Ice Cube’s latest sci-fi film receives a harsh 0% rating
Rotten Tomatoes gave the 2025 sci-fi version of War of the Worlds, which is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, a rare and thunderous 0% rating, making it a critical slam.
One of the worst-reviewed big releases in recent memory, the movie received zero stars out of twelve reviewer reviews. A substantial but clearly dissatisfied audience is indicated by the film’s unexpected rise to the No. 2 position on Prime Video’s worldwide streaming list.
In a “screen-life” format, the movie stars Eva Longoria as NASA scientist Dr. Sandra Salas and rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube as Will Radford, a cyber-security analyst for the Department of Homeland Security. Completely narrated via video chats and computer screens, the film aims for a contemporary narrative approach reminiscent of thrillers like Searching, although it receives far less praise.
Under the direction of Rich Lee, the story starts with meteors striking Earth, releasing extraterrestrial machines that target data centers around the world. Radford discovers that a government monitoring system known as “Goliath” might have been the catalyst for the invasion as the world descends into anarchy. They upload a computer virus and take Goliath offline in an effort to neutralize the extraterrestrial danger, assisted by his hacker son, “Disruptor.” Before the aliens are finally vanquished, extensive damage and corruption in the government are revealed.
Criticism was harsh. “A feature-length Amazon commercial,” Variety said, criticizing the film’s convoluted premise and overt product placement. Similarly, ScreenAnarchy denounced it as “a 90-minute Amazon infomercial.” The experience was deemed uninspired and boring by many, who also harshly criticized the performance, script, and visual effects. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (the Popcornmeter) is only marginally better, at about 12%, and IMDb user ratings also show this low reception, circling around 3.2 out of 10.
It helps to grasp how Rotten Tomatoes operates in order to appreciate how serious a 0% rating is. By combining reviews from reputable critics, the platform determines the proportion of reviewers who gave a film a positive rating, which is defined as six out of ten or higher. A zero indicates that the movie received no positive reviews from any critics. It is among the most blatant signs of popular film failure. Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer” is based on binary “fresh” or “rotten” selections, unlike average rankings like those found on IMDb. This makes a 0% particularly harsh.
War of the Worlds (2025) has a low score, but it’s not the only one. Pinocchio (2002), a failed live-action adaptation directed by Roberto Benigni; Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011), regarded as one of the worst comedies of the twenty-first century; The Layover (2017), a raunchy road-trip comedy starring Kate Upton and Alexandra Daddario; and Jaws: The Revenge (1987), a notorious franchise-killer criticized for its poor effects and story.
However, only a few movies have received the coveted 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Film classics such as James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984), Pixar’s Toy Story 2 (1999), and 12 Angry Men (1957) are among them. Paddington 2 and Lady Bird, two more recent movies that received widespread praise from both reviewers and viewers, also dabbled with flawless marks. It is uncommon to receive such high ratings because Rotten Tomatoes has stringent standards for what qualifies as a “fresh” review.
