War of the Worlds (2005)
Moderate violence
An earth-shattering adventure that both "rivets and amazes" (Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune), War of the Worlds reunites superstar Tom Cruise and Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg for one of the most awe-inspiring cinematic experiences of all time!
A contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic, the sci-fi thriller reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family. Fleeing from an extraterrestrial army of killer Tripods that annihilate everything in their path, Ray Ferrier (Cruise) races to keep his family safe. War of the Worlds is an action packed adventure that explodes with spectacular special effects!
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 116mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: |
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Member Reviews (97)
97 Member
Reviews
Batmo
says
Nothing like the originals, in fact nothing like anything. Poor movie all round. Only watched it to compare, what a waste of time.
Janis Farrugia
says
Very good movie, special effects great, but found I still likes the original movie the best.
there was a lot left to the imagination in the original sequel. Tom cruise played a good part
still recommend to watch.
Ange
says
Story OK, could have been more in depth and given us more to think about. Great production, sound and effects as you'd expect from a big budget Hollywood film. Dakota Fanning was very irritating, I would have left her behind. Tom Cruise was Tom Cruise.
A. Tapaatoutai
says
Not too bad
Anne D.
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found this movie to be very abstract and hard to understand what the smaller story lines were. I usually enjoy Spielbergs work but not this time and Tom Cruise was just not the right person.
Timothy H.
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Not the greatest of movies, I have to think that a lot of it ended up on the cutting room floor......but at least I was distracted enough by the action sequences and SFX not to notice Mr Cruise's acting.
Paul
says
The first half of this movie ran like a badly written soapie. I was so glad when the son ran off to be a hero, the story got back to being about martian invaders then.
Judith E.
says
When I first I watched this I couldn't figure out whether I liked it or not, then the more I thought about different scenes the more intrigued I became. Tom Cruise is a good actor but he has become increasingly intense and it shows in this film. Well worth watching
Melissa E.
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A total waste of 116 mins. The only decent acting was Dakota Fanning, who managed to keep watching until the really boring end!
Alex H.
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War of the worlds is a timely reminder that we may not be the only inhabitants in the universe and that we are despoyling our existing world. A great Spielberg show!
Graham C.
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It was like they ran out of money half way through the movie and then fudged it. Dwelled on the most ridiculous things then breezed over the paramount points. Definately a disaster movie.
Uncle Ron
says
Being a Steven Spielberg film, I thought that this would be an OK flick. Wrong !! It's absolutely appalling. Definately Hollywood at it's worst. Most people would be familiar with the storyline, but you would be the odd man out if you are not disappointed with the stunts, the same old minor sub-plots, and the very forgetable screenplay. I would have turned it off half-way through if the batteries in my remote had been working.
Kan S.
says
This movie was a waste of time, the character for Tom Cruise was badly done. About the invaders, more could be elaborated about their intentions, for example the Red Weeds. Studying us for so long before deciding to invade, I mean what is the intention of this?
Maree S.
says
Good quality movie. I'm not really a science fiction fan but I enjoyed this.
The special effects were very clever.
Jeff B.
says
We enjoyed this film immensely (my second viewing). Great surround sound with wonderful deep bass noises from the Martians. Thoroughly recommended.
Barbara V.
says
Having just seen the stage musical I wasn't sure if this film would be worth seeing, but it is very good and close to the original film. Great special effects.
Marg O.
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Didn't think much of the script, Tom Cruise was forgettable but the sound and special effects were great.
MikeH
says
I liked the special effects, but the film slowed down a bit in the second half. Not one of Tom Cruise's better films and Dakota Fanning's screeches became a bit wearing after a while.
Ferend R.
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Gerry V.
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An exciting sci-fi epic.
Bev M.
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Cassi.
says
Disappointed in this version. It would be better if you didn't know the story, and Tom Cruise was rather unconvincing. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who likes War of the Worlds.
Keith H.
says
not worth spending your time on
Shane C.
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Michael C.
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Penny T.
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Americanised version of excellent Sci Fi novel. Not bad but standard happy ending grates and got fed up with screaming child. FX good
Richard W.
says
Quite an interesting movie.
Christopher N.
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John H.
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Mema G.
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Daphne J.
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Not as good as the Original even with the modern setup.
Joanne F.
says
a movie not to be missed even if scifi is not youre thing
Craig Hill
says
I really enjoyed the first 95% of this movie, thinking "how is America going to save us this time?" and then whammy....all the tripods die and it's over. What was that? Lame!
Andrew H.
says
Great special effects but the whole sub-plot of family issues annoyed the hell out of me. Why would you be questioning how bad your father is when you are about to get zapped by a 100 foot Martian?
Sharon B.
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Brian G.
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Better than I expected!
poppy
says
I don't really know what to say about this movie. As much as I enjoy sci-fi movies, this one didn't really get me interested. I don't think there was any real substance to the movie. You knew how it was going to end and you knew the lead character (Cruise) would be in the centre of each scene even when he didn't really have any cause to be. It seems he was just trying to get exposure as an actor. The movie is a movie to watch when there is nothing else on telly.
Friederike E.
says
Yes what was the red tubes
Jennifer B.
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If it wasn't for Tom Cruise, it would have been AMAZING!
Allen R.
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Natascha S.
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Special effects were great and so was the editing and camera work, but the story could have been better. I was left feeling like I had missed something...so much left unanswered. Feel like
I should read the book just to understand the movie. But still worth seeing.
Shaun O.
says
I heard the 1980's record version sound track with Richard Burton when I was twelve and it scared the shit out of me. I loved it. this movie did the same thing - scared me and that was ACE! I was impressed with Tom Cruise's performance - an actor I don't usually go for. Parts about the red weed were poorly petrtrayed - you only really knew what that was about if you'd heard the records as mentioned above. The movie was not as good as the 1980's recording. Still - I enjoyed it very much - great human emotion pertraied under unreal circumstances.
Tim W.
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J A P.
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Lewis C.
says
An old story but with Spielberg's sets it turns out to be an extravangaza.
JW
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Sara H.
says
The movie was not bad, and apparently true to the original story. Lame ending though, and that was enough to ruin the movie.
Dylan F.
says
Great if your a fan of Spielbergs experimental movies. Good performances and nice cinematography.
Jan R.
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Jan R.
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Roderick W.
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Trevor H.
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Jeanne W.
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great, can't wait to see the follow on
Terence B.
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Matt C.
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I lot better than I expected it to be.
Mark
says
Cruise's acting in this movie was just soo poor. This could have such a good movie, but the movie is just full of cruise tugging tears.
Vanessa R.
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Richard R.
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Ben
says
I loathe both Cruise and Speilberg but you have to hand it to them and Universal Pictures - its an extremely suspenseful production that uses special effects credibly and even allows you to reluctantly empathise with Cruise. Query why aliens forget about a bacterial threat when invading though.
Carrie M.
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Daphne C.
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Audrey C.
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Beverley P.
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I found this movie a little disappointing, for a Tom Cruise film but it was nice to see Gene Barry even if it was just for a moment.
Daniel A.
says
You know a movie is bad when you start cheering for the bad guys, in this case the aliens. I think Speilberg made a huge mistake in making another movie with Cruise as he is a serial overacter. That being said though, I really could not sympathise with any of the characters and I really found Dakota Fannings constant screaming just plain annoying. Yeah so maybe the effects were pretty good but that is not the only reason I would ever watch a movie. Go the aliens and down with Tom Cruise
Dorothy H.
says
I found this movie left me flat.
The characters were not convincing.
Not one of speilbergs better efforts.
Arno W.
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Tony G.
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Yidan Y.
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Ending is great, people are too arogant trying clear every mess by themselves. Sometimes you had to follow the nature rule, admit your failue and let nature do rest of the job.
Charles T.
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Piers HS
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Rodney R.
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The oustanding special effects in this movie don't prevent us becoming involved with the ordinary people facing annihilation by enormous forces.
Spielberg still has it!
Sanja K.
says
Entertaining
Geoff E.
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Steven "the master" spielberg has done it once again. it is very rare that a re-make is better than original,but, thanks Mr. Spielberg, yours is
Laura B.
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What an anticlimax. The ending was a bit lame.
Kirsty G.
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Kelly R.
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Geoff E.
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i love all of steven spielbergs' movies. this gem is no exception. not often at all that remakes are better than original. thanks mr. spielberg
princess_sears
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Oliver B.
says
The worst ending to a movie - EVER!
Luke B.
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Daniel J.
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Harry B.
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what a movie!!!!!
Sabina H.
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Surprising gripping - had heard the film was a lemon and I don't normally like Tom Cruise. A fan of he original
Norm S.
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Maurice
says
Not Spielberg at his best. Great special effects but the ending is so contrived and trite as to beggar belief!
Jamil M.
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very poor ending
Dale
says
Huge disappointment. I love Tom and Spielberg, but they couldn't make this old classic look anything more than a special effects remake of the totally predictable kind.
Helen L.
says
Well, it is not too bad movie but quite poor story for Steven Spielberg.
Amanda
says
Special effects convincing, Dakota Fanning impressive and Tom Cruise conveys some humanity in this moderately successful 2005 remake.
Petama
says
What a movie, it was intense and the effects unbelievable. The gore and the realism of such an attack makes you wonder.
Rudolf B.
says
Spielbergs best to date.
sonab
says
Having read most of the reviews, our family must be in the minority. We thought it was a sensational film by Spielberg and the roles played by Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning were brilliant. I personally have seen the original three times and while it was "earth-shattering" at the time, it doesn't hold a candle to this contemporary version of H.G.Wells classic story with fantastic visual effects and a magnificent music score by John Williams. Enjoy it for what it is - a fantastic experience !
Kylie L.
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Paul D.
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Maggie M.
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as a family we enjoyed it. my 12yr old twin boys loved it.
Mark R.
says
What was Spielberg thinking when he did this? Sure, the special effects are impressive, but there is a distinct lack of sympathetic human characters to make this worth watching. Cruise is not very likable or believable even,. In fact, the only character that was any good was Dakoda Fanning's. So little of the story gets any explanation (what is the red weed for?) - you constantly get the feeling this film assumes you already know the story. Couldn't wait for it to end. If you want an invasion story, it's almost impossible not to do better than this.