War of the Worlds (2005)

Previously filmed in 1953, Steven Spielberg’s gritty, modern reinterpretation of H.G. Wells’ classic 1898 novel is a disaster epic of two halves.

The first hour is a masterclass in escalating tension, including the bizarre storm that heralds the arrival of the Tripod alien war machines.

Unusually for an effects-driven blockbuster, the human drama is also transfixing, as divorcee Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) flees the invasion with his estranged teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning).

Only in the second hour does the story begin to wilt, when the CGI aliens are revealed, and Spielberg’s schmaltz takes over.

Equipped with disintegrating heat-rays and invulnerable force fields, the Martians begin systematically incinerating civilisation.

Ray flees with his children toward Boston to reunite them with their mother.

Along the way, they must navigate military firefights, collapsing infrastructure, desperate mobs, and a terrifying stint hiding in a basement with a deranged survivalist named Harlan Ogilvy (Tim Robbins, pictured below).

True to H.G. Wells’ original work, the seemingly unstoppable alien conquerors are ultimately defeated not by human military might, but by Earth’s native microscopic bacteria, to which the aliens have no immunity.

The film – shot in a whirlwind 73 days across five US states – was a massive commercial success, grossing over $604 million worldwide on a $132 million budget.

Ray Ferrier
Tom Cruise
Rachel
Dakota Fanning
Mary Ann
Miranda Otto
Robbie
Justin Chatwin
Harlan Ogilvy
Tim Robbins
Vincent
Rick Gonzalez
Julio
Yul Vazquez
Manny the Mechanic
Lenny Venito
Bartender
Lisa Ann Walter
Grandmother
Ann Robinson
Grandfather
Gene Barry
Tim
David Alan Basche
Michael Brownlee
Roz Abrams
Narration (voice)
Morgan Freeman

Director
Steven Spielberg

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