The latest cinematic adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi tale, War of the Worlds, has startled audiences everywhere. Its unique and inclusive perspective quickly caught the attention of audiences when it premiered on Prime Video at the end of July. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Universal Pictures, this film has garnered significant attention—not for its innovative storytelling, but for its dismal 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
War of the Worlds happens in real-time while one of these global crisis are happening. Most importantly, it highlights the power of a coordinated response from armed forces around the world. Today, the film’s narrative mainly continues to focus on Will Radford. Ice Cube really makes this DHS official come alive, as he intently watches multiple TV feeds for the slightest sign of a terrorist. It’s a perilous path that Radford walks. The award-winning film Adventure Online introduces a unique storytelling approach through the screenlife format—telling the story completely through activity on device screens.
Timur Bekmambetov is passionate about the screenlife format. Now, he’s ready to remake the entire found footage subgenre with his new adaptation. Opponents haven’t exactly pulled their punches in critiques. Many describe War of the Worlds as an “unconvincing cheapie,” falling short of expectations set by its prestigious source material.
The film production drew on the lessons learned while filming in 2020. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for the entire film industry. Even though these obstacles were daunting, Bekmambetov’s strategy was to leverage the current cultural zeitgeist around issues of surveillance and global threat perception.
When it comes to audience reception, things have been overwhelmingly bad. That 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes underscores just how let down critics were. They’ve even gone so far as to label it a true “graveyard” of cinematic potential! This blunt critique leads us to wonder about the potential of the screenlife format for expressing complicated narratives and ideas while effectively attracting and captivating an audience.
In light of the film’s dismal performance, it is worth exploring how Bekmambetov’s vision aligns with audience expectations. Despite the format’s creativity, the screenlife format can be a poor conduit for character development and emotional depth. Others criticize the use of digital screens as a storytelling crutch that may prevent a film from fully engaging with its audience. They feel this reliance undermines the film’s ability to strike an emotional chord.
As audiences take note of quality content more than ever before, filmmakers should focus on these innovative techniques while putting storytelling at the forefront. War of the Worlds is a prime example of a cautionary tale in this respect. Its lofty premise and relevant themes are alluring, but they ultimately fail to resonate with audiences. This serves to underscore the difficult task of reimagining beloved literature in new, contemporary contexts.