audience rating, placing it among the year’s worst films. Critics have widely panned the movie for its cheesy and cliche plot, subpar visuals and its repeated product placement for Amazon that becomes more laughable each time. I actually disagree with them, as I do not understand how it got a whole 4%.
One of the film’s most controversial stylistic decisions is its “found footage” format, a narrative told almost entirely through computer and phone screens rather than traditional cinematography. In theory, this approach could have offered a fresh angle on a familiar story. In practice, it results in a static, claustrophobic experience that feels more like watching someone scroll through their inbox than surviving an alien invasion. Most of the runtime is spent with Ice Cube’s character, Homeland Security analyst Will Radford, staring at screens and reacting to digital alerts, a choice that turns what should be high-stakes action into repetitive clicking and dialogue with hilariously unprofessional on-screen graphics.
The execution of special effects also contributes to the film’s shortcomings. Multiple critics describe the CGI and visual design as dated or unconvincing, with some comparing it unfavorably to television commercials or low-budget productions. Instead of thrilling set pieces and immersive alien encounters, audiences are left staring at poorly rendered meteor showers, clearly fake explosions and aliens that look like someone dragging a .png file across a screen.
Another frequent complaint centers around misplaced product integration. Scenes where major tech brands like Amazon and Microsoft are prominently featured have sparked accusations that the film feels more like a branding exercise than a dramatic narrative. One especially criticized moment involves a Prime Air drone delivering a crucial USB drive, a plot device that seems to push commercial placement ahead of logical storytelling.
However, I actually think in a way that the trashy product plug actually adds to the movie. The product placement is so hilariously awful that it reads as a repeated gag that only the audience is in on. The climax of the story, the most important moment in the entire plot, genuinely revolves around the main character needing to order something off of Amazon to save the world.
On Reddit and other fan forums, viewers express similarly hilarious frustrations. Many describe the film as “just Ice Cube sitting in front of his computer,” with the narrative lacking momentum, emotional weight or genuine suspense. Some even speculate online that the screenplay reads like something generated by AI, given its awkward dialogue, out of nowhere cliche “emotional” moments and horrible jokes.
The issues with the dialogue, however, actually doesn’t revolve solely around the writing itself. The acting is quite possibly the worst I’ve ever seen. Ice Cube says his lines as if he’s reading them for the first time throughout the entirety of the movie, and it becomes especially apparent about halfway through the film. Not to mention the supporting characters that could have been pulled off the street, and I wouldn’t know the difference. Unironically, the far and away best acting in the movie comes from Devon Bostick, the same guy who played Rodrick in the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” films.
Yet “War of the Worlds” isn’t just a bad movie. Its very awfulness has turned it into a kind of comedic viewing experience. According to Collider, the movie became a streaming sensation on Prime Video largely due to viewers tuning in out of curiosity or to mock it with friends.
Overall, “War of the Worlds” is so insanely bad that I actually really enjoyed watching it. Every time you think it can’t get any worse, it does, and it’s really impressive that someone actually got Universal Studios to invest in this. Incredible joke watch with friends, 10/10.
