Hip Hop legend Ice Cube brings his thespian talents to an HG Wells classic in “War of the Worlds War of the Worlds: Revival” from Prime Video. Rich Lee directs the film from a script by Kenny Golde and Marc Hyman.
Cube stars Will Radford, a Homeland Security surveillance analyst whose grief over his wife’s death is expressed through annual Facebook messages that simply read, “I miss you.” That’s it. There’s no poetry or introspection—just a man whose idea of mourning is akin to digital post it notes.
His coping mechanism also involves avoiding his two children: Faith (Iman Benson), a Georgetown scientist who is pregnant, and Dave (Henry Hunter Hall), a pro gamer with a penchant for government conspiracies. Will’s real obsession is tracking an anonymous cyber-terrorist known as “Disruptor,” who claims the U.S. has secretly launched a mass data-mining program called Goliath.
Despite clear warning signs—including weather disasters and an earnest NASA scientist named Sandra (played by Eva Longoria)—Will’s tunnel vision prevents him from seeing the truth: a data-hungry alien race is invading Earth. Naturally, salvation depends on Zoom calls, WhatsApp chats, and hacking his daughter’s MacBook. The future of humanity is reduced to browser tabs and VPN rerouting.
There are plenty of unintentional laughs throughout. Cube’s delivery ranges from shouty to seeming like a rehearsal, and his fatherly warmth feels as genuine as a phishing email. The screen life format exacerbates the issues, particularly in scenes where the movie feels the need to narrate and demonstrate every click.
At one point, Will states, “I’m rerouting her cell to our satellite,” and then literally clicks a button labeled “Reroute Cellular to Satellite.” This isn’t clever—it’s condescending. The rest of the cast doesn’t fare much better, and their acting all screams “I’m only here” for a paycheck.
By the third act, the film’s commercialism becomes painfully apparent. The Amazon product placement shifts from subtle to blatant, with Faith’s boyfriend being an Amazon driver who essentially saves the day using Prime logistics. Furthermore, in a third-act twist, the script tries to be clever, but it fails on nearly every level.
While it’s not a bad idea to use a classic tale to explore digital-era paranoia, “War of the Worlds: Revival” is not it. With a stronger director and script, this film could have been much better.
Final Grade: D+
“War of the Worlds: Revival” is streaming on Prime Video now.
Earlier this week, fans were excited when the trailer for Netflix’s upcoming sequel series, “A Different World”, was released. In response, I thought it would be fitting to pay tribute to Jasmine Guy’s self-titled album from 1990 for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
Some jobs in music are difficult, but being asked to replace Smokey Robinson is another. When Robinson stepped away from The Miracles in the early seventies, Billy Griffin inherited a microphone attached to one of Motown’s most recognizable voices.
When I reflect on the summer of 1998, I was preparing for my junior year, while R&B seemed to be at a crossroads. Brandy and Monica were dominating the youth market with their blockbuster sophomore albums, while established male singers like Luther Vandross and Gerald Levert were comfortably settling into Urban AC.