The domino impact of H.G. Wells’ Battle of the Worlds entering the public domain has crash-landed onto Prime Video, with the streamer releasing a brand new model of the alien invasion story starring Ice Cube. Every week out from its launch has given us a hysteria not dissimilar to Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio broadcast—it’s simply now of us are flocking to Prime to take a look at what’s develop into this 12 months’s quintessential hate-watch movie.
Launched on July 30, Battle of the Worlds options Ice Dice within the position of Will Radford, a home terror analyst on the Division of Homeland Safety. All through the movie, viewers expertise his workday from the angle of his laptop’s webcam by means of applications like Zoom and WhatsApp. Whereas utilizing his high-level clearance to helicopter mum or dad his kids, he witnesses a mysterious meteor bathe masquerading as an alien invasion and has to avoid wasting the planet from a battle of the worlds… through the ability of invasive surveillance know-how. And Amazon drones!
There are three plain details about Prime Video’s new adaptation of Battle of the Worlds. First, it has a resounding zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Second, of us are clowning on its awkward, wood performing on social media. Lastly, it’s at the moment among the many prime ten just lately launched films on Prime Video, fulfilling all the factors wanted for the right hate-watch.
Ice Dice all through your complete Battle of the Worlds film pic.twitter.com/6kESlcyqiI
— Skyler Higley (@skyler_higley) August 6, 2025
Whether or not they’re comedians, YouTubers, TikTokers, or your everyday grass-fed meme poster, everyone and their mother appears to be contributing to the suggestions loop phenomenon, the place a spectacularly horrible movie inadvertently fails its approach to succeeding. On the time of writing, Battle of the Worlds is ranked quantity 5 in Prime Video’s High 10 within the US. For posterity, the listing at the moment has season three of The Summer season I Turned Fairly and Eddie Murphy’s new comedy movie, The Pickup, within the prime two spots, respectively, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes at quantity six.
The final time this occurred was with Marvel’s Morbius, although Prime Video doesn’t look like leaning into the meme by unironically selling the movie on social media to attract extra consideration to how must-watch dangerous it’s.
#WarOfTheWorlds is Rotten at 0% on the Tomatometer, with 21 critiques: https://t.co/Jo5zHqPicT pic.twitter.com/pCECmU9Yob
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) August 7, 2025
io9 just lately descended Mt. Sinai, like Moses, watching Ice Dice’s movie and giving widespread people a vibe check of how bad the movie is, with spoilers and all. Whereas we discovered that a lot of the dogpiling laughing on the movie is definitely warranted, we did give the film some kudos for being a “moderately recent approach to strategy Wells’ acquainted story.” It’s nonetheless a farce, make no mistake. However it’s additionally a farce individuals can’t appear to assist rubbernecking at.
For those who’re morbidly interested by how a lot of a candy spot Battle of the Worlds lands within the elusive hate-watch distinction, you may stream it now on Prime Video.
Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every little thing that you must find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.
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