Few would think of Ice Cube being an icon of the sci-fi genre; in fact, the only sci-fi movie that Cube has done is Ghosts of Mars, which is widely considered to be one of the worst films in the genre. However, there’s a long period between 2001 and 2025; apparently, Ice Cube has warmed to the idea of doing sci-fi again, because now he’s leading the way for one of the biggest classics in the sci-fi genre to make a modern comeback.
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War of the Worlds has been one of the most enduring sci-fi stories of all time, starting as far back as the 1890s, when author H.G. Wells first wrote serialized chapters of the story in magazines, with the chapters eventually compiled into a 1898 novel. The story has been adapted for radio (like Orson Welles’ classic 1930s show), television, and movies, with Byron Haskin’s 1953 adaptation and Steven Spielberg’s 2005 remake being the two most iconic. Now, Ice Cube is looking to add his name to the list, with Amazon Prime Video’s War of the Worlds: Revival.
What Is War of the Worlds: Revival About?
The latest adaptation of the story follows “Will Radford (Ice Cube), a top cyber-security analyst for Homeland Security, who spends his days tracking potential threats to national security through a mass surveillance program. That is, until an attack by an unknown entity leads him to question whether the government is hiding something from him… and the rest of the world.”
Unlike the grand sweeping sci-fi epics that we’ve gotten with War of the Worlds before, Revival is taking the bold step of changing the series format entirely. War of the Worlds: Revival takes up the “screenlife” format of other mystery/thriller films like Megan Is Missing, Unfriended or Missing – i.e., a lot of the film will feature Cube’s character sitting in front of TVs and/or computer screens trying to piece together if an alien invasion is unfolding around the globe. This has presumably been done for the purest of creative and thematic purposes (or… budget reduction, take your pick).
“Set against a backdrop of surveillance, mass data collection, and government-tech collusion,” the synopsis continues, “the film explores urgent themes of privacy vs. security, family vs. work, and humanity vs. control. With nods to Orwell’s 1984 and powered by a screenlife-style format, this refresh of H.G. Wells’ classic novel resonates with today’s digital anxieties.”
Indeed, the “truth” or “reality” of what we see online has increasingly been brought into question during the 2020s era. Misinformation, digital manipulation, and propaganda campaigns are indeed some of the biggest threats nations now face, arguably the biggest threat to any sustained civil peace and bridging of division, worldwide. But while it makes sense for a new take on War of the Worlds to factor in the computer/digital elements that would be in play, it’s definitely a choice to make that our primary lens for experiencing the story.
Cast, Runtime & Critical Score
War of the Worlds: Revival is the debut feature film from veteran music video director Rich Lee (“Not Afraid”, “Rap God”, and “The Monster” for Eminem). The rest of the cast inlcudes Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) as Dr. Sandra Salas, Will’s friend and contact at NASA; Clark Gregg (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) as the director of Homeland Security; Andrea Savage (Tulsa King) as an FBI agent; Iman Benson (The Midnight Club) as Will’s daughter Faith, and Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) as her boyfriend.
War of the Worlds: Revival has a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes; that’s not overly long for a screenlife film. However, the format always runs the risk of wearing viewers down with its limited and repetitive scope, if it can build and maintain tension for the person watching events unfold.
The current critical scores for Revival aren’t great either: at the time of its premiere, War of the Worlds: Revival only has 10 of its 43 total IMDb User Reviews that claim the movie is a 6 out of 10 or above; most of the reviews skew into the range of 2 or below, which is an abysmal start for any new film. Not surprisingly, the length of the film and the muted intrigue and excitement of the screenlife format are the two most common criticisms.
War of the Worlds: Revival is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
