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 | Drama | 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:

Tripod | Alien | New Jersey | Fight | Television Reporter

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:

While filming in Bayonne, New Jersey, studio Paramount Pictures offered quick cash to residents who lived on First Street and Pointview Terrace to move their cars off the block, between a Tuesday and Friday. This was in order for the film crew to resume shooting.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ray and the kids take refuge in the diner when their car has been taken off them, there is a woman with long blonde hair in the booth next to them. When the gun shot goes off outside and they turn to look she has disappeared, there is less than one second for her to get up from the booth and walk the length of the diner and leave.

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:

Featured in 'War of the Worlds': Production Diaries, West Coast - Destruction (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Infierno

If this movie were a meal, it would be a very satisfying prime beef steak with a dollop of unnecessary cheese.

However it must be said that the majority of the meal is so perfectly cooked that you're able to swallow the cheese without much trouble.

Tom Cruise was good enough that even my fiancé, not normally a fan, was impressed... and despite some misgivings as the lights dimmed at the start, once the action started, not once did I think of Katie Holmes - I was simply too swept up in the action to think about anything other than what was on the screen. But no matter how good a job Tom did, it has to be said that Dakota Fanning blew everyone else away. And not in the same way Tom was upstaged by the gorgeous little boy in Jerry Maguire through sheer 'awww' factor, Dakota is both cute and one of the most talented actresses I've ever seen.

The special effects were amazing, (the first lightning storm was the PERFECT way to get the audience on the edge of their seats, the rest of the movie made sure we stayed there) the thrills were non-stop and executed brilliantly - I nearly broke my fiancé's arm during one particularly nerve-wracking scene - and whilst some of the characters were inevitable clichés - the rebellious teenage son, for example - the story evolved at a fast enough pace that you didn't have time to get irritated by them.

I thought the ending came a bit suddenly and with perhaps not quite enough explanation but overall I really enjoyed this movie - and I'm not usually a fan of alien blockbusters. I just want to know one thing - HOW COME THAT GUY'S CAMCORDER WAS WORKING???!!!