Throughout the history of film, very few movies have made their mark as a classic, including timeless works such as “Citizen Kane,” “The Godfather,” “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over,” and now, “War of the Worlds” (2025). These films are pioneers of the industry, dazzling audiences with wonder beyond that of reality. I am humbled by the very presence of these masterpieces, shooketh by the fact that somehow people of this world were able to make art so inhumanly perfect.
Ice Cube’s “War of the Worlds” is possibly the most incredible movie of the decade. Its story is enthralling and emotional, accentuated by grounded, palpable performances. Seeing the wide variety of shocked faces Ice Cube could make while he watched his family run away from aliens shook me to my very core.
While others have tried adapting the original novel, none have come even close to surpassing the quality of the initial story. I thought it was impossible, but Ice Cube has shown that he understands the story better than H.G. Wells himself. Beyond the novel, this film makes the 2005 Spielberg adaptation look like an episode of Cocomelon in comparison. The story is better, the acting is better, and Jon Natchez’s score puts John Williams’ to shame.
But the true soul of this movie is the best special effects I have ever seen on the screen. Never before has an actor filmed his entire performance from their home office, a feat now possible for Ice Cube with his fancy new green screen. I could barely tell that the COVID-19 pandemic kept the entire cast from filming on an actual set.
Beyond its innovative approach to filming, the movie’s monsters are simply jaw-dropping. The film is so dedicated to realism that they made every shot with an alien as blurry as possible, just like in real life. They probably look terrifyingly lifelike behind all the layers of static and smoke.
Although I’d rather not give attention to such facile criticism, the reception I have seen to this film is truly baffling. I am simply disgusted that people are ignoring the incredible artistry present throughout and labelling the film as “soul-suckingly egregious,” “impressively awful,” “the worst way to spend an hour and thirty minutes,” and “so awful that I’d rather jump into a pit of angry raccoons than watch it again.” The slander this project has experienced brings a tear or two to my eye.
Despite such wonderfully apparent quality, the Oscars committee remains blind to true cinema. They refuse to recognize the record-breaking volume of product placement in “War of the Worlds.” They refuse to recognize one of the greatest performances ever put to screen. They refuse to honor “War of the Worlds” with its deserved Best Picture award.
When I heard the winners of this year’s Oscars ceremony, I realized that art may truly be dead. Slop like “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another,” and “Hamnet” ripped away all the little golden men from their deserving owners, leaving behind a mere corpse of a cinematic masterpiece. They picked Leonardo Dicaprio running around high on drugs for three hours over absolute cinema. I weep now not just for the brutalization of Ice Cube’s magnum opus, but for the precipitous decline of the entire awards community. How far must we have fallen to let such a gem of a film slip through the cracks?
