Ice Cube has been named Worst Actor at the 2026 Razzie Awards for his performance in the widely criticised sci-fi thriller ‘War Of The Worlds.’
Rapper and actor Ice Cube topped the category at the 46th Golden Raspberry Awards, beating out a lineup that included The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) for ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’, Dave Bautista for ‘In the Lost Lands’, Scott Eastwood for ‘Alarum’, and Jared Leto for ‘Tron: Ares’.
Cube’s film didn’t just walk away with one dubious honour, ‘War Of The Worlds’ dominated the ceremony, also picking up awards for Worst Director (Rich Lee), Worst Screenplay (Kenny Golde and Marc Hyman), and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip off or Sequel (per NME).
A rough landing for a classic sci-fi reboot
The film is the latest adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel ‘War Of The Worlds’, which has been retold countless times across radio, film, and television. In this version, Cube plays Department of Homeland Security officer Will Radford, who works within a surveillance program capable of monitoring nearly every person on Earth.
While assisting FBI agents hunting a hacker known as ‘Disruptor,’ the story takes a sharp turn when a meteor strike unleashes mysterious machines that begin attacking humans, what initially appears to be a cyber crisis quickly escalates into a full-scale alien invasion.
The film adopts a “screenlife” format, meaning much of the action unfolds through Radford’s computer screen rather than traditional cinematic scenes.
War of the Worlds trailer
Critics and audiences weren’t impressed
When the film hit streaming platform Amazon Prime Video, the response from critics and viewers was overwhelmingly negative, online reactions ranged from stunned disbelief to outright mockery. One Reddit user described it as “so bad I can’t look away,” while another wrote, “If this was physical media I would toss it directly into the garbage.”
Professional reviews weren’t much kinder:
Variety labelled the film “disastrous,” arguing that scenes intended to showcase large scale destruction instead felt underwhelming. Meanwhile, The Telegraph handed the film a one star review, calling it “silly” and “shoddy,” and suggesting the film drained the excitement out of what should have been a huge alien invasion spectacle.
The Razzies tradition continues
The Razzie Awards have long been Hollywood’s tongue in cheek counterpoint to the Oscars, spotlighting the year’s most criticised performances and films.
Last year, legendary director Francis Ford Coppola responded to winning Worst Director for ‘Megalopolis’ by joking on Instagram that it was an “honour,” while also criticising an industry he felt had grown afraid of creative risks.
For Ice Cube, the Razzie win adds an unusual footnote to a career that has spanned gangsta rap, blockbuster comedies, and Hollywood action films.
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