Ice Cube's Alien Invasion Flops

It appears that the world has survived another attack, but this time the fight wasn't against extraterrestrial creatures. No, this battle took place in the colder realm of critical reception. Amazon Prime Video's War of the Worlds, starring rap mogul-turned-actor Ice Cube, has been on a long, roller-coaster ride that's more chilling than thrilling.

In this futuristic adaptation of H. G. Wells' classic 1898 novel, Ice Cube steps into the macabre world of Homeland Security officer Will Radford. A charged task awaits him: to shield Earth from the perils of an infamous hacker while the outer-world horror show deliberates an ambush!

But it's not the first time the Wellsian classic has been on the revival list. Remember Orson Welles' heart-stopping 1938 radio blast or Steven Spielberg's enthralling 2005 cinematographic adaptation? Many others have tread the same path over the years, loading the big and small screen with adaptations galore.

The movie promised to give viewers an "exhilarating extra-terrestrial adventure engulfed with current day motifs of technology, supervision, and privateness." That's what the official summaryclaimed, at least. The cast, brightened by Eva Longoria, Michael O’Neill, and Iman Benson, was intended to be a beacon of hope but it seems that the ship has sailed.

Over the past week, critics have taken it upon themselves to grace the movie with such colourful reviews that it became a topic of frequent amusement. The Rotten Tomatoes horror show began with a striking zero percent critic score following the movie's Wednesday premiere (Although, as of Thursday, it has climbed dauntingly to four percent).

On board for this intergalctic adventure were Clark Gregg, Henry Hunter Hall, Devon Bostick, and Andrea Savage, with Patrick Aiello and Timur Bekmambetov at the producers’ helm and Rich Lee taking on the role of director.

Ed Power from The Daily Telegraph didn’t hold back, describing the film as "silly, shoddy" that "bleeds out all the fun from the classic alien invasion tale.” Power poetically added, “Any aliens pondering about invading us would reconsider their plans after glimpsing the shambles that is War of the Worlds. Clearly, humanity only offers brainless entertainment with horrid special effects.”

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention Empire's Ian Freer's take, that dubbed the film "Prime Nonsense." Or Marshal Shaffer’s biting critique with Decider: “This listless rendition of Wells’ work feels forced into the ‘screen movie’ format for quick access to searchable popularity points."

Jordon Searle from Loud and Clear added a touch of painful humor, stating "The script itself is abysmal, and in combination with Ice Cube's performance, it seals this film's fate as far from a serious adaptation."

So, for now, the world remains safe from aliens and bad cinema. Until the next invasion, folks!