War of the Worlds

5.7

78,416

Ratings

Add to lists

2 Related Movies

Remake of:

The War of the Worlds

Reboot:

War of the Worlds

Original title: War of the Worlds
Year: 2005
Running time: 116 min.
Country: United States
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: David Koepp, Josh Friedman (Novel: H.G. Wells)
Music: John Williams
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski
Cast: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto, David Harbour, Ty Simpkins, Rick Gonzalez, Yul Vazquez, Lenny Venito, Lisa Ann Walter, Ann Robinson, Gene Barry, David Alan Basche, Camillia Monet, Marlon Young, Maggie Lacey
Producer: DreamWorks SKG / Paramount Pictures / Amblin Entertainment / Cruise-Wagner Productions
Genre: Sci-Fi. Action. Horror | Aliens. End of the World. Remake
Movie Groups: H.G. Wells Adaptations
New
Synopsis / Plot: A contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells’s seminal classic, the sci-fi adventure thriller reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it.

Cruise stars as Ray Ferrier, a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) and her new husband drop off his teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning) for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.

Moments later, at an intersection near his house, Ray witnesses an extraordinary event that will change all their lives forever. A towering three-legged war machine emerges from deep beneath the earth and, before anyone can react, incinerates everything in sight. An ordinary day has suddenly become the most extraordinary event of their lifetimes – the first strike in a catastrophic alien attack on Earth.

Ray scrambles to get his children away from this merciless new enemy, embarking on a journey that will take them across the ravaged countryside, where they become caught in the desperate tide of refugees fleeing from an extraterrestrial army of Tripods.

But no matter where they run, there is no safety, no refuge … only Ray’s unconquerable will to protect the ones he loves.

Directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Josh Friedman and David Koepp, based on the novel by H. G. Wells, the film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson. The executive producer is Paula Wagner. The film also stars Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin and Tim Robbins.

Spielberg’s core filmmaking team, which has collaborated with the director on numerous projects, is led by director of photography Janusz Kaminski, ASC, production designer Rick Carter, editor Michael Kahn, A.C.E., and costume designer Joanna Johnston. Music is composed by John Williams. Visual effects and animation is by Industrial Light & Magic, led by senior visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman.

This film was rated PG-13 for Frightening Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Disturbing Images. US release: june 29th, 2005.

Awards: 2005: 3 Nominations for Oscar: Best Sound, Sound Editing, Visual Effects

2005: Nominated for Razzie Awards: Worst Actor (Tom Cruise)

2005: Critics' Choice Awards: Best Young Actress (Fanning)

Critics' reviews

"A gritty, intense and supremely accomplished sci-fier (...) [An] awesome spectacle"

Todd McCarthy: Variety
"Reasonably entertaining (...) Although the special effects are elaborate and expensive, 'War of the Worlds' has some of the stripped-down ingenuity of 'Jaws' and 'Duel.'"

A. O. Scott: The New York Times
"A big, clunky movie containing some sensational sights but lacking the zest and joyous energy we expect from Steven Spielberg.(…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: rogerebert.com
"The special effects are good, and Tom Cruise isn't bad (...) Spielberg's calculations turn out to be more prominent than any effects they could possibly produce"

Jonathan Rosenbaum: Chicago Reader
"This anti-'E.T.' is so rigorously realized it makes 'Independence Day' look like 'Finding Neverland'. What begins as grand-scale spectacle and awe-inspiring adventure becomes a grueling ordeal and a waking nightmare."

Bruce Westbrook: Houston Chronicle
"The ending arrives and the dyke bursts, and all that's left to admire is how a great director kept the cracks from showing (...) A false, hollow conclusion"

Scott Tobias: AV Club
"A fundamentally unambitious and often quite dull film (...) Viewers of this movie will think they are watching a demo for the tie-in video game (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"

Peter Bradshaw: The Guardian
"A greatest-hits package from our greatest living entertainer, there is almost overmuch to admire here, but only the moments that aspire to post-9/11 relevance chill as well as thrill (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

Colin Kennedy: Empire

Movie Soulmates' ratings: Register so you can access movie recommendations tailored to your movie taste.
Friends' ratings: Register so you can check out ratings by your friends, family members, and like-minded members of the FA community.

Ranking Lists Position

10 Underrated Movies (125)
14 My Top 10 Movies from 2005 (197)
15 My Favorite Remakes (25)
29 Movies with Awesome Special Effects (39)
40 My Favorite Sci-Fi Films (274)
53 Worst Movies of All Time (149)
58 Popular Movies I Hate (46)

Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Please send us a message.
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to info@filmaffinity.com

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

For US ratings information please visit: www.mpaa.org www.filmratings.com www.parentalguide.org