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Amazon’s Screenlife War of the Worlds Draws Overwhelming Criticism

Critics say the screenlife style drains tension from the narrative, with overt Amazon branding undermining its storytelling.

War of the Worlds
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Overview

  • The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video on July 30 after Universal shelved it for four years.
  • It presents the Martian invasion entirely through digital feeds such as Zoom cameras, phone streams and surveillance interfaces.
  • Reviewers have derided the visual effects as low-quality CGI likened to consumer-level or Asylum-style production.
  • Ice Cube stars as a Department of Homeland Security analyst who tracks the crisis exclusively from his computer screen.
  • Critics describe the movie as a prolonged Amazon Prime commercial due to its heavy product placement.