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‘War Of The Worlds’ Takes 5 Years To Be Released, Only To Get 0% Score On Rotten Tomatoes
Close-up of Ice Cube wearing glasses in a promotional image for War of the Worlds after 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘War Of The Worlds’ Takes 5 Years To Be Released, Only To Get 0% Score On Rotten Tomatoes

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Fans were hoping for an epic alien showdown, but instead, the latest War of the Worlds movie is being seen as a cinematic catastrophe.

Despite having big names like Ice Cube and Eva Longoria in the credits, the latest adaptation of H.G. Wells’ science fiction novel was not the masterpiece viewers were hoping for.

“I’m not sure what possessed me to watch this (Ice Cube fandom, probably) but a 90 minute waterboarding session would be preferential to a second watching of it,” one commented online.

Highlights
  • The latest 'War of the Worlds' was released on Prime Video on July 30.
  • It didn’t take long for critics to slam the Rich Lee-directed movie, starring Ice Cube and Eva Longoria.
  • Austin Burke, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, quipped that the film was “in the discussion for worst movie of the decade so far.”
  • Some called the movie “one big ad for Amazon” due to the product placements.
BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting

    The latest War of the Worlds movie is being seen as a cinematic catastrophe

    Ice Cube wearing sunglasses and cap, smiling while discussing War of the Worlds meme frenzy and 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

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    Image credits: WIRED

    War of the Worlds debuted on Prime Video as the modern-day adaptation of the 1898 novel with the same title.

    It didn’t take long for critics to slam the Rich Lee-directed movie, starring Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, Henry Hunter Hall, Iman Benson, Devon Bostick and Michael O’Neill.

    Close-up of Ice Cube wearing glasses in War of the Worlds movie poster with a dark-themed background.

    Image credits: IMDB

    Much of the movie takes place on the computer screen of Will Radford (played by Ice Cube), who is a top cyber-security analyst at the Department of Homeland Security.

    Will is dealing with a hacker and an alien invasion, all while trying to protect his family.

    Much of the movie unfolds on the screen of character Will Radford, played by Ice Cube

    Close-up of a worried woman video calling a man with glasses amid a chaotic mission screen, referencing Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds.

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    Image credits: WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

    Viewers get to see a lot of Ice Cube grimacing and screaming at his computer screen as he sits in his mostly empty office.

    “Ice cube literally watches the entire world get mass m***ered by aliens in this movie, but the only time he shows any emotion is when his Facebook account gets deleted,” one joked online. “I am not kidding.”

    Woman identified with digital overlay analysis showing faith, education, and threat status in a modern indoor setting.

    Image credits: WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

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    Meme showing live slug reaction from Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds movie with humorous facial expression.

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    Image credits: BivouacChillin

    As he obsessively stares at his computer, the character chides his pregnant daughter (played by Iman Benson) for her eating habits. He also has conversations with his son (played by Henry Hunter Hall) and tells him not to spend all his time playing video games.

    War of the Worlds was slapped with a rare 0% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

    It has so far received an IMDb rating of 2.9/10.

    “The only time he shows any emotion is when his facebook account gets deleted,” one joked online about Ice Cube’s performance

    Close-up of Ice Cube wearing glasses, with a serious expression, related to War Of The Worlds movie review score.

    Image credits: WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

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    Screenshot of an MS Teams call notification during Ice Cube's War of the Worlds causing work anxiety and meme frenzy.

    Image credits: ktbresnahan

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    Austin Burke, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, quipped that the film was “in the discussion for worst movie of the decade so far.”

    Many even felt like the feature-length film was a commercial for all things Amazon, thanks to its excessive amount of product placement.

    “I need you to place an official order on Amazon to activate the drone,” one character tells another in one scene.

    War of the Worlds was slapped with a rare 0% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes

    Tweet about Ice Cube's War of the Worlds marketing showing "It's worse than you think" in blue text on black background.

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    Image credits: Kong_The_Monke

    Alien machines attack a city scene from Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds amid a chaotic emergency response shown on screen.

    Image credits: WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

    Despite the Amazon branding throughout the movie, Prime subscribers still had to sit through two minutes of ads while watching the film.

    “This is Actually the Worst Movie I’ve Ever Seen,” read the title of YouTuber penguinz0’s video about the film.

    He called the movie an “one big ad for Amazon” and an “insult to the entire medium of making movies.”

    The thriller, adapted from the 1898 novel, sparked a firestorm of memes online

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    Ice Cube in four reaction shots from War of the Worlds, highlighting memes after the film's 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

    Image credits: Foywonder

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    Two side-by-side images showing a government meeting featured in Ice Cube's War of the Worlds movie with blurred attendees.

    Image credits: WeLoveAviixt

    Even Ice Cube’s son joined the commentary on the movie with a response to an X user.

    “I truly can’t believe this adaptation of War Of The Worlds is actually a real film with a real budget and Ice Cube is actually in it,” the X user wrote in a tweet.

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    Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr. responded by saying: “Shot during the pandemic. Released 5 years later.”

    Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr. joined the online discussions about his father’s film

    Man wearing black hat and graphic t-shirt speaking into a microphone with Roku Channel logo, discussing Ice Cube War Of The Worlds.

    Image credits: The Rich Eisen Show

    Tweet expressing disbelief about Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds adaptation, sparking meme frenzy after 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

    Image credits: big_business_

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    Tweet from O'Shea Jackson Jr. humorously commenting on the delayed release of Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds movie during the pandemic.

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    Image credits: OsheaJacksonJr

    Rapper 50 Cent also took a moment to mock the movie on social media.

    “0 % 😳how you get a 0 percent rating 🤔Nah somebody mad at cube,” the rapper wrote in the caption. “Now I’m scared to watch it  LOL @50centaction.”

    Rapper 50 Cent also mocked the movie and said he’s now “scared” to watch it

    Ice Cube portraying a serious character in a scene from War Of The Worlds with a dark background.

    Image credits: WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

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    People running in a city street with large alien tripods towering above, referencing Ice Cube War Of The Worlds meme scene.

    Image credits: WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

    The production of the movie began in 2020. But it is unclear why the film took five years to reach people’s screens.

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    “The idea was organic,” producer Patrick Aiello told Deadline. “When catastrophes happen today, we experience them through our devices. That insight shaped the storytelling and tech used to create this immersive thriller.”

    He said the “studio-scale sci-fi epic” was made using a format that puts the viewers “inside the action through the lenses of phones, computers, and tablets.”

    Image credits: WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

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    “It’s a visceral, first-person experience designed for big screens in a language and format that is now natural within our daily lives,” he added.

    The previous War of the Worlds adaption was released in 2005 and starred Tom Cruise in the lead role.

    Tom plays the role of a father stepping up to protect his two children during a violent alien invasion.

    The internet was flooded with bad reviews after War of the Worlds released on Prime Video

    Facebook comment by Timothy Wilcox humorously criticizing Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds with 256 reactions.

    Comment from Cliff Bauman criticizing Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds, calling it a very bad idea compared to Cruise and Spielberg's works.

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    Comment from Kirk Rowane expressing opinion about Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds movie after poor Rotten Tomatoes score.

    User review text criticizing Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds movie for poor acting and plot on Rotten Tomatoes.

    Social media comment reacting to Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds meme frenzy after 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

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    Social media meme showing frustration, related to Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds and its 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

    Screenshot of a social media comment predicting Razzie nominations for Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds after 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

    Social media comment criticizing Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds following its 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

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    Screenshot of a social media comment humorously referencing Ice Cube's War of the Worlds during a Zoom call.

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    Text message with a comment about Ice Cube, related to Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds meme frenzy after a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

    Comment by Nicholas Ashley saying he thought the trailer was an SNL skit, relating to Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds.

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    Social media post showing a review mention of War Of The Worlds film with Arabic text and emojis.

    Comment on Ice Cube’s War of the Worlds meme frenzy after the film’s 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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    Comment from Lisa Rivers humorously comparing Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds to an Amazon and Tesla commercial.

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    Comment by Christian Espinoza expressing excitement about an alien, related to Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds meme frenzy.

    Comment reading Guess ice cube finally melted in a social media post about Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds meme frenzy.

    Comment on Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds movie showing 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes sparking meme frenzy.

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    User comment about frequent ads, related to Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds meme frenzy after the 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

    Comment by Ivan Nikolov saying Sharknado was more entertaining, sparking memes about Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds and its 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

    Text message discussing a meme about Ice Cube's War Of The Worlds soundtrack after 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

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    Binitha Jacob

    Binitha Jacob

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

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    At Bored Panda, I dive into breaking celebrity news, Hollywood updates, and viral pop culture stories that spark global conversations. My background as a reporter at International Business Times and Latin Times gave me experience covering fast-moving entertainment stories for international audiences. Today, my work regularly appears on Google News, AOL, and MSN, reaching millions of readers. What excites me most is capturing the pop culture moments that people can’t stop talking about.

    Read less »
    Binitha Jacob

    Binitha Jacob

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    At Bored Panda, I dive into breaking celebrity news, Hollywood updates, and viral pop culture stories that spark global conversations. My background as a reporter at International Business Times and Latin Times gave me experience covering fast-moving entertainment stories for international audiences. Today, my work regularly appears on Google News, AOL, and MSN, reaching millions of readers. What excites me most is capturing the pop culture moments that people can’t stop talking about.

    What do you think ?
    Al Ban
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What is your opinion on the movie's choice to show most action through computer and phone screens? Since it was shoot during the pandemic it makes sense, but it's still a very bad movie that shouldn't have been release

    amy lee
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Plus if a movie loses money it's a little tax break for someone mega rich.

    Load More Replies...
    JayWantsACat
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While it still would be a bad film, that it was shot during the pandemic and was supposed to be released then makes much more sense and, to me, gives it some leeway.

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    BrunoVI
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So this is dumber than the Tom Cruise version? Hardly seems possible.

    Börje Strömming
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh boy, watch it and see for yourself. It is really bad

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Al Ban
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What is your opinion on the movie's choice to show most action through computer and phone screens? Since it was shoot during the pandemic it makes sense, but it's still a very bad movie that shouldn't have been release

    amy lee
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Plus if a movie loses money it's a little tax break for someone mega rich.

    Load More Replies...
    JayWantsACat
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While it still would be a bad film, that it was shot during the pandemic and was supposed to be released then makes much more sense and, to me, gives it some leeway.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    BrunoVI
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So this is dumber than the Tom Cruise version? Hardly seems possible.

    Börje Strömming
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh boy, watch it and see for yourself. It is really bad

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
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