Topline<\/p>\n
Ice Cube\u2019s new movie \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d is the No. 1 film on Amazon Prime Video\u2014but it is going viral for the wrong reasons and facing brutal mockery by social media users and critics, who have called it \u201ctragic\u201d and \u201ccheap-looking,\u201d slapping it with a rare 0% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n
Ice Cube stars in the critically panned “War of the Worlds.” (Photo by Paras Griffin\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Rapper-actor Ice Cube stars in a new adaptation of the 1898 H.G. Wells novel, \u201cWar of the Worlds,\u201d on Amazon Prime Video, in which he plays a Department of Homeland Security computer security agent who contends with an alien invasion.<\/p>\n
The movie is a modern remake of the century-old novel, and it is told completely through the perspective<\/a> of computer screens as characters interact with one another through video calls.<\/p>\n \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d is the No. 1 movie on the streaming platform as of Wednesday\u2014but the movie has been universally panned by critics and audiences, earning a 0% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> and a dismal 17% audience score.<\/p>\n The movie was directed by first-time feature film director Rich Lee, who has previously made music videos for artists including Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish and Eminem, with the cast of \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d being rounded out by actors Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage and Henry Hunter Hall.<\/p>\n What Are Critics Saying About \u201cwar Of The Worlds?\u201d<\/p>\n Variety<\/a> critic Peter Debruge slammed the movie as a \u201ccheap-looking thriller\u201d and criticized Ice Cube\u2019s performance, stating he has \u201ctwo expressions: a resting scowl and nuclear overreaction,\u201d neither of which make him convincing as a government security agent. The Daily Telegraph<\/a> critic Ed Power said the movie is \u201cone of the most tragic things Prime has put on screen,\u201d stating it \u201cleeches all the fun out of what should be an epic tale of alien invasion.\u201d \u201cNobody put any effort into this. None,\u201d said Korey Coleman, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic who runs the Double Toasted podcast<\/a>, criticizing the graphics and the way the film was designed to be told entirely through computer screens. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic Austin Burke<\/a> said \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d is \u201cin the discussion for worst movie of the decade so far,\u201d criticizing the CGI and stating the movie is unintentionally funny. Some critics said the movie had an excessive amount of product placement for Amazon. Power said in one scene, a character tells another: \u201cI need you to place an official order on Amazon to activate the drone,\u201d and an Amazon delivery driver saves the day.<\/p>\n How Are Social Media Users Reacting To \u201cwar Of The Worlds?\u201d<\/p>\n The film has gone viral on social media, largely because users have poked fun at it. Popular YouTube creator penguinz0, who has 17 million subscribers, criticized \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d in a video<\/a> titled, \u201cThis is Actually the Worst Movie I’ve Ever Seen,\u201d garnering 3.5 million views. He said the film is an \u201cinsult to the entire medium of making movies\u201d and is \u201cone big ad for Amazon.\u201d One user on X<\/a> called the movie \u201chilariously awful\u201d and attached a clip of the scene, panned by many reviewers, in which an Amazon delivery driver sends Ice Cube\u2019s character a thumbdrive he needs. Other clips have gone viral on social media making fun of Ice Cube\u2019s expressions<\/a> throughout<\/a> the movie.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d started production in 2020, Deadline reported<\/a>, though it is unclear why the film was not released until five years later. The movie was produced by Timur Bekmambetov, who has helmed other movies that take place entirely on computer screens, like \u201cSearching\u201d and \u201cUnfriended,\u201d though those movies were better reviewed by critics. Bekmambetov told Deadline<\/a> the movie was told through screens to put a modern twist on the original novel, so audiences can \u201cask themselves: If aliens invaded today, how would we experience it? Most likely, we\u2019d be watching it on our phones.\u201d <\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n Wells\u2019 novel has been adapted for film before to much greater success. In 2005, Steven Spielberg directed a \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d film starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, which earned a 76% score on Rotten Tomatoes and three Academy Award nominations. Spielberg\u2019s version grossed $604 million at the global box office, making it the fourth-highest-grossing<\/a> film of that year. A 1953 film adaptation titled \u201cThe War of the Worlds\u201d won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects and earned nominations for editing and sound recording.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n