IMDb > War of the Worlds (2005)
War of the Worlds
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War of the Worlds (2005) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 129 | slideshow) Videos (see all 23)
War of the Worlds (2005) -- US Theatrical Trailer from Paramount
War of the Worlds (2005) -- Clip: Tom Hides In Cellar
War of the Worlds (2005) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   121,536 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 52% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

Josh Friedman (screenplay) and
David Koepp (screenplay) ...
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Contact:

View company contact information for War of the Worlds on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

29 June 2005 (USA) more

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 more

NewsDesk:
(142 articles)

David Koepp to Direct Bike Messenger Action Film Premium Rush
 (From Slash Film. 11 November 2009, 9:06 PM, PST)

Start Press: The Spirit of Radio
 (From PasteMagazine. 11 November 2009, 1:47 AM, PST)

User Comments:

Plot holes like craters, but a scary ride anyway more (2680 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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

Out of the Night (USA) (working title)
Party in Fresno (USA) (fake working title)
more

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Tim Robbins's line, "It's not a war any more than it's a war between men and maggots", is a slightly modified quote from the original novel, substituting "maggots" for "ants". The line was also used in the infamous 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast. In addition, the news reporter's line, "Once they begin to move, no more news comes out of that area", is taken directly from The War of the Worlds (1953). Also taken from the original film were the scenes with the probe examining the basement, followed by the inquisitive aliens. Tom Cruise chops the head off the probe with an axe, just as Gene Barry did in the original. Also, the shot of the dying alien's arm coming down the ramp is a reference to a similar shot in the original film. more

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the first attack, we see a Grand Cherokee coming out from the crater, falling down on a Ford Taurus on the left side of the screen. That car's left window was down before the camera pans up, and the same window is up (and stays intact) after the Cherokee comes down on it. more

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...
more

Movie Connections:

Featured in Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters (2006) more

Soundtrack:

Hushabye Mountain more


FAQ

16)When the people were zapped by the tripods and turned to dust/ash, why or how did their clothes survive?
1) Did the birds kill the aliens/tripods?
11) What's all the orange liquid that comes out of the tripods?
more
208 out of 322 people found the following comment useful.
Plot holes like craters, but a scary ride anyway, 4 July 2005
7/10
Author: pbubny-1 from Belleville, NJ

"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.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for War of the Worlds (2005)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
WHY EVERYBODY HATE THIS MOVIE? REAL REASON MIGUELPAYET
Why didn't Spielberg let E.T. drive the tripods? fantarzan
Absolutely Fantastic! petur-9
The US didn't win this time steve-544-31268
OFFTOPIC: Funny video! I couldn't stop laughing at this..! Robin_Koeman
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