On July 30, 2025, the movieWar of the Worlds, starringIce Cube, premiered onPrime Videoto an overwhelmingly negative critical response. Headlines were made regardingthe film’s shocking initial 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes(though as of this writing it has moved up to a slightly more impressive 3%), and memes mocking Ice Cube’s acting spread across the internet like wildfire. The one question repeated over and over again by both seasoned film aficionados and casual viewers alike has been: “IsWar of the Worldsone of the worst movies of all time?”
With an ambitious cinematic storytelling style hindered by a low budget and a director inexperienced with feature films,War of the Worldscertainly has some striking flaws. However, that does not necessarily render it without entertainment value. As evidenced by the large fan following for the films of director Ed Wood, flaws can actually be very interesting to watch.Additionally, Ice Cube’s performance, while certainly memeworthy, also has a lot of heart and sincerity to it.
The latest cinematic iteration ofWar of the Worldsis very loosely based on the 1898 science fiction novel of the same name by H. G. Wells about an alien invasion of Earth. Perhaps one of the most famous of all the adaptations of Wells' story is the 1938 radio broadcast narrated by legendary actor/director Orson Welles (no relation to Wells), which was so believable that it actually inspired a real-life panic. Notable film versions of the tale include the stirring 1951 movie produced by sci-fi/fantasy auteur George Pal, and the 2005 blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Cruise.
In contrast to this considerable pedigree, the 2025War of the Worldsis directed by Rich Lee, best known for directing a long string of music videos starring such performers as Eminem, Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, and Billie Eilish. While the pipeline fromdirecting music videos to successful film movies is robust(with names such as David Fincher, Michel Gondry, and Spike Jonze),War of the Worldsis Lee’s first full-length movie, and it very much feels like a production with a heavy learning curve.
Additionally, if a feature debut wasn’t enough of a tall order, the storytelling is also done in the ambitious screenlife narrative style, in which most of the story takes place within a visual collage of electronic devices such as computers and smartphones. While there is an impressive list ofwell-reviewed horror movies using the screenlife style, does it really translate over to science fiction flicks? Perhaps with a seasoned director and a hearty special effects budget it might, but alas, this version ofWar of the Worldshas neither.
The digital effects onWar of the Worldsare of the two-dimensional, “pixelated” quality common in low-budget direct-to-streaming productions with far less media exposure than Lee’s movie. These lackluster effects may simply seem cheesy in a production with a regular narrative style, but when combinedwith the particular elements of screenlifethey can be particularly devastating. Crucial scenes in the film’s plot lose their impact as the subpar special effects are rendered even smaller and more insignificant on the device screens the characters (and movie viewers) watch. As a result, key moments inWar of the Worlds, such as defeating the gigantic alien machines, are reduced to mere footnotes instead of being epic moments.
This visual and narrative awkwardness is then combined with several moments so mind-boggling that they distract the viewer altogether. Consider the infamous line spoken by the President in the film, “I see no other option but to initiate this war of the worlds to save us all.” Clumsily shoehorning the title of the movie into this piece of dialogue is groan-inducing to the nth degree. What script editor wouldallowthis? Or take the jaw-dropping Amazon product placement at the film’s climax, about as subtle as a sledgehammer. No “normal” film, however mid, would make these types of mistakes and questionable choices.
However, there is something profoundlyfascinatingabout these blunders that keeps eyeballs riveted to the movie itself. They almost beg the question: was the film made this badly on purpose, as some sort of metaSnakes on a Planeexperiment? Was theWar of the Worlds’tagline, “It’s worse than you think,” a knowing wink to the media phenomenon the movie would become?
Then again, the viewer may come to an even more intriguing conclusion: perhaps nobody making the film realized how dreadful this all was. Maybe there is a type of extreme sincerity at play here withWar of the Worldsand other such movies. To the fans of these types of heavily flawed films, all these inexplicably awful choices can give the production an almost religiously transcendent aura. If a movie is so-bad-it’s good, is itreallybad? Yes, it may be really bad, but also quite entertaining. AsEntertainment Weekly’sJordan Hoffman noted in his review, “It’s certainly stupid, but also a great deal of fun.”
Ice Cube’s Performance as William RadfordHas Heart
The star ofWar of the Worldsis every bit as unconventional as its storytelling approach. Rapper/actor/producer Ice Cube plays the curmudgeonly William “Will” Radford, a surveillance expert employed by the Department of Homeland Security. Per the screenlife style, we see a lot of his character as the story is mostly viewed through his eyes, through the computer screens and video cameras connected to them. While Cube has appeared in around 40 films, includingthe critically acclaimedBoyz in the Hoodand comedy/action franchises such asXXX,21 Jump Street, andAre We There Yet?, his role inWar of the Worldsis unique. Per the specific needs of the storytelling device, Will Radford is largely a rolling stream of reaction shots, many of them now popular online memes.
Was Ice Cube the most ideal actor for this highly-focused “man sitting in a chair” movie? Certainly, Denzel Washington or Tom Hanks might have given the role more of a deeply textured performance unhindered by the confined perspective. That said, Ice Cube’s work inWar of the Worldsis extremely to-the-point and sincere, convincingly “selling” Radford’s frustrations, fears, regrets, and triumphs. Is Radford a character of Shakespearean portions? No, but whether he is being the over-protective dad or reeling in shock at some dastardly alien (or human) doings, he’sbelievable. He may sometimes be a little goofy, but the goofiness is believable for that character. And quite frankly, Will Radford’s personality isn’t that different fromother characters Ice Cube has portrayed in filmssuch asAre We There Yet?and21 Jump Street. It’s what you get when you hire Ice Cube.
Two weeks after its premiere,War of the Worldshas consistently been in Amazon Prime Video’s Top 5 “Most Viewed” list. The film continues to be talked about and discussed all over social media and film websites, with a number of meme images and video clips featuring Will Radford garnering “likes” in the tens of thousands. Perhaps it will enter the hallowed hall of other movies, perhaps scorned but never forgotten, alongside such champs asThe Room,Cats, and, of course, Ed Wood’sPlan 9 From Outer Space.
