Interpretation of a classic sci-fi tale with Ice Cube left me cold

Ah, The War of The Worlds - a science-fiction classic by HG Wells which has been endlessly reworked and reinterpreted since its publication in 1898.

- Chris Broom on new War of the Worlds

Most famously Orson Welles terrified a generation of Americans with his 1938 radio broadcast, as many listeners failed to realise it was a play. It was also a 1978 multi-platinum album by Jeff Wayne, featuring Richard Burton and David Essex among an all-star cast. The album later in turn inspired a long-running stage show.

There have been numerous small screen versions and a brace of big screen adaptations - in 1953 and the 2005 blockbuster directed by Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise.

The latest attempt to bring Wells' story to a new audience sits in that spot we can now call 'straight to streaming'. While the 2025 vintage WotW definitely has the trappings of a film, it is unlikely to ever make it onto a big screen.

Since sneaking onto Amazon Prime a couple of weeks ago it has been attracting vast amounts of scorn, so of course, I had to watch...

The project has its roots in the pandemic, when movement was restricted and living our lives through screens became the norm, and it shows.

If you've ever wanted to watch a film where you're mostly watching rapper/actor Ice Cube watch the action on his computer monitors, then this is the movie you've been waiting for.