So, uh, an aberration of a War of the Worlds remake with Ice Cube apparently currently abides in Prime Video, and gamers-lament-movie-goers are having a meltdown, not negatively so, but more of an, “What have I just witnessed and why does this exist?” type of meltdown. Released last Friday, memes came swift within a mere 24 hours, thanks to…interesting editing and more than somewhat questionable CGI. And by interesting, let’s just say that the same snap-shot of Ice Cube was recycled five times in one single scene. Did you hear me? Five times!
Insanity started brewing when Gene Park posted a clip of the film with a caption stating: “this is an incredible movie actually im out of breath,” and the entire internet snatched itself as one entity. The retorts ranged from bewildered to utterly horrified. One @LongTimeNoSiege kidded: “Ice Cube looking mildly annoyed while the aliens eat his Facebook page is not something I expected from a War of the Worlds adaptation.” And you know what? Me neither.
The editing, on the contrary, is the real star. The lack thereof, going by the aliens. Multiple users have complained the film kept recreating the same shot like some cheap time loop. @poegoho even counts: “SIX! They used the same one twice in the first clip you can see the cut reset lmao.” Then there’s @MKCLANKA with probably the worse observation: “And at the end when he’s plugging in the USB it’s on a loop to ‘add suspense.'” Spoiler alert: it did not add suspense. It added confusion.
That CGI? C’mon now! The CGI. @Vibin_around declared the smoke effects to be like those “pre-rendered cutscenes on PS2 games,” while @Sharky69148444 painfully outdid that by saying, “Not even indie films made by students in college for film class are this poorly made.” Entertainment factor is a plus, though, according to @GaLAxyStARrSs: “Was it good ahhhh! But boy was it entertaining to watch.”
But at least some dudes weren’t cracking up; a few viewers regaled about their insult on this film status. @5tephenRN called it “THE BIGGEST PILE OF HORSESHIT I’VE EVER SEEN,” condemning the acting, dialogues, and casting a creep as a protagonist who spends half the film spying on his own kids. And @wheelchairlaura said she was only watching a clip and was already pissed off and joked that she’d need her rose toy to calm down. Relatable.
But here’s the thing — despite the outrage (or maybe because of it), some people are weirdly into it. @cali__pigeon confessed: “Genuinely one of my favorite movies, I can’t wait to spring it on my family unexpectedly someday.” @RattanArmor even ranked this alongside cult films like “Velocipastor” and “Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter.” High praise? Maybe. Or maybe just proof that bad movies have their own charm.
So what’s the verdict? Is this War of the Worlds remake a disaster? Absolutely. Is it worth watching for the sheer absurdity? Also, absolutely. If you are in it for the laughs or the rage, definitely this one will be one you won’t haunt for ages. And hey, at least Ice Cube got paid. Probably.
Now, if you excuse me, casuals, we are going to the USB plugging scene for the 10th time. For research. Obviously.
