War of the Worlds (2005)

74% of critics liked it
(250 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(31,022,289 ratings)

An ordinary man has to protect his children against alien invaders in this science fiction thriller, freely adapted from the classic story by H.G. Wells. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a dockworker living in New Jersey, divorced from his first wife Mary Ann (Miranda Otto) and estranged from his two… More An ordinary man has to protect his children against alien invaders in this science fiction thriller, freely adapted from the classic story by H.G. Wells. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a dockworker living in New Jersey, divorced from his first wife Mary Ann (Miranda Otto) and estranged from his two children Rachel and Robbie (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin), of whom he has custody on weekends. On one such visitation, looking after the kids becomes a little more difficult when, after a series of strange lighting storms hit his neighborhood, Ray discovers that a fleet of death-ray robotic spaceships have emerged nearby, part of the first wave of an all-out alien invasion of the Earth. Transporting his children from New York to Boston in an attempt to find safety at Mary Ann's parents' house, Ray must learn to become the protector and provider he never was in marriage. Also starring Tim Robbins, War of the Worlds was directed by Steven Spielberg, who had been planning the project for years, but set it aside until a wave of "alien invasion" films (led by Independence Day) had run its course. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Written By: Josh Friedman, David Koepp
Genres: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jun 29, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Nov 22, 2005
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Spielberg's calculations turn out to be more prominent than any effects they could possibly produce, and the less pretentious 1953 version by producer George Pal emerges as more likable.
Ken Tucker, New York Magazine
Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds is huge and scary, moving and funny-another capper to a career that seems like an unending succession of captivations.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Overall, the film is too lacking in feeling to provide a recognizably human experience.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
War of the Worlds is taut, gripping and surprisingly dark filmmaking.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
H.G. Wells wouldn't recognize his 1898 alien-invasion novel, The War of the Worlds, in Steven Spielberg's updated film version. But Wells could probably relate to the ensuing fear and panic.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
There's stuff to make you go 'Wow!' but nothing you'll remember the next day.
, Film4
An unstoppable juggernaut of action and anxiety that will have you blundering from the cinema in a state of nervous exhaustion. Don't expect any soft drink promotional tie-ins with this summer blockbuster.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
War of the Worlds is that most rare of screen adaptations - a film that is faithful to its origins and at the same time, its own separate creature. The first half is better than the second, but what a first half.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Alien invasion thriller too scary for young kids.
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
so impressive in so many ways that it makes the frustration over its miserable final moments that much harder to bear
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...terrific special effects, good acting, a few powerful scenes, and some of the most ridiculous coincidences found in any old-time, B-grade sci-fi flick. (Blu-ray Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...in its own right it works well enough most of the time to pass an entertaining couple of hours.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
An exciting, intense, gruesome, and awfully subversive piece of science fiction escapism...
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
See it, but lower your expectations.
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
great flick from spielberg
Brandon Fibbs, BrandonFibbs.com
This is Spielberg at his unabashedly commercial worst %u2014 bland, unimaginative, and more interested in his bang than his brain.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Spielberg blows stuff up better than anyone -- he proves himself the maestro of that by-now-degraded game.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Just when it seemed like Mr. Spielberg might be maturing into a filmmaker with some much-needed cynicism, you realize he's still just out there rounding up the dollars.
Kam Williams, Princeton Town Topics
Spielberg flips the E.T. script with this sci-fi flick which reverts to the pulp fiction notion of aliens as the enemies of earthlings.
Kevin Lally, Film Journal International
Reconfirms Spielberg as a master of action, here seamlessly integrating spectacular visual magic into the most mundane and familiar settings.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Candy R

Sci-fi movie about an alien invasion. Tom has to protect his estranged kids.
Phil H

Effects wise this is a very very good film, like all modern sci-fi films, it looks awesome and very realistic. The aliens and their mechanical tripods are slick, shiny and uber cool looking :) whilst the fungus like growth they produce across everything looks brilliant and fully… More
Effects wise this is a very very good film, like all modern sci-fi films, it looks awesome and very realistic. The aliens and their mechanical tripods are slick, shiny and uber cool looking :) whilst the fungus like growth they produce across everything looks brilliant and fully believeable, superb effects, kudos. But that's it, the acting is the usual over the top, wide eyed blockbuster fare you expect from these high dollar flicks, Cruise is just Cruise like in all his films haha no difference, the kids are good but they have that annoying thing going on which I can't quite explain haha the only decent acting really is Robbins, dependable is the word. As for this flick against the old one its hard, this new film is great looking of course and more complete due to what can be done but the old film is charming and has that classic movie aura about it that always seems to make them come across well. The quaint effects also are so very likeable hehe the look of the ships, that green hue, the red lasers :) so good. Both are good and have their pluses and minuses, this is a good flick for sure just overrated methinks.
Martin S

This was a good movie. But I disagree with a lot of things about it. First of all. Why do we follow a bumlike man who's not on good terms with his children....and why does everything look so grey and just dead? It's the war of the worlds. As it is displayed for me...I just… More
This was a good movie. But I disagree with a lot of things about it. First of all. Why do we follow a bumlike man who's not on good terms with his children....and why does everything look so grey and just dead? It's the war of the worlds. As it is displayed for me...I just feel that....go a head and destroy us all...it's a hell hole anyway...It's us against them...try showing our good side....then we can turn on eachother when times are though. Another thing I disagree with is that the aliens make there first apperance way too early....come on....build the drama....did Planet of the Apes teach you nothing? Now...we see them at the start of the movie....And about half through...it's not interesting anymore...Cause the first halft was good...the second....I couldn't care less...And as far as Spielberg goes....I just wanna say that he did some really good things in this movie....but he did some bad stuff to.....so...it's not really a bad movie...but the whole overall feeling is just bitter..and I wouldn't really recomend it recomend it. And Tom's son should have died...that was the best part of the movie....but no...we can't have that in a Spielberg film
Alexander D

Itâ(TM)s rewarding to see director Steven Spielberg return to the alien studies for which we know him best. His earlier films CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL were classic (and much less intense), but seeing him revisit such a marvelous concept is… More
Itâ(TM)s rewarding to see director Steven Spielberg return to the alien studies for which we know him best. His earlier films CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL were classic (and much less intense), but seeing him revisit such a marvelous concept is phenomenal. The running up satisfier about this adrenaline-heavy thriller is that it is not merely an adaptation of H.G. Wellsâ(TM)s classic novel; it is a 21st century twist, narrated reverently by Morgan Freeman. It was also one of three versions of the story in 2005 (!), all remakes of the 1953 film THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-zz
Manu G

They're already here. Saw it again! Excellent movie! This movie hardly has any flaws, it is epic as well as amazing. I could watch it many times again. Love it! Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. When his ex-wife and her new husband drop… More
They're already here. Saw it again! Excellent movie! This movie hardly has any flaws, it is epic as well as amazing. I could watch it many times again. Love it! Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. When his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son Robbie and young daughter Rachel for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm suddenly touches down. What follows is the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it in this contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells seminal classic sci-fi thriller.
Tyler K

The plot is average. The acting, although very realistic, it's not very natural. The effects... oh lord. This is a good "oh lord"... This movie has the best effects of all time. There is no comparison, I just can't see any other movie with these effects. It's… More
The plot is average. The acting, although very realistic, it's not very natural. The effects... oh lord. This is a good "oh lord"... This movie has the best effects of all time. There is no comparison, I just can't see any other movie with these effects. It's just a bit too good, actually. This makes things much better. The movie is indeed a hit or miss, but it's also indeed thrilling. This is what most alien invasion movies are, thrillers. Most as in, the exception being Men in Black, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, erm, well, uh, 2001: A Space Odyssey... and yes... the movie is about aliens (The monolith (chocolate bar thing, for most) is an alien). So, is it good? Yep, and not over-welling on action like Independence Day, neither. This is the Golden Cheese.
Lafe F

I enjoyed it on first viewing. It has a strange look to every scene, even before the aliens attack, there's an overuse of cyan (blue/green) unnatural tinting, plus an artificial grain effect. The blood-red weed and purple alien heat rays look glow against the cyan landscape.Money… More
I enjoyed it on first viewing. It has a strange look to every scene, even before the aliens attack, there's an overuse of cyan (blue/green) unnatural tinting, plus an artificial grain effect. The blood-red weed and purple alien heat rays look glow against the cyan landscape.Money was put into the great alien look of it all. Actor-wise, Tom Cruise was a bit generic concerned dad-of-action in this one. His little daughter Dakota Fanning either stared wide-eyed or screamed uncontrollably, making her not too cute. The teenaged son... well, he didn't really fit into the family unit. While this movie wasn't strong on characters, I watched with amazement and horror all the alien destructive forces. The scene where the alien lander first crashes in the road and cracks up the streets and buildings is frightening. It must've been a wet invasion, because there weren't many burning buildings throughout. Yup, this movie has some frightening sequences done well. I like how we actually do get to see the aliens, in a brief basement scene not unlike the Signs one. There were fun tributes to the original, with a similar alien claw design and the crazy guy living underground (Tim Robbins), even if it was only a basement. I'm surprised the authorities didn't do more or there weren't more media reports of what was going on. The movie was the lonely and crazy journey of Tom Cruise and his kids through a creepily ruined and changed landscape. Their final destination I won't reveal, but it was a relief as the credits rolled. Good for a rental, but I wouldn't want to own it.
Michael E

Out of all film remakes, this is one of the best to me, and I definitely prefer it over ther original that bored me to death. The effects are top notch in this film and Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning do great jobs as the Father and daughter trying to escape from this alien armageddon… More
Out of all film remakes, this is one of the best to me, and I definitely prefer it over ther original that bored me to death. The effects are top notch in this film and Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning do great jobs as the Father and daughter trying to escape from this alien armageddon on the planet. It is also a faithful adaption to the original novel (which is one of my favorite books,) and does the same thing the original film did, that make the film take place at the time it was made and not the time the novel was written. The apocalyptic scenes of people being turned to ash and the destroyed buildings add to the fantastic detail and CG spectacle to this film, also the aliens are very interesting looking, and the Amphibian-like moving martian war machines are fantastic to look at and the roar it makes is very threatening and intimadating to listen to. Also Morgan Freeman as the narrartor, nice touch.
Eric A

Saw it in theatres and opposed to others, I actually liked it. Could it have been better? Sure but it was pretty well done.
Mike S

Call me crazy, but I have a hard time understanding why so many people dislike this movie. Granted that Tom Cruise is mentally deranged and ought to be thrown into the looney bin (he even tried recruiting people to his scientology bull**** during the shooting of this film) , but as an… More
Call me crazy, but I have a hard time understanding why so many people dislike this movie. Granted that Tom Cruise is mentally deranged and ought to be thrown into the looney bin (he even tried recruiting people to his scientology bull**** during the shooting of this film) , but as an actor he does his job exemplary and as is true for the rest of the cast here. Alien invasion stories is obviously nothing new, but Spielberg has brought his own touch to it that to me felt very fresh and inventive. Especially as you follow the turn of events from the perspective of an innocent family. Another strong point - and much of the reason why I love it so - is that it feels genuinely realistic. You truly experience the terror along with its characters - to me also heightened on a personal level as it reminded me a lot of some vivid nightmares I've had. The only part that falls short of greatness is the overly rushed ending, which felt a bit unsatisfying and left me with many questions unanswered. Other than that though, it's an incredibly thrilling sci-fi gem with perfect directing and state-of-the-art special effects. Definitely within the Top 5 among my all-time favourite Spielberg movies.
Bethany M

One of my favourite Tom Cruise films. This had me intrigued with Sci-Fi and the special effects were brilliant.
Drake T

What viewers have to acknowledge immediately is that this isn't an Alien-Invasion film. It's a drama, about a dysfunctional family. But even with that distinction you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who will tell you they liked any of these characters or found any… More
What viewers have to acknowledge immediately is that this isn't an Alien-Invasion film. It's a drama, about a dysfunctional family. But even with that distinction you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who will tell you they liked any of these characters or found any chemistry between them. In the end it's a series of emotionally inconsequential events delivering little to no feeling for its viewers. Still, you can't deny how Spielberg rocks the disaster-theme in several well directed scenes from the "average Joe's" perspective. It's visually engaging enough to sit through, that's for sure.
Brad W

War of the Worlds is one of the greatest close encounter films ever made, but we expected this from Spielberg. After extraterrestrials invade earth, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) takes his daughter (Dakota Fanning) and older son (Justin Chatwin) to his ex wifes house in Boston for… More
War of the Worlds is one of the greatest close encounter films ever made, but we expected this from Spielberg. After extraterrestrials invade earth, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) takes his daughter (Dakota Fanning) and older son (Justin Chatwin) to his ex wifes house in Boston for protection, but the things the witness on the way there will be horrifying. Tom Cruise was my one problem with this film, he looked like he was on crack the whole time and his performance was not good. Dakota Fannings scared face made me really feel her terror. I found the plot an amazing journey that showed terror, family bonds, and intensity that will stay in our minds a long time. The effects were amazing as well, everything looked real and it truly has Spielbergs magic touch. This isn't Spielbergs best sci fi, but thats because all of his sci fi movies have been great.
Melvin W

War of the Worlds is a thrilling and fun movie from beginning to end. Although a sci-fi movie, it has a sense of humor. "Are these the terrorists?" Tom Cruise was not nearly as bad as I heard he was in this movie. I think people let his personal life clout his acting… More
War of the Worlds is a thrilling and fun movie from beginning to end. Although a sci-fi movie, it has a sense of humor. "Are these the terrorists?" Tom Cruise was not nearly as bad as I heard he was in this movie. I think people let his personal life clout his acting abilities. Him and Spielberg always make good movies and War of the Worlds is no different. This Spielberg and Cruises second pairing is equally as good as Minority Report. Even those who hate the movie say they liked the special effects. The special effects made the movie worth the watch alone, but with some solid performances and great directing from Spielberg, it's easily one of the most fun I've seen.
Kase V

A thrilling movie that is very entertaining. Cruise is excellent and the visuals are awesome. But Dakota Fanning just has to SHUT. UP. Damn, it was annoying. Besides that, slightly flawed film.
Jeff "

War Of The Worlds is an entertaining, and exciting remake of H.G Wells classic. The film has received flack for it's casting of Tom Cruise, who by this point was pretty much screwing up his career with the famous couch incident and his open support for the "church" of… More
War Of The Worlds is an entertaining, and exciting remake of H.G Wells classic. The film has received flack for it's casting of Tom Cruise, who by this point was pretty much screwing up his career with the famous couch incident and his open support for the "church" of Scientology. Considering all that, one cannot expect anything good from this, right? Well I was surprised to say the least, I quite enjoyed this film, and I thought it was a terrific Sci Fi action / horror film. If thats what you want to call it. Cruise himself isn't too bad, and I never really was a fan of his, only for a few exceptions. I find him to be quite the average actor. War Of The Worlds is an awesome, visual feast. I can understand why people seem to hate this film, and I view it as an either you love it or hate it. I loved it. I thought the story was horrifying, thrilling and dramatic. War Of The Worlds has got to be the best Sci Fi film dealing with Alien invaders since the remake of Invaders of The Body Snatcher in 1978. Steven Spielberg crafts a film thats bold, and brash as this was made after 9/11, and with that in mind you know that this is a film that takes risky because it shows Aliens destroying civilization and destroying humans. The story is good and should appeal to Sci Fi fans and for the most part, War Of The Worlds is quite an awesome Sci Fi action film with horror elements thrown in. People should give it a chance, and not be turned off by the fact that Tom Cruise is in this.
Conner R

Maybe i'm biased to this since it has two of my favorite people working together. Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg are such a great match, their styles complement each other perfectly. Tom Cruise delivers on pulse pounding action and dramatic acting and Steven Spielberg gives us… More
Maybe i'm biased to this since it has two of my favorite people working together. Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg are such a great match, their styles complement each other perfectly. Tom Cruise delivers on pulse pounding action and dramatic acting and Steven Spielberg gives us such a great improved storyline and visual atmosphere. Justin Chatwin also blasts on to the screen as the most believable son of Tom Cruise, their looks and mannerisms are scarily similar. What I like about this disaster-type movie is that it doesn't feel like one. The isolation technique that was used makes the terror of an alien invasion all the more disturbing. We know very little more than the characters and there's very little foreshadowing used. The intensity practically builds from the moment the movie starts and has you captivated all the way through. Honestly, I think we all know why this was not as popular as expected. Tom Cruise was unfairly singled out as a complete madman because he doesn't follow a respected religion. Not only did that hurt this movie's success, but it has been one of the most insane celebrity judgments of all time. War of the Worlds should be seen for what it is, an excellent movie.
Matt G

Great adaption of the original story. Action sequences were amazing and Tom Cruise was awesome! B+
Nadira I

As a sci-fi movie lovers, Tom Cruise did not dissapoint in thie movie. War of the Worlds is a must.
Richard C

I thought it was good. B