50 Cent took a jab at Ice Cube’s remake of War of the Worlds, despite not having seen the film. The movie, available on Amazon Prime Video, has received a scorching 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics panning its screenlife format, where the entire story unfolds on computer screens and digital interfaces.
Ice Cube stars as Will Radford, a Homeland Security cyber-security analyst tracking national threats through mass surveillance. The film follows Radford’s investigation into an alien invasion, primarily through his computer screen. Critics have blasted the movie for its poor production, weak screenplay, lack of tension and suspense, and subpar visual effects ¹ ².
Some notable criticisms include:
- Poor Storytelling: The film’s narrative is delivered through clunky exposition, on-screen text, and news clips, making it feel like a first draft never fleshed out.
- Lack of Cinematic Energy: The screenlife format fails to deliver genuine suspense or creativity, instead feeling like a feature-length Zoom call with cheap effects.
- Underwhelming Visuals: The aliens are depicted as indistinct, rubbery CGI blobs, and the destruction scenes are presented through jerky livestreams and low-res drone footage.
50 Cent’s Instagram post pokes fun at the film’s dismal ratings: “0% how you get a 0 percent rating. Nah somebody mad at cube. Now I’m scared to watch it LOL.” Despite the backlash, War of the Worlds has become a streaming hit, topping the charts on Prime Video in 11 countries ¹ ³.
Interestingly, Ice Cube has secured a deal with Warner Bros. for a new Friday sequel, titled Last Friday, which he’s set to write and star in ³.
