The 1898 bestseller,The War of the Worlds, byH. G. Wells, has received numerous adaptations over the years, beginning withOrson Welles' 1938 radio drama.This year has also seen a film adaptation, the latest of all and coming on the heels of the 2023War of the Worlds: The Attack, directed byJunaid Syed. Theadaptation in question isthe Ice Cube-starringWar of the Worlds, released byUniversal Picturesjust last week, which has now officially received a Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes alongside highly unfavorablereviews from critics.
War of the Worlds, directed byRich Lee, has been dealta rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, days after itsdebut on Amazon Prime Video on August 11, 2025. Not to mention, all twelve critics’ reviews on the site found fault with every aspect of the movie, from its cast to its presentation. One such remark, fromTodd Jorgensonof Cinemalogue, reads, “Failing to muster any meaningful suspense from its misguided gimmick, this reimagining of the classic H.G. Wells science-fiction saga becomes more ridiculous as it goes along.”
Ice Cube leads the screenlife productionas Will Radford, a surveillance and threat assessment expert at the Department of Homeland Security. Starring beside him areEva Longoria,Clark Gregg,Andrea Savage,Henry Hunter Hall,Iman Benson,DevonBostick, andMichael O’Neill. Also, theWar of the Worldsfilm was written byKenneth A. GoldeandMarc Hymanfrom a story by Golde. Producers arePatrick AielloandTimur Bekmambetov.
Tom Cruise Led One of The Most Popular ‘War of the Worlds’ Adaptations
Of all theWar of the Worldsadaptations, there are roughly twelve theatrical films that began with the 1953 pic produced byGeorge Paland directed byByron Haskin, for Paramount Pictures, which, of course, is not the most popular.That title goes tothe 2005 adaptation directed by Steven Spielbergand written byJosh FriedmanandDavid Koepp. The film featured a brilliant ensemble led byTom Cruiseand includingDakota Fanning,Miranda Otto, andTim Robbins, withMorgan Freemannarrating.
Compared to the most recentWar of the Worldsadaptation,the 2005 film was a laudable successboth critically and commercially. It earneda fresh 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoesand has grossed over $603 million worldwide against a $132 million production budget. On top of that, it became the fourth-most successful film of 2005 and received Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
Ice Cube’sWar of the Worldsis streaming on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for more information.
War of the Worlds
