War of the Worlds (2005) (V)

Director:

David Michael Latt

Writers:

H.G. Wells (novel)
David Michael Latt (written by) ...

Release Date:

28 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Invasion Has Already Begun.

Plot:

In this modern retelling of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic, civilization is laid to ruin when a race of super aliens invades Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Astronomer | Destruction | Comet | Soldier | Priest

Cast

C. Thomas Howell	...	George Herbert
Rhett Giles	...	Pastor Victor
Andrew Lauer	...	Sgt. Kerry Williams (as Andy Lauer)
Tinarie Van Wyk-Loots	...	Felicity Herbert
Jake Busey	...	Lt. Samuelson (as William Busey)
Dashiell Howell	...	Alex Herbert (as Dash Howell)
Peter Greene	...	Matt Herbert
Kim Little	...	Rebecca
Edward DeRuiter	...	Max (as Ed Deruiter)
Meredith Laine	...	Audrey
Matthew Jaeger	...	Jared
Cayman Mitchell	...	Jake
Luis de Amechazurra	...	Bill
Gary Robbins	...	Jules
Bernadette Perez	...	Elaine

Also Known As:

H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (USA) (complete title)
Invasion (UK) (cable TV title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Goofs:

Factual errors: George Herbert uses a rabies serum to knock out the aliens. He says something to the effect that life defeats life. However rabies vaccinations use dead virus cells to generate immunity. Serum labeled "live" contains genetically modified components but does not actually contain intact live virus.

Movie Connections:

Featured in War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008) (V)

Great Film, not for all

Why would I say that this film isn't for everyone? Well, I saw it with my nephew who's 15 and his friend who is 16. The bottom line: is that they were expecting/hoping to see the special effects roller coaster ride that is in the Tom Cruise version. They wanted a popcorn/video game film. That's fine, but that's not this movie. So they left the show going, "eh..." they wanted bigger and louder. They wanted Cruise.

But it's too bad because what they missed was incredible. Whereas the Cruise version left me with no after-taste this version is more of a character study in humanity. I thought and talked about it for days afterwords.

The performances are astounding. Again, this isn't your typical Hollywood film, so don't expect a hero looping explosives in an alien ship or a Macintosh intercepting the mother ship (ala ID4). This is a bleak, depressing, and yet hopeful look on a crisis and how it affects one man. The weight that C. Thomas Howell had on his shoulders to carry this movie must have been intense. But he does it with incredible depth.

The supporting characters were all spectacular in their performances. The writers ability to get at the heart of very dangerous topics is mind boggling. I felt like I was watching "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (W. Allen) again, where complex issues were brought to my attention with great detail and humanity.

In short, this is a phenomenal picture filled with great ideas, great performances, and great substance.