Amazon Prime Video released the adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds on their platform on July 30, 2025. Directed by Rich Lee, the film is a ‘screenlife thriller’ which features a far cry from the panic-inducing 1939 radio broadcast by Orson Welles. The film stars rapper and actor, Ice Cube, in the lead role of ‘Will Radford’, exploring his response to the alleged alien invasion.
War of the Worlds is a misguided attempt at a Sci-Fi Classic
‘Will Radford’ is a Homeland Security analyst who tracks everything from hackers to his own children. How? With an array of surveillance tools. However, despite the modern-day framing, the film delivers no suspense or depth. What was described as an extraterrestrial dread in the book only gets reflected as a ‘clumsy family drama’, which is more like an extended commercial for Prime Video. Talking about the film’s lead, Ice Cube, known for his tough-guy persona, he seems like a misfit in the national security clearance by a mile.
