Everyone surely knows the story of how, in 1938, Orson Welles' voice filtered through radios across the United States, announcing the invasion of Earth by extra-terrestrial creatures and sending listeners into a panic (though the scale of that panic has been called into question in subsequent years). In reality, Welles was performing an adaptation of H.G. Wells' 1898 novel "War of the Worlds," but the news format of the broadcast convinced some listeners that Martians had actually arrived on our
home planet. Since then, we've had several other, less panic-inducing adaptations of the sci-fi classic, including Steven Spielberg's complex, atypical 2005 blockbuster. Now, however, Ice Cube has made a "War of the Worlds" movie, which in and of itself should have induced just as wide a panic as Welles' unconventional radio broadcast. Instead, it seems viewers can't get enough of this film, which has otherwise dismayed critics across the board.
The movie stars Ice Cube as Homeland Security terror analyst and surveillance wiz Will Radford, a man who apparently has far too much time on his hands as he spends most of his shift surveilling his own children and chastising them for playing video games and not eating as healthily as he'd like. Soon, however, the alien invasion begins, which, instead of witnessing in all the 4K glory that a modern-day adaptation can offer, we see via lo-res clips taken by everyday citizens pointing their phones at the ongoing carnage.
Yes, the 2025 "War of the Worlds" all plays out on Ice Cube's desktop computer (the film was shot during the pandemic) à la 2018's "Searching," which also unfolded entirely on computer screens and was a genuine thrill to watch. Even the sequel, "Missing," was a messier but no less thrilling follow-up. "War of the Worlds," however, has been anything but — at least according to critics. At least Prime Video viewers appear to be loving it.
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War Of The Worlds Invades The Prime Video Charts
"War of the Worlds" comes from frequent Eminem music video director Rich Lee and presents to us the chilling image of Ice Cube being given access to the nation's security cameras. That's surely a more terrifying prospect than an alien invasion, but "War of the Worlds" also asks the question, "Is Ice Cube charismatic enough for viewers to watch 90 minutes of him clicking around his desktop?" According to most critics, the answer is an emphatic "no." But that hasn't stopped the Prime Video subscribers from streaming this one in earnest, sending it right to the top of the streamers' most-watched charts.
"War of the Worlds" was released via Universal Pictures on Prime Video on July 30, 2025, and has become an instant hit. According to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks viewership data across streaming platforms, the movie debuted on the Prime Video movie charts in 34 countries around the world on July 31, 2025. What's more, it hit number one in 11 of them, including the United States and Canada.
That's a strong debut for Ice Cube's sci-fi adaptation, which is also currently charting at number two in 10 other countries, suggesting it will soon take the top spot in several other markets. At the time of writing, the film is no lower than number four in any of the countries in which it's charting, further proving that Prime Video has a burgeoning hit on its hands. Whether it can maintain its position at the top of the charts, however, remains to be seen, but judging by the reviews, the "War of the Worlds" chart invasion might be a short-lived
War Of The Worlds Has Crashed And Burned With Critic
Prime Video viewers might have been gleefully streaming "War of the Worlds," but the movie isn't enjoying the best critical reception. In fact, critics have been merciless in their assessment of the film, with Variety dubbing it a "disastrous movie retelling of H.G. Wells' alien-invasion classic," and a "cheap-looking thriller." But perhaps the most egregious thing about "War of the Worlds" is the fact that, as Variety put it, the film amounts to little more than "a feature-length commercial for all things Amazon."
At one point, Will's future son-in-law, Mark Goodman (Devon Bostick as), who drives a Prime delivery truck, instructs Will to "place an official order on Amazon" to activate a drone delivery ("the future of delivery, according to Mark). The process of Will adding the order to his cart then plays out for us all to see in a sequence that surely disqualifies the movie from being taken seriously beyond some sort of promo for the very platform on which it's being distributed. At one point, an unhoused man who helps right a downed drone is rewarded for his effort with an Amazon gift card. This is likely what prompted Film Stories to call the film "one of the most breathtakingly odd things you'll see this year."
If you like overt advertisements for products and services as part of your sci-fi thrillers, then "War of the Worlds" might be for you. Hey, it seems to have worked for the film so far. Otherwise, despite its chart success, this might not be the most advisable choice. There are, however, several great Prime Video shows that justify a subscription, including the "Bosch" spin-off series that recently took over the Prime Video charts.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
