War of the Worlds (2005)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

29 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

They're already here.

Plot:

As Earth is invaded by alien tripod fighting machines, one family fights for survival.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Tripod | New Jersey | Fight | Peanut Butter

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

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

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

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

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:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Some army troops used were from the 29th Division (Maryland Army National Guard), known as "The Blue and the Gray" from their yin-yang looking shoulder patch (visible when the day convoy went by the Ferrier's and the son was getting splashed).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Train (Acela) streams by while on fire. All trains have a "deadman" switch. They come to a full emergency stop if the engineer is incapacitated (as he/she would be if on fire).

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...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Flatline

Oh no. Spielberg does it again

I love and respect Spielberg, let's make that absolutely clear. I grew up with the man. But, that love and respect, clearly, is exclusively one sided. I have the feeling I've been treated like a moron. There are so many concessions made in the film in a vain attempt to reach everybody, that at the end of the day, most everybody is disappointed. It's not one thing or the other. Much like "Artificial Intelligence" Steven Spielberg, more than any of his contemporaries, has everything at his disposal. He has the luxury to choose the best of the best in every department, so why not apply that standard to the most important, the writing. Here the source was H.G Wells so, no excuses for the cheap shots and the smart ass wise cracks. I think that compromises are, in a business of millions and millions of dollars, unavoidable, but, how terrible when the compromise takes over. When marketing researchers have so much power. I think that compromises based on political correctness have taken over the world of Spielberg. I remember when Elia Kazan received the Academy Award to his career and the polemic that followed. Spielberg found a way to be okay with everybody. He applauded but didn't stand up. Is that his position? He made comments about War of the Worlds, hinting that the updated story reflected what was happening in the world today. Really? There is a line thrown out there casually on purpose "Occupation never works" or something like that. But that's not nearly enough. It is an insult to our intelligence. "War of the Worlds" has a terrific opening. We are several steps ahead of the characters populating the world in the movie. The thrilling anticipation of what we know is coming, raises our expectations to levels that, naturally, are impossible to reach. Tom Cruise is terrific, but the film moves between Wells and Spielberg's worlds without being fair to either one. Technically the film is astonishing, but the soul is sadly not there.