A recent adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds has been dubbed the “worst” in history by viewers. The classic novel has been brought to life on stage, screen and for radio countless times since its publication in 1898, but its worst to date is, according to viewers, from this year.
The Ice Cube-starring film has left some movie fans raging, with a now viral post on X highlighting the “fatal flaw” withthe film adaptation. One viewer has gone as far as to say the producers should be “ashamed” of their efforts, slamming the film “one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.”
Few had positive comments for the adaptation starring the 56-year-old rapper, who joins Tom Cruise, Orson Welles and Rafe Spall on a long list of stars who have featured in Wells’ alien invasion adaptation.
A furious viewer took to X and wrote: “War of the Worlds (2025) is the worst adaption of the source material to date. It had no ideas beyond the found footage approach, and even then the film is struggling to find ways to present coherent scenes.
“Ice Cube is so lost. Maybe one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Most of the film just doesn’t make sense because they’re trying to rush through a mountain of developments.
“The viewer is left with a crazy amount of sensory and informational overload to the point where it’s hard to focus on the screen. Universal should be ashamed of their work.”
Some were curious about the context of the movie, with one asking: “Is the whole movie just Ice Cube watching YouTube and going ‘hell nah’?” The response was a simple “yup.”
Others were curious whether the Cube-featuring adaptation could beat out the C Thomas Howell version of War of the Worlds for the not so brilliant accolade of “worst War of the Worlds adaptation.”
One fan of the films asked: “Haven’t seen this yet, but I have seen the C Thomas Howell version (from the Asylum I think?) so the bar IS pretty low, ‘worst adaption yet’ pretty exciting!”
Bad films can sometimes have a “so bad it’s good” element to them, making them perfect for group viewings or ironic watches. This War of the Worlds adaptation, according to the original poster, has all of that charm.
“It’s ironic and unwatchable,” they wrote. “It’s a uniquely rough watch. New levels of bad movie hilarity.” In a separate comment, they added: “It is hilariously terrible. It’s difficult to watch but it’s often funny.”
Despite the supposed lack of quality, many have said they were more than happy to check the film out. One user wrote: “I think I’ll check it out. I don’t know why War of the Worlds is such a difficult novel to adapt!”
Another added: “It’s a War of the Worlds with Ice Cube! That should be such an easy win.”