I’ve watched loads of crappy films this yr. Whereas the 2025 film schedule has given us some unforgettable flicks we’ll be speaking about for years to return, there’s additionally been loads of rubbish. Warfare of the Worlds, the most recent and presumably strangest adaptation of H.G. Wells’ iconic sci-fi novel about aliens invading Earth, could be the worst film I’ve seen all yr. Nonetheless, although the film looks like a 90-minute advert for an Amazon subscription (a membership is required to look at it, by the best way), I feel I truly prefer it in a bizarre manner.
Yeah, the film is schlocky, flat, crammed with extra plot holes than Amazon references, and options too many loss of life fake-outs to depend, however I can’t sit right here and say I didn’t take pleasure in myself watching Ice Dice tackle alien forces from behind a pc display. Hear me out!
This Film Is Objectively Unhealthy, However I Could not Cease Watching
There’s a shot in the Warfare of the Worlds trailer with a block of textual content studying “It’s worse than you assume,” and so they’re not kidding. This is likely one of the worst films I’ve ever watched, and that’s coming from a man who was as soon as a part of a bunch referred to as “The Shitty Film Crew,” the place we’d watch gems like Transmorphers and Slappy and the Stinkers. Even with out the fixed barrage of Amazon product placements used to propel the plot, this film sucks. Nonetheless, I couldn’t cease watching.
Certain, it might have been the entire “trainwreck” high quality of the film the place I needed to see, with a morbid curiosity, simply how unhealthy issues would get, however at no level did the film lose my consideration or make me pause to see how a lot was left. Even after all of the faux loss of life scenes (significantly, all the primary characters have not less than one), horrible line-readings, and pure madness, I simply couldn’t get sufficient.
It Has A Tacky FMV Laptop Recreation From The ’90s Vibe, However It Works
Not like just about each different movie or TV adaptation of Warfare of the Worlds, this newest model is just about a pc display film, with all the pieces being seen via the pc of Ice Dice’s character, DHS surveillance professional Will Radford. Whether or not he’s spying on his youngsters (performed by Henry Hunter Corridor and Iman Benson) or talking with different authorities officers (performed by Eva Longoria and Clark Gregg), Radford is all the time seen via his laptop display.
This creates a campy and tacky impact that appears like one thing out of a nasty FMV laptop sport within the ‘90s, the place you watch horrible cutscenes earlier than fixing numerous puzzles. It isn’t good and appears terrible at instances, however it added a sure allure to the expertise.
Nonetheless, The Amazon Product Placement Is A Bit A lot
I’m a forgiving man. I can overlook the phoned-in performances, I can deal with the apparent plot holes and issues that don’t make sense, and I can forgive the tacky computer-generated visible results discovered all through Warfare of the Worlds, however what I can’t deal with are all of the product placements for Amazon companies that take over the ultimate act.
They’re few and much between to start with (discuss of spying on folks’s Amazon carts, a supporting character is a Prime supply driver, and so forth.), however by the tip of the film, issues go to a ridiculous stage. I gained’t spoil all the pieces for individuals who haven’t seen it but, however Amazon’s Prime Air (a drone supply service) performs a serious function within the struggle to avoid wasting humanity. I feel I can really feel the collective groan from everybody who’s watched thus far.
Once more, I don’t assume Warfare of the Worlds is an effective film; removed from it. However I can’t sit right here and act like I didn’t have a very good time watching this totally absurd retelling of one of many finest sci-fi tales of all time.