Monday, December 8, 2025

Amazon Prime’s “War of the Worlds” Starring Ice Cube Gets a Rare Zero from Critics, Slammed as a Commercial for the Company

Share

It’s been a while since someone made a version of “War of the Worlds.”

That was Steven Spielberg, with Tom Cruise. The movie was a massive international hit, making $630 million worldwide.

So, why not remake in the cheapest, worst way possible? That’s what Amazon Studios has done, in streaming only movie starring Ice Cube.

Yes.

This version drops today on the platform and has a rare ZERO on Rotten Tomatoes. No one knows what it cost, but let’s say $30-$40 million minimum.

The director is someone really no one knows named Rich Lee. So far, on the audience meter, there’s a 20% rating.

Critics have slammed the film as a “commercial for Amazon” and nothing else.

Of course, I guess, Amazon has bottomless pockets and can just throw away any money it likes.

But really? Wasn’t there a better use for time, money, and resources?

Thirteen producers are listed including Timur Bekmambetov, the Carolco of his generation. I’m surprised Dean Cain wasn’t featured in this movie. (See previous item.)

Variety said: “Even with a Prime subscription, you have to sit through two minutes of ads to watch 90 more of what amounts to a feature-length commercial for all things Amazon.”

Off the 22 reviews on RT, that was the only one posted by a published critic. The rest were bloggers and they all agreed.

Donate to Showbiz411.com

Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news. This is an independent site, unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company. To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies, music, theater, etc, advertising is our basis. Reader donations would be greatly appreciated, too. They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.
Thank you


Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News