- 5 months ago
H.G. Wells is probably rolling in his grave right now... Join us as we dissect this sci-fi adaptation that missed the mark in almost every way! From blatant product placement to misinterpreting the aliens' weakness, this remake trades thoughtful commentary for clichéd family drama and cringe-worthy dialogue. Did anyone actually read the source material before filming this?
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Prime Air.
00:02Prime Air.
00:07Oh, it's the future of delivery.
00:09See, the training is for months.
00:11I need you to place an official order on Amazon to activate the drone.
00:13Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're breaking down the ways that this 2025 sci-fi adaptation
00:19completely loses sight of its source material, and of any logic.
00:23It's more important things to do than to worry about what's in people's Amazon cart.
00:28I don't understand.
00:30I'm done watching us.
00:32From now on, I'm watching you guys.
00:37A tonal mismatch.
00:40Good morning, what's up?
00:43Look, take a look at this.
00:46Any noise about it on your end?
00:48Nope, I watch people, not weather.
00:53I've never seen global storms like this.
00:55We can't figure out what's causing this atmospheric phenomenon.
00:58H.G. Wells' original 1898 The War of the Worlds has, for generations, been heralded as one
01:04of the great works of science fiction.
01:06Weaving in nail-butting suspense and thoughtful social commentary, Wells' novel presents a
01:11ground-level view of a terrifying alien invasion.
01:14Director Rich Lee's 2025 adaptation, not so much.
01:17Instead of putting audiences in the shoes of terrified civilians, the new War of the Worlds
01:39instead follows a convoluted, ineffective effort by the U.S. government to contain the otherworldly threat.
01:45The choice to reframe the novel's narrative shows a profound misunderstanding of Wells' novel,
01:50contorting it into a noisy, chaotic action-thriller that's neither action-packed nor thrilling.
01:55Half-hearted surveillance critiques, if you want to give the War of the Worlds remake
02:19some credit, you could award it some points for taking a stab at cultural relevance.
02:23I will be releasing classified documents proving the surveillance industrial complex
02:28is using their top-secret Goliath program to collect our personal data to use against us.
02:34Not on my watch.
02:35Everywhere we go, everything we say, watch, read, and write is captured and evaluated to
02:41censor our awareness of the truth.
02:43Unfortunately for the filmmakers, that's about as far as it can be taken.
02:47The new film stars Ice Cube as Will Radford, who works for the United States Department of Homeland Security,
02:53and heads up an almost comically sophisticated, top-secret surveillance program
02:57that can track every single person on Earth's every movement.
03:02The surveillance state has also not revealed that the Goliath program is an existential threat
03:08to humanity that no one can possibly comprehend.
03:11You will see all the alarming details in full disclosure in the Goliath documents that I'm releasing to the world.
03:19Alright, now let's go to suspect number two.
03:23While War of the Worlds clearly has something on its mind with regard to government overreach,
03:27it's not nearly as potent or even as fleshed out as the original novel's subtle, thoughtful commentary
03:32on colonialism and imperialism.
03:34Listen up, team.
03:35I want this to be clean and surgical.
03:38We don't know who these hackers are, but we know what they're capable of.
03:42This so-called disruptor is trying to reveal a top-secret program called Goliath,
03:46and that file must not go out.
03:49It's national security.
03:50Cringy Dialogue.
03:52Hey.
03:52A muffin?
03:54Really?
03:55A muffin.
03:56What are you thinking?
03:56Jesus, Dad, how many times have we been through this?
03:59One heart, boiled egg.
04:00Alright, they're right next to the donuts.
04:02Would it kill you?
04:05You need more protein.
04:06I need to get to work.
04:07No, you need to lay off the soy milk.
04:09You haven't had any protein this week.
04:11How do you know?
04:12Let's just say me and your fridge is pretty tight.
04:15We could argue that every problem with 2025's War of the Worlds originates from its script.
04:19Kenneth A. Gold and Mark Hyman's screenplay already feels like it's ticking off a list of cliches,
04:24and the film's interplay between its characters is the clearest example of that.
04:28Yo, did you delete my game?
04:31You know you're wasting your time with that game.
04:33Dad, playing video games is my job.
04:36Nearly every line of Rich Lee's film is pure exposition,
04:40a merciless expedient way to get from plot point A to plot point B in the shortest amount of time possible.
04:46And look, we're not saying we expected Citizen Kane,
04:48but surely the filmmakers could have thought of something more compelling
04:51than having their characters say exactly what they're thinking at all times.
04:54Talk about alien behavior.
04:55General Austin, if this is happening worldwide,
04:58we'll need to sync up immediately to coordinate intel.
05:01Reach out to the UN, NATO, everyone.
05:03Nothing short of a planetary alliance.
05:05I'm calling for an urgent meeting with the UN General Assembly right now.
05:09Crystal, once the president is secure, brief him on what you saw.
05:12He's going to need to make a statement, declare a state of emergency.
05:15Absolutely.
05:16Will, you're my eyes and ears on this.
05:17I need your domestic threat analysis right away.
05:20Misunderstanding Martian weakness.
05:22It looks like plastic metal and silicon.
05:25Right, like everything you'd expect to see on a microchip.
05:28But look, here.
05:32Shit.
05:33Why is it blood inside of a computer chip?
05:36They're a hybrid organism.
05:38Biological and cyber.
05:40I mean, look, there's even DNA.
05:42DNA?
05:43Let us note that by no means are filmmakers expected to perfectly preserve
05:47every beat and plot device from the source material they're adapting.
05:50In fact, changing up certain elements while respecting the spirit of the original work
05:54is a time-honored way of keeping things fresh for contemporary audiences.
05:58Unfortunately, the Ice Cube starring War of the Worlds
06:01turns Wells' powerful novel into a run-of-the-mill sci-fi extravaganza.
06:06Faith, do you have access to your cannibal cult?
06:08Do you know about that?
06:10These things are alive.
06:13That means we can kill them.
06:14It's never been tested.
06:16They're a hybrid organism.
06:18Biological and cyber.
06:19That explains why a computer virus couldn't stop you.
06:21Exactly.
06:22Where as well as Martians die from exposure to earthly pathogens,
06:25the 2025 film adaptation has Ice Cube's character and his family join forces
06:30to deploy a bio-agent against the attackers, which accomplishes the little.
06:34Instead, focus is placed on the aliens' hunger for data,
06:37and the film doesn't even clarify how their mission was thwarted.
06:40The Goliath server complex is deep underground at DHS.
06:44We must collapse the DHS building on top of it.
06:47A 40-foot pile of rubble on top won't allow them to get to it.
06:50We're out of time.
06:51We must bomb DC to stop their advance.
06:54We must destroy DHS to make sure anything that gets through can't get to the Goliath.
06:59No!
07:00Forced family drama.
07:01All I see is a kid with a $200,000 education
07:05living in my damn house playing dumbass video games.
07:09That's what I see.
07:10You mean mom's house.
07:13What'd you say?
07:14Come on, you haven't even cleaned out her stuff yet.
07:18That's none of your damn business.
07:20The emotional beats of the new War of the Worlds aren't totally off.
07:24It should be noted that Wells' original novel does prominently feature its unnamed protagonist's
07:28efforts to return to his wife amidst a terrifying alien invasion.
07:32However, that's about where the similarities end.
07:34The 2025 film spends far too long on clumsily setting up the turmoil affecting Will Radford's
07:40family.
07:40The plot beats are totally stale.
07:59Radford, still reeling from the death of his wife sometime earlier, is overprotective of
08:03his son and pregnant daughter, who have both distanced themselves from him.
08:07This is supposed to form the film's emotional core, but is so painfully shoehorned in, that
08:12audiences will find themselves begging for more explosions.
08:15We're all wearing these fun shirts to the shower.
08:17I, uh, even got a grandpa shark one for you.
08:22Look, he's grumpy too.
08:26Got your whiskers and everything.
08:28What shower?
08:29Oh, shit.
08:30Sorry.
08:31I guess I should have talked to Faith before I made sure it's my bad.
08:35Impenetrable Plot Armor.
08:37No, no, no.
08:39You gotta get out of here.
08:40Keep running.
08:42What?
08:42I can't hear you.
08:47You gotta go left now.
08:49And run, boy.
08:50Dad.
08:51You gotta go right now.
08:52Perhaps one of War of the World's most unforgivable flaws is its sheer lack of believability.
08:57The film repeatedly makes it clear that this is a full-on extinction-level event, and that
09:02the Earth's critical infrastructure and human population are being completely wiped out.
09:07And yet, at the same time, despite finding themselves in the dead heat of the invasion,
09:12Will Radford, along with his family and colleagues, are somehow immune to the forces that appear
09:16to be killing everyone around them.
09:18Stay clear there, Seth!
09:20Sandy, Sandy!
09:21Get out of there!
09:23Go!
09:25Run!
09:27Go!
09:28Stay!
09:29On numerous occasions, Will is devastated to witness what he thinks is a loved one's violent
09:34and dramatic end, before they pop up again moments later, usually miraculously unharmed.
09:39I guess the aliens set their invasion to easy mode?
09:42Will, this thing is branched out everywhere, and it's covering the servers.
09:46Oh, shit.
09:47They're in hyper-download.
09:48They're being emptied.
09:50Emptied?
09:53These are amazing.
09:56Sandra, get out of there.
09:57Oh, my God!
09:59No.
10:01Sandra!
10:02They're in my clothes!
10:04Screen life format flaws.
10:06Well, yeah.
10:07You really took your time with this one, didn't you?
10:09Oh, shit.
10:10Hold on, hold on.
10:11I gotta add Briggs to this conversation.
10:13All right.
10:17Director Briggs, you have FBI Special Agent Jeffries on the line.
10:21Sir.
10:21Good to meet you, Jeffries.
10:22Again, we're tempted to give War of the Worlds points for trying something new.
10:26After all, producer Timur Beckman-Bethoff's trademarked screen life format,
10:30in which the film's action takes place in apparent real-time on a computer screen,
10:34has been employed to great effect in the past.
10:36War of the Worlds is the exception that proves the rule.
10:39Jesus, Dave.
10:40Dad, Dad, listen!
10:42Goliath collects everything on us, and they won't stop until they have it all.
10:48Son, I love you, but you gotta leave this conspiracy shit at the door.
10:53I gotta go.
10:58While its talented cast is clearly trying their best to hold everything together,
11:02they're tragically stranded in screen life hell,
11:04powerless to the limits imposed by the filmmaking style.
11:07We guess that there are only so many ways you can make logging into Microsoft Teams meetings
11:11look exciting and urgent.
11:13Violent weather, strange craft sightings.
11:18What the hell are those things?
11:20Collecting data?
11:26Oh, man.
11:27That's what brought them here in the first place.
11:30They knew.
11:31They knew, and they hid it from us.
11:33Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
11:36and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
11:39You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
11:43If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:50Product Placement Overload
11:51Look, son, I got a friend over at NSA, they're recruiting next week.
11:56Let it go.
11:57I mean, spying on what's in people's Amazon cards?
11:59Is that what you think I do?
12:00I'm sorry, did you get promoted?
12:02If nothing else, 2025's War of the Worlds may serve as fuel for future drinking games.
12:08In that, if you took a shot every real-time a real-life brand is shown or mentioned,
12:12you'd have a hard time standing up by the time the credits roll.
12:14Placements include Zoom, Microsoft, Spotify, and even the infamous Staples Easy Button,
12:20for some reason.
12:21Just to name a few.
12:23NASA warned you if you activated Goliath, it could spark an invasion.
12:27Those dinosaur bureaucrats don't keep us safe.
12:30I do.
12:30When you turned on Goliath, you rang a dinner bell that traveled throughout the whole galaxy.
12:35Don't worry, they won't get into Goliath.
12:37I air-gap the entire system.
12:39We're safe.
12:41I kept us safe.
12:41If you risked all of our lives just to spy on people's Amazon cards.
12:46Perhaps the most egregious spotlight of all is Amazon,
12:49which makes sense considering that the e-commerce and streaming Mega Titan released War of the Worlds on Prime Video.
12:55Radford's daughter's partner is an Amazon driver,
12:58and frequent references are made to shopping on the platform.
13:01All in all, you're better off using Prime to order a copy of H.G. Wells' novel.
13:05Wait, wait, wait, hold on.
13:05I've got a better idea.
13:06What did you think of the new War of the Worlds?
13:28Did we miss any of the ways that Ice Cube and the gang got it wrong?
13:31Sound off in the comments below.
13:32Why do you think you couldn't find Disruptor for a year?
13:35Yeah, but...
13:36But they blew up my house.
13:39Uh-huh.
13:39They blew up my house, man!
Be the first to comment