Saturday, July 4, 2026

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

Share

★ Make Showbiz411 your Preferred Source on Google

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 Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Read more

In Other News