The 2025 film War of the Worlds is just another victim of COVID-19. This was shot during the stringent safety protocols of 2020, summer and fall. The film suffers from a spatial delivery and relying on performances literally “phoned” in.
The Story
Aliens invade the earth under cover of a massive storm. This diversionary tactic allows the tripod invaders to land and start an organized attack. Their target? Data collection centers of the world.
William Radford has to turn his back on everything he stands for to fight these things and the government.
The Cast
Ice Cube is William Radford.
Eva Longoria is Sandra Salas.
Iman Benson is Faith Radford.
Henry Hunter Hall is Dave Radford.
Devon Bostick is Mark Goodman.
Clark Gregg is NSA Director Donald Briggs.
Andrea Savage is FBI Field Agent Sheila Jeffries.
Michael O’Neill is the Secretary of Defense.
What Went Wrong
War of the Worlds should have worked. The ingenuity of the filming process combined with a capable cast should have been a win. It did not, however, go over very well. Clearly, there are issues. The film was made in 2020 and not released until 2025. Apparently the studio and the producers knew this was going to be a stinker.
But, the presentation of the film, and its isolated nature were dictated by the rigid COVID-19 restrictions. The filmmakers forged ahead and made the movie regardless. It’s not that bad. Although Rotten Tomatoes has given the movie a score of 0%.
Pros/Cons
War of the Worlds could have worked better. There is a lot going on and the film is full of capable actors. Ice Cube proves once again that he can play “straight” drama. Longoria is always good value for money and Iman Benson is quickly becoming a personal favorite. *As is Henry Hunter Hall.* And it goes without saying that anything featuring Clark Gregg is an instant draw.
With no mention of quarantine in sight, which could have explained so much with so little effort War of the Worlds bores. Covid changed so many things and a nod to the reality of it might have helped. Sadly, the film seems to be another victim of COVID-19.
The Storyline
The entire “they came here for the data,” is slightly ludicrous. Clearly, the film’s message is that the government needs to back off in terms of monitoring the population. The “establishment” has always been a bit of a “nanny” in nature. The eponymous “they” have always been too invasive.
War of the Worlds Verdict
This science fiction offering, with all its “real world” restrictions works far better than it should have. Allowing that Ice Cube is not Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning is nowhere to be found, the film entertains.
I can easily give this one a 3 out of 5 stars. The VFX are not bad, the director (Rich Lee) delivers and this is nowhere near as bad as Battleship. *A film that has a far higher score than WotW. That amazes me as Battleship, a movie based on a board game, is utter tripe. War of the Worlds is at least on par with that one and it has its base in literature.
*It is nice that the film utilizes the same manner of killing the invading aliens. as previous versions of the story.*
War of the Worlds is streaming on Prime right now. Head on over and check it out. See what you think.
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