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

Chris Broom on new War of the Worlds

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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.

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.