In 1938, Orson Welles’ legendary radio broadcast of War of the Worlds shocked the nation by presenting an alien invasion as real-time breaking news. Fast-forward to 2025, and Amazon Prime Video has released War of the Worlds, a screen-bound remake starring Ice Cube that is more likely to induce yawns than panic.
Directed by music video veteran Rich Lee and produced by Timur Bekmambetov (Searching), this low-budget thriller unfolds entirely through glitchy surveillance footage, video calls, and desktop windows — the so-called “screenlife” format. Unfortunately, instead of terror or tension, the film delivers a 90-minute reminder that even alien invasions can feel boring when filtered through security cams.
Ice Cube plays Will Radford, a grumpy Homeland Security surveillance analyst who controls government tracking systems and—more obsessively—spies on his own children. When a mysterious hacker named “Disruptor” threatens to expose government secrets, Will coordinates a raid from his command center (a high-tech office with no co-workers), while also micromanaging his pregnant daughter and gamer son.
Despite its sci-fi premise, War of the Worlds never builds meaningful stakes. Ice Cube’s performance, limited to a scowl and the occasional overreaction, makes him an odd choice for the film’s anchor. The alien invasion itself feels secondary to the real message: a cautionary tale about helicopter parenting in the age of surveillance.
Instead of commenting on data privacy, conspiracy, or extraterrestrial threat, the film ends up offering a lesson about letting go. Perhaps, the biggest invasion here is not by aliens—but by a father with too much tech and too little trust.
The invasion has begun — but it’s not just aliens. Watch Ice Cube battle surveillance, hackers, and fatherhood in the new War of the Worlds. Watch the trailer now!
