Ice Cube says he shot Amazon’s infamous War of the Worlds movie completely alone during the pandemic: “the director wasn’t in there, none of the actors was in there”
By Megan Garside
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War of the Worlds
Ice Cube says he shot Amazon’s infamous War of the Worlds movie completely alone during the pandemic: “the director wasn’t in there, none of the actors was in there”
Megan Garside
15 September 2025
Amazon’s War of the World flop is starting to make sense
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(Image credit: Prime Video)
It’s starting to make sense why Amazon’s War of the Worlds movie flopped so hard, as star Ice Cube says he shot his scenes completely alone without a director due to the pandemic.
“This is a movie I did in 2020 during the pandemic, five years ago,” said Ice Cube to influencer Kai Cenat’s livestream. “We shot it in 15 days, and it was during the pandemic. So, the director wasn’t in there, none of the actors was in there. This was the only way we could really shoot the movie. It’s pandemic time.”
Amazon’s take on War of the Worlds follows Ice Cube as a Homeland Security officer who has the ability to monitor everyone on Earth. However, one day at work, he sees that large machines have landed on Earth, attacking everyone and everything in sight. From the comfort of his office, he attempts to shut down the alien machines and save the planet.
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Amazon’s new War of the Worlds adaptation, which stars Ice Cube and is filmed entirely on a computer screen, debuts to 0% on Rotten Tomatoes
War of the Worlds producer defends the Ice Cube-led movie despite being one of the worst reviewed films of all time: “We made a really good movie for the money we had”
War of the Worlds producer says none of the Amazon product placement was intentional in the 2% Rotten Tomatoes disaster
The movie is based on H.G. Wells’ 1898 sci-fi novel of the same name, but strays from its source material, choosing to tell the tale from computer screens only, using the webcam function to connect actors. However, Ice Cube says that this was because the film was shot during COVID-19, and actors had to abide by social distancing rules. “That’s why it’s only the computer screen,” explained the star. “But really, if shit went down, everybody would only have their screen to look at.”
However, despite taking five years to complete, the movie did not go over well with critics and audiences, earning it a measly 4% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 1.5 rating on Amazon Prime Video. What the movie did succeed in was taking over the internet, as film buffs quickly found the unlikely adaptation extremely meme-worthy.
Amazon’s War of the Worlds is written by Kenneth A. Golde and Marc Hyman. Alongside Ice Cube, the film also stars Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, Iman Benson, Henry Hunter Hall, and more.
War of the Worlds is available to watch on Prime Video now. For more on what to watch, get up to speed with the best upcoming movies still to come this year with our guide to 2025’s biggest movie release dates.
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Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+
I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.
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Amazon’s new War of the Worlds adaptation, which stars Ice Cube and is filmed entirely on a computer screen, debuts to 0% on Rotten Tomatoes
War of the Worlds producer defends the Ice Cube-led movie despite being one of the worst reviewed films of all time: “We made a really good movie for the money we had”
War of the Worlds producer says none of the Amazon product placement was intentional in the 2% Rotten Tomatoes disaster
New War of the Worlds adaptation starring Ice Cube has made it into Rotten Tomatoes’ 100 worst movies of all time list, even though its score has risen above 0%
Ice Cube swaps fighting aliens with the power of Amazon Prime in War of the Worlds for processing Minecraft insurance claims in bizarre new commercial
After Amazon’s War of the Worlds, I watched all the 0% rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes and here are the five brilliantly awful ones I’d recommend you stream next
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