Ice Cube’s new War of the Worlds is already being called one of the worst movies of the year, but how bad is it really? Plenty of bad movies are turned into memes online, but War of the Worlds seems to be another level, with countless people making fun of it online.
War of the Worlds is one of the most beloved sci-fi stories of all time, since the H.G. Wells book was first published in 1898. Since then, the classic has been adapted countless times, most notably via the 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast, the 1953 Byron Haskin film, and the 2005 Steven Spielberg film.
The book has been cited as one of the most influential pieces of science fiction, and it forever changed the alien invasion genre. These influences can still be seen today, as the book has once again been adapted to film, this time starring Ice Cube. However, this one hasn’t fared nearly as well critically.
Yes, War Of The Worlds Is As Bad As Expected
The viewers aren’t exaggerating; 2025’s War of the Worlds really is that bad. The movie currently has a 0% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, joining an incredibly small club that features some of the worst movies of all time. The audience score isn’t much better, with the movie sitting at 20% as of the writing of this article.
The film’s plot is nonsensical, relying on a complete misunderstanding of basic concepts like wi-fi, jump drives, and the internet. It completely fails to capture the cosmic horror of other adaptations, with the usage of the War of the Worlds name feeling like a lazy way to boost views by ᴀssociating the film with a known franchise.
Ice Cube’s performance is being called one of the worst of the year; his line reads are even being mocked on social media. Unfortunately for the actor, the film wholly consists of him sitting in front of a camera and pretending that he is on online calls, meaning that he had to spend the production acting against nothing.
The editing of War of the Worlds is especially atrocious. Not only does the film not sell the idea that all of these calls are happening on real computers, but the movie is plagued with editing errors and poorly-designed graphics and effects. It is also a slog to get through, with the 89-minute film feeling incredibly meandering despite its frantic pace and story.
Unless you want to laugh at it, there is almost no reason to watch 2025’s War of the Worlds. It is easily one of the worst movies of 2025 so far, and it is hard to imagine another major release this year topping it.
