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War of the Worlds (2005)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
29 June 2005 (USA)
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Tagline:
They're already here. more
Plot:
As Earth is invaded by alien tripod fighting machines, one family fights for survival. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 12 wins
&
19 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(150 articles)
Exclusive Interview: Dakota Fanning (The Twilight Saga: New Moon)
(From ScreenStar. 19 November 2009, 10:55 PM, PST)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon – A Twihard’s Review
(From FilmShaft.com. 19 November 2009, 11:32 AM, PST)
(From ScreenStar. 19 November 2009, 10:55 PM, PST)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon – A Twihard’s Review
(From FilmShaft.com. 19 November 2009, 11:32 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Plot holes like craters, but a scary ride anyway
more (2681 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Tom Cruise | ... | Ray Ferrier | |
| Dakota Fanning | ... | Rachel Ferrier | |
| Miranda Otto | ... | Mary Ann | |
| Justin Chatwin | ... | Robbie | |
| Tim Robbins | ... | Harlan Ogilvy | |
| Rick Gonzalez | ... | Vincent | |
| Yul Vazquez | ... | Julio (as Yul Vázquez) | |
| Lenny Venito | ... | Manny the Mechanic | |
| Lisa Ann Walter | ... | Bartender | |
| Ann Robinson | ... | Grandmother | |
| Gene Barry | ... | Grandfather | |
| David Alan Basche | ... | Tim | |
| Roz Abrams | ... | Herself | |
| Michael Brownlee | ... | TV Reporter, Osaka | |
| Camillia Sanes | ... | News Producer |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
116 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Taiwan:PG-12 |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) |
Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) |
France:U |
Malaysia:U |
Chile:Y7 |
Spain:13 |
Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) |
Iceland:16 (video rating) |
South Korea:12 |
New Zealand:M |
Germany:12 (f) |
Japan:U |
Australia:M |
UK:12A |
USA:PG-13 |
Ireland:12A |
Finland:K-15 |
Hong Kong:IIA |
Singapore:PG |
Czech Republic:12 |
Netherlands:12 |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) |
Iceland:14 |
Argentina:13 |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Peru:14 |
Canada:13+ (Quebec) |
Norway:15 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Brazil:12 |
Sweden:11 |
Mexico:B
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Shots that were seen in the trailer were not in the finished theatrical release. The most notable of these is named "camelot" for its ethereal lighting design where Robbie, Ray and Rachel encounter a roving battalion of tripods in a deserted Massachusetts neighborhood. They watch from behind a SUV as a tripod pulls people out of a building with its tentacles.
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Goofs:
Miscellaneous: During the scene where Ray throws the baseball and Robbie lets it go past him and through the window, Ray does not actually have anything in his hand when he throws the ball.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
Narrator: No one would have believed in the early years of the 21st century that our world was being watched by intelligences greater than our own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns, *they* observed and studied, the way a man with a microscope might scrutinize the creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water...
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Narrator: No one would have believed in the early years of the 21st century that our world was being watched by intelligences greater than our own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns, *they* observed and studied, the way a man with a microscope might scrutinize the creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water...
more
Movie Connections:
Features "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Secret Box/Band Geeks (#2.14)" (2001)
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Soundtrack:
Infierno
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FAQ
36) Why didn't Ray bring a weapon when he went to fight Ogilvy?9) Why did the EMP not affect the camcorder, solenoid on the shelf, military vehicles etc?
5)What happened to Ogilvy?
more
more (2681 total)
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"War of the Worlds" is Steven Spielberg's third movie in which extraterrestrials visit Earth, but the first in which their intentions are malevolent. It can't be coincidence that the arrival of the ETs is heralded with eerie lights flashing amid lowering clouds, as in "CE3K." From there, the similarity ends--no light show as friendly aliens come in for a closer look. These creatures (presumably Martians, as in the original H.G. Wells novel) aren't interested in making nice; nor is there any ambiguity about their ultimate objective (as there was for much of "CE3K"). They're here to wipe us off the face of the planet, plain and simple, a point we understand before the movie has played for even half an hour, and the giant walking tripods they deploy are remorselessly efficient. So, too, is the movie--at scaring the hell out of us, notwithstanding some gaping plot holes (what's up with that camcorder, anyway?) and a couple of sequences that are too reminiscent of other movies (particularly "Independence Day" and Spielberg's own "Jurassic Park").
That Spielberg uses imagery alluding to 9/11, the Holocaust, and perhaps the siege of London during World War II is, for me, less an exploitation than a reflection of how seriously he intends the audience to take the on screen mayhem. The atmosphere is heavy with threat, and the depiction of a populace numb with shock amid the devastation is chillingly convincing, despite a few moments of Hollywood cheese. We don't have Will Smith delivering snappy one-liners right after millions are massacred by the invading alien forces, a la "ID4." Nor is there much of a rah-rah, let's-kick-some-alien-ass mood as the outmatched Earthlings try fighting back. Even the ostensible protagonist (a low-key, effective Tom Cruise) crumples at one point under the enormity of what's happening.
I'm not really sure what the posters who complained of insufficient action and FX were talking about. Seems to me the tripods were pretty much a constant presence (if not always in the foreground) from about the 15-minute mark onward. And in fact the "war" of the title is waged from the beginning--it's just not on the level of humans vs. aliens combat that some viewers apparently were expecting.