War of the Worlds (2025): A Screenlife Sci-Fi Misfire or Guilty Pleasure? Review

War of the Worlds (2025) – Review

War of the Worlds is a 2025 American screenlife science fiction thriller film based on H. G. Wells’s 1898 novel The War of the Worlds. Directed by Rich Lee, with a screenplay by Kenneth A. Golde and Marc Hyman from a story by Golde, the film stars Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, Henry Hunter Hall, Iman Benson, Devon Bostick, and Michael O’Neill. It was released by Universal Pictures on Amazon Prime Video on July 30, 2025.

Plot

The story follows Department of Homeland Security officer Will Radford (Ice Cube), who manages a surveillance program capable of monitoring nearly every human being on Earth. His obsession with control creates distance between him and his children—his pregnant daughter Faith and hacker son Dave.

As meteors crash across the planet, towering alien machines emerge, attacking humanity and feeding on the world’s digital infrastructure. When Will discovers that Dave is secretly the hacker known as “Disruptor,” he learns the U.S. government’s Project Goliath may have triggered the invasion by exposing humanity’s dependence on data.

Teaming up with Dave and Faith, Will fights both corrupt government officials and the alien threat. The climax sees the family using Faith’s biomedical research to shut down Goliath, which in turn disables the alien forces. Humanity survives, but not without personal and moral cost.

Cast

• Ice Cube as William “Will” Radford, DHS surveillance expert

• Eva Longoria as Dr. Sandra Salas, NASA scientist and Will’s ally

• Clark Gregg as Donald Briggs, DHS Director

• Iman Benson as Faith Radford, Will’s daughter and biomedical researcher

• Henry Hunter Hall as Dave Radford, hacker son known as “Disruptor”

• Devon Bostick as Mark Goodman, Faith’s boyfriend, an Amazon delivery driver

• Michael O’Neill as Walter Crystal, U.S. Secretary of Defense

• Andrea Savage as FBI Agent Sheila Jeffries

• Jim Meskimen as President of the United States

Production

The project was first developed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with Ice Cube joining as the lead. Producer Timur Bekmambetov pushed for the screenlife format, telling the story entirely through laptops, smartphones, and digital feeds. Universal quickly fast-tracked the film, and Eva Longoria was added to the cast soon after.

The film was officially revealed in 2024 as a modern adaptation of Wells’s The War of the Worlds. By July 2025, the rest of the cast was announced. Composer Jon Natchez provided the score, mixing electronic tones with suspenseful orchestration to complement the screen-based storytelling.

Release

War of the Worlds premiered on Amazon Prime Video on July 30, 2025, distributed by Universal Pictures.

Reception

The film was widely panned by critics and audiences alike. Ice Cube’s performance was singled out as unconvincing, while

the excessive product placement—especially Amazon branding—was heavily criticized. The climax, involving an Amazon Prime Air drone, was mocked as unintentionally comical.

Despite the negative response, some viewers found it entertaining in a “so bad it’s good” way. A few praised its experimental use of screenlife technology and the timely themes of surveillance and privacy.

Overall, the film has been considered one of the weaker adaptations of The War of the Worlds, with more criticism than acclaim.

Streaming Availability

• Now Streaming: War of the Worlds (2025) is currently available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

• Coming Soon: Expected to arrive on additional digital platforms such as Apple TV, Google TV, and Vudu later in 2025.
  

Verdict

👽 2 out of 5 stars War of the Worlds (2025) is ambitious but flawed. The screenlife concept offers a clever update, but clumsy execution and overbearing branding sink what could have been a gripping reimagining. For some viewers, it may fall into the “so bad it’s fun” category—making it worth a late-night curiosity watch.

The Good

• The screenlife format brings a fresh spin to a well-told story. Seeing the invasion through livestreams, texts, and government feeds adds urgency and realism.

• Eva Longoria and Iman Benson deliver grounded performances, providing heart in the middle of the digital chaos.

• The themes of surveillance, privacy, and data dependency feel timely and relevant.

The Bad

• Ice Cube’s lead role feels miscast, with many critics calling his performance flat and unconvincing.

• Heavy product placement (especially Amazon tie-ins) breaks immersion and turns some serious moments into unintentional comedy.

• The film’s pacing suffers as technical jargon and screen-hopping often replace genuine suspense.
  

War of the Worlds (2025) set out to reimagine a classic story for the digital age, blending modern anxieties about surveillance, technology, and corporate power with the timeless dread of alien invasion. While the film’s screenlife format offered a fresh lens, the execution left many audiences divided—some frustrated by its heavy-handed product placement and uneven performances, while others found guilty-pleasure entertainment in its chaos.

In the end, the movie may not stand as the definitive adaptation of H. G. Wells’s masterpiece, but it sparks conversation about how we might witness an invasion today—through the very screens we depend on. For fans of experimental sci-fi, it’s worth a curious watch, but expectations should be tempered.