Some ideas seem exciting at first, and Prime Video’s new version of War of the Worlds is one of them. But in reality, it’s turning out to be one of the worst films of the year – maybe even the century – based on its awful 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes. War of the Worlds is a well-known story.
Originally written by H.G. Wells, this alien invasion tale has been turned into a musical, a panic-inducing radio show, a major Spielberg film, and now a modern tech-style movie told through video calls. However, this latest version probably should have been shut down before it hit Prime Video on July 30. The film tells its whole story through mobile phones and computer screens, with a plot that goes like this:
Will Radford is a top cyber-security analyst for Homeland Security who tracks potential threats to national security through a mass surveillance program, until one day an attack by an unknown entity leads him to question whether the government is hiding something from him… and from the rest of the world.
There are two ways to view Prime Video’s War of the Worlds. It’s currently the most-watched movie on the platform in the U.S. and ranks second on the global streaming chart. That puts it ahead of films like Heads of State and Wicked, as well as shows like Ballard and Countdown. Only The Summer I Turned Pretty kept it from claiming the top global spot. This makes it seem like a major hit and a solid addition to Prime Video’s lineup.
But the movie, which lasts just 89 minutes (which might be a good thing), hasn’t received a single positive critic review and only a few from viewers. War of the Worlds now holds the lowest possible Tomatometer rating of 0% from 10 reviews, and an 11% audience score — barely any better.
Variety’s Peter Debruge criticized the film as a 90-minute “feature-length commercial for all things Amazon,” while Joshua Tyler of Giant Freakin Robot calls it “the worst” of all the adaptations of H.G. Wells’ famous novel. Austin Burke from Flick Fan Nation also weighed in, saying it’s “in contention for one of the worst movies of the decade so far.”
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Though some may have expected the audience to enjoy this modern, tech-heavy version of the story, they were clearly let down by the execution. Faker H called it “offensive to H.G. Wells and movies,” and Enclave S shared a similar view, calling it “an insult to War of the Worlds” and “bargain bin family slop.” Daja Y captured the general opinion about this new version, saying:
There’s bad. There’s very bad. And then there is the most recent War of the Worlds. The movie itself is all but completely unwatchable on every level in every way. A total waste of time!
Of course, the idea of a fresh new spin on a familiar story is hard for Prime Video subscribers to ignore, which is why War of the Worlds has quickly climbed to the top of the streaming charts. However, how many viewers actually stick around to finish the movie isn’t likely the kind of data Amazon will be eager to share.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes/FlixPatrol