Ice Cube takes center screen in War of the Worlds, a baffling retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic alien invasion tale that plays more like an Amazon Prime parody than a sci-fi thriller.
Released straight to streaming and staged entirely from a desktop view, this screenlife-style film strips global catastrophe down to glitchy clips, bland video calls, and Ice Cube yelling at his kids while the world burns offscreen.
Directed by VFX veteran Rich Lee, known more for music videos than narrative storytelling, this new War of the Worlds feels less like a disaster movie and more like a budget surveillance demo. Ice Cube stars as Will Radford, a grumpy Department of Homeland Security analyst who spends his days monitoring citizens, including his pregnant daughter Faith (Iman Benson) and gaming-obsessed son Dave (Henry Hunter Hall). That’s right, aliens are invading, but Will’s biggest concern is Faith’s snack habits and Dave’s screen time.
Things kick off with Will tracking a hacker named “Disruptor” with the help of his boss (Clark Gregg) and field agent Jeffries (Andrea Savage). Cue endless screen-jumping as Will multitasks like a caffeinated IT guy, shouting “Not on my watch!” while clicking through surveillance windows like a Twitch streamer on edge. Meanwhile, his only coworkers seem to be stock footage and a very expressive forehead vein.
Then come the meteors. NASA scientist Sandra Salas (Eva Longoria) warns something strange is coming, but Will brushes it off, until fiery orbs crash into Earth and aliens emerge from the debris. Except, don’t expect big-budget chaos. What we get are blurry phone clips, YouTube-style news reports, and bargain-bin CGI. The first alien tripod unfolds dramatically, but any potential awe gets lost in pixelation and dialogue like “Take your intergalactic asses back home!”
The movie tries to pivot from invasion story to father-daughter redemption arc, but neither part lands. As Faith goes into labor mid-apocalypse, Will juggles presidential calls and fetal heart rate data like a sci-fi midwife. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Mark (Devon Bostick) – a wisecracking Prime delivery driver – races to the rescue, delivering the most absurd product placement in recent memory. Yes, you heard right: saving the world apparently requires placing an Amazon order to activate a defense drone.
Writers Kenneth A. Golde and Mark Hyman stuff the script with throwaway commentary on surveillance, privacy, and parenting, but it’s all surface-level and half-baked. The movie never digs into what makes War of the Worlds a classic, the fear of the unknown, humanity’s vulnerability, or even good old-fashioned alien terror. Instead, it’s mostly Cube grumbling in front of a laptop and occasionally threatening digital lifeforms with Dad energy and desktop rage.
The only moment that feels remotely alive is when Ice Cube finally explodes with the now-iconic line, “Take your intergalactic asses back home!”, a brief flash of his trademark fire in a movie otherwise running on fumes. The rest feels like a corporate product masquerading as a thriller, more interested in clicks than chaos.
If Orson Welles’ 1938 broadcast terrified a nation, this one might just confuse it. War of the Worlds on Prime has none of the spectacle, suspense, or smart storytelling the original inspired. Instead, it leaves us wondering: can we get a refund on our time?
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
