War of the Worlds (2005)

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It all begins when Ray Ferrier's (Tom Cruise) ex-wife leaves their two children Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and Rachel (Dakota Fanning) under Ray's care when she and her husband go on vacation. But within the next few hours, The life of every human bieng on earth is ripped apart when the planet is invaded by an army of three legged giant machines.

Ray, whose inflexible character has been marvellously represented by Tom Cruise, now sets out in a race against time and the Tripods as he struggles to get his children to safety.

He must fight not only the aliens, but also his own; he must learn to kill to survive. He witnesses how his kinfolk resist the invaders against all the odds, even as he himself has to keep up an undying determination not to give in in the face of a living nightmare such as he has never faced before.

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

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Related Movies: remake of War of the Worlds, The (1953) version of War of the Worlds, The (1953) War of the Worlds (1988) [sequel] War of the Worlds (1988) [version] Independence Day (1996) [remake] War of the Worlds, The (2005) [version] H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005) [version] War of the Worlds, The (2006) [remake]

Behind the Scenes: Read more about the production About The Film Pre-Production Begins The Look of 'War of the World' Visual Effects Creating the Tripods About the Locations

Download Movie Script For entertainment and informational purposes only. movie script (by Naven Bradford (based upon the novel by H.G.Wells)) movie script (by Josh Friedman and David Koepp (based upon the novel by H.G.Wells))

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External Reviews

War of the Worlds is not vintage Spielberg, and it's on the grim side for a summer action blockbuster, but it's worth the time and money invested. 

Steven Spielberg would like to believe his new alien movie taps into our fears of terrorism. Well, it's frightening all right.

--Stephanie Zacharek (Salon)

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"War of the Worlds" is a big, clunky movie containing some sensational sights but lacking the zest and joyous energy we expect from Steven Spielberg. 

--Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times)

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...But the thrills outweigh the flaws, and the end of the world has never been so entertaining. 

--Tyler Hanley

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Live this up. Event movies as brilliantly executed as War of The Worlds come by very, very rarely indeed. Easily one of the finest disaster movies of all time. 95/100

--Joe Utichi

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...it’s eye-popping to watch, maintains a breathless pace and even has one or two tricks up its sleeve. 

--Andrea Chase (Killer Movie Reviews)

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That's what you'll remember from War of the Worlds: that ferocious stillness and its morally devastating aftermath. No wonder the ending (straight out of Wells) is such a letdown. It's a deus ex machina for a devil ex machina, but it's the human strugglethat makes this a sci-fi masterpiece.

--David Edelstein

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It's a war movie, it's a clever and concise recollection of 9/11, it's a sci-fi/horror/family drama/thriller amalgam of the most entertaining fashion. 

--Scott Weinberg (eFilmCritic.com)

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War of the Worlds is the anti-(insert any film to rip off H.G. Wells since the 1953 original), a disturbing first-hand account of Earth being thrown into the fan from a filmmaker full of optimism for the planet and its people, but ready to take the darkness of our existence to places we may not be ready to confront. Better now than in another 50 years. 

--Erik Childress (eFilmCritic.com)

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That said, it is probably the most sheerly and viscerally entertaining film Spielberg has done in a long time and if all you want is a superior piece of eye candy, “War of the Worlds” is a more than effective example 

--Peter Sobczynski (eFilmCritic.com)

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In a culture where "horror movie" has come to mean something full of gore and mutilation, Steven Spielberg's approach to "War of the Worlds" is a breath of fresh, bloodless air. I spent much of it agape in horror, terrified by what was happening to the citizens of Earth and their buildings -- yet when it was over, I realized I'd seen only a smattering of blood and not a single severed limb or decapitated body. 

--Eric D. Snider (eFilmCritic.com)

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Those small twinges of negativity aside, the film kicked my ass from its sharp opening, to its character development, to its quick pace, stupendous special effects, dark imagery and realistic environment. It had everything you’d look for in a summer blockbuster and more. 8/10

--'JoBlo' (JoBlo.com)

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Thrilling, action-packed and genuinely scary – in terms of jaw-dropping special effects, War of the Worlds is the blockbuster to beat this summer. 

--Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)

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'War of the Worlds' bears all the hallmarks of Spielberg at his best. It is rivetingly tense, funny just when it needs to be, and its special effects are dazzling without ever overtaking the human drama - but what leaves the most striking impression is its provocatively topsy-turvy politics, where a cold-blooded killer and would-be terrorist wins our sympathies, and a concealed biological weapon saves the world. 8/10

--Anton Bitel (Movie Gazette)

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Directed by

Steven Spielberg Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Written by

David Koepp Mission: Impossible, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Panic Room Josh Friedman The Black Dahlia

Cast

Tom Cruise Minority Report, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia Dakota Fanning Man on Fire, Hide and Seek, I Am Sam Miranda Otto The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, What Lies Beneath Tim Robbins The Shawshank Redemption, Top Gun, High Fidelity Rick Gonzalez Coach Carter, The Rookie, Pulse Justin Chatwin Taking Lives, Josie and the Pussycats, SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 Yul Vazquez Traffic, Bad Boys II, Runaway Bride [more]

Spielberg may be the best at what he does. But it gets old. --Daniel Neman Much is destroyed in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, but the movie never quite delivers an emotional knockout blow. C+ --Robert Denerstein "War of the Worlds" is one hell of a ride. The special effects are seamless and the story succeeds in being both touching and horrifying. "War of the Worlds" can be a nightmarish trip, but it's a terrific film, a blockbuster that lives up to its billing. --Paul Clinton (CNN Showbiz) As pleasing as it is that Spielberg rounded up Gene Barry and Ann Robinson for the roles of Ray's former parents-in-law, I cannot guess why he limited them to a single long shot that is on and off so quickly it barely registers subliminally.  --Ed Blank Despite the weak ending, there’s lots of good stuff to be had here, both technically (the cinematography is simply stunning, as are the visual effects) and in terms of the narrative (the characters are interesting and believable, and the trajectory of the action will put butterflies in your stomach like the best thrill-rides).  --Brian Juergens (Bloody-Disgusting.com) The movie's direction was lost from the start and its fair to say that the new 2005 version of The War Of The Worlds was just as corny as the 1953 original  -- (terrorwatch.net)

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