War of the Worlds
Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
Director(s)
Ana Maria Quintana
Kevin Collins
James Boss
Vladislav Kozlov
Paul Bunnell
Steven Spielberg
Colin Benoit
Adam Somner
Jane Ferguson
Eric Richard Lasko
Ian Stone
Vic Armstrong
Matthew Sirianni
Where to watch
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Cast & crew
Steven Spielberg
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John Scurti
Ferry Captain
Morgan Freeman
Narrator (voice)
Tom Cruise
Ray Ferrier
Elizabeth Jayne Hong
Teenager
Vic Armstrong
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David Harbour
Dock Worker
Robert Cicchini
Guy in Suit
Ricky Luna
Soldier
Kent Faulcon
Soldier
Ana Maria Quintana
Crowd Onlooker
Lisa Ann Walter
Bartender
Becky Ann Baker
Disaster Relief Volunteer
Adam Somner
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Lauri Johnson
Older Woman
Channing Tatum
Boy in Church (uncredited)
Dakota Fanning
Rachel Ferrier
Justin Chatwin
Robbie Ferrier
Miranda Otto
Mary-Ann
Tim Robbins
Harlan Ogilvy
Rick Gonzalez
Vincent
Yul Vazquez
Julio
Lenny Venito
Manny the Mechanic
Ann Robinson
Grandmother
Gene Barry
Grandfather
David Alan Basche
Tim
Roz Abrams
Herself
Camillia Monet
News Producer
Michael Brownlee
TV Reporter, Osaka
Marlon Young
News Cameraman
John Eddins
News Van Driver
Peter Gerety
Hatch Boss / Load Manager
Miguel Antonio Ferrer
Brazilian Neighbor
January LaVoy
Brazilian Neighbor's Wife
Stephen Gevedon
Neighbor with Lawnmower
Julie White
Woman
Marianne Ebert
Hysterical Woman
Rafael Sardina
Mechanic's Assistant
Amy Ryan
Neighbor With Toddler
Ed Vassallo
Intersection Guy
Michael Arthur
Intersection Guy
Danny Hoch
Intersection Guy Cop
Sharrieff Pugh
Man Studying Street
Erika LaVonn
Photographer
Christopher Evan Welch
Photographer
John Michael Bolger
Man Holding Woman
Omar Jermaine
Man Holding Woman
Jim Hanna
Bus Driver
Tracy Howe
Crowd Onlooker
Adam Lazarre-White
Crowd Onlooker
Vito D'Ambrosio
Crowd Onlooker
Laura Zoe Quist
Crowd Onlooker
Lorelei Llee
Crowd Onlooker
Mark Manley
Ferry Worker
Mariann Mayberry
Mother
Ty Simpkins
3 Year Old Boy
Jerry Walsh
Smart Guy
Tommy Guiffre
National Guardsman
Daniel Franzese
National Guardsman
Ed Schiff
Older Man
Ellen Barry
Woman from Upstate
Amy Hohn
Panicky Woman
Dan Ziskie
Informative Guy
David Conley
Ill-Informed Guy
Daniel Eric Gold
Conspiracy Buff
Booker T. Washington
Conspiracy Debunker
Maggie Lacey
Upset Mother
Eric Zuckerman
Doomsday Guy
Daniel A. Jacobs
Younger Man
Asha R. Nanavati
Woman in Crowd
Joaquin Perez-Campbell
Young Soldier in Tank
Dendrie Taylor
Well Meaning Mother
James DuMont
Well-Meaning Father
Travis Aaron Wade
Soldier
Benny Ciaramello
Soldier
Columbus Short
Soldier
Kevin Collins
Marine Major
Terry Thomas
Marine Major
Clay Bringhurst
Airforce Pilot
Jorge-Luis Pallo
Army Private
Suanne Spoke
Businesswoman
Kirsten Nelson
Businesswoman
Melody Garrett
Older Woman
Takayo Fischer
Older Woman
Shanna Collins
Teenager
Art Chudabala
Man in Basket
Jeffrey Hutchinson
Man in Basket
Dempsey Pappion
Man in Basket
Chris Todd
Man in Basket
Johnny Kastl
Boston Soldier
Juan Carlos Hernández
Boston Soldier
Bruce W. Derdoski Jr.
Boston Soldier
John N. Morales
Boston Soldier
Peter E. Tasciotti
Soldier (uncredited)
David Gere
Survivor (uncredited)
James Boss
Refugee (uncredited)
Martin Dew
Looter in Diner (uncredited)
Joe Duffy
Refugee fleeing Martians / Ferry passenger (uncredited)
Freddie Johnson
Boston Survivor (uncredited)
Anthony Jennings
Amputee (uncredited)
Ingrid Johnson
Ray's Neighbor (uncredited)
Tanda Kerín
Woman in Crowd (uncredited)
Victor Magnusson
Child in Crowd (uncredited)
Robert O'Connor
Homeless Patron (uncredited)
Miho Nakamura
Passenger (uncredited)
Vladislav Kozlov
Survivor (uncredited)
Kyle S. Brown
Marine Rifleman (uncredited)
Benjamin Popolukus
Soldier (uncredited)
Jason Latief Anderson
Refugee (uncredited)
Dustin Ardine
Refugee outside the Diner (uncredited)
Cass Asher
Soldier (uncredited)
Claudia Barroso
Portuguese Woman (uncredited)
Alan Kemper Armani
Survivor (uncredited)
Timothy Burd
Burned Victim (uncredited)
Paul Bunnell
Boston Survivor (uncredited)
Stella Croxon
Survivor Mother with Boy (uncredited)
Joseph DeBona
Newark Deliveryman (uncredited)
Dannielle Rose
Ferry Passenger (uncredited)
Colin Benoit
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Jane Ferguson
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Eric Richard Lasko
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Ian Stone
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Matthew Sirianni
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Details
Reviews
Peter McGinn
I enjoyed this entry into the HG Wells film library. The special effects are great (to this amateur anyway) and the acting and action more than adequate. Plus it stays near enough to the sci-fi genius of the author to satisfy the fans of the classic novel. I will say that I got a little tired of the son acting like such a teenager, but he and the Tom Cruise character both show some character growth by the end of the film. Tom is one of those actors who seems to be playing himself a lot, but I suspect there is a lot more work to it than that. I'm not sure Dustin Hoffman would have gotten his Academy Award for Rain Man if he had played off a lesser actor than Cruise. I think there are a couple of scenes the movie could have done without, such as in the cellar with Cruise, his daughter and the man who lived there. It slowed the story down, changed the tenor of the drama, and didn't add a lot, in my view. But it is what it is and overall I found War of the Worlds to be entertaining. Good science fiction movies can be hard to find.
JPV852
First time seeing this in 15 years and lame plot, annoying characters (both kids got on my nerves) and a protagonist who just runs around, as Tom Cruise does so well, but has zero impact on the end game which was... bacteria. Yeah, this was just as dumb today as it was back then. At least the visual effects and sound design still holds up. **2.5/5**
CinemaSerf
Sometimes it just pays to leave well alone, and this remake of the 1953 version adds nothing aside from more sophisticated special effects. A vehicle for Tom Cruse, it allows Stephen Spielberg to turn this menacing and thought-provoking sci-fi classic into a family melodrama with the star and his dysfunctional family travelling the breadth of the country trying to escape the terror that is falling from the skies. These metallic creations are ruthless, destroying everything in their path but somehow the emphasis of this is more on why "Ray" can't get on with "Robbie" (Justin Chatwin) and whether or not "Rachel" (Dakota Fanning) can keep hold of her childhood toy. The effects are good: the lasers and the pyrotechnics; the explosions and scenes of dereliction are impressive - but oddly enough, I found them less so than in the iteration made fifty years earlier. Lots of horrified expressions as the cast look longingly at green screens, some banal dialogue and we end up with a film about the people in/behind it rather than one about alien world domination. After almost two hours, the ending - and it's huge significance - is almost an afterthought to the boring story of who did what to whom over the years in the "Ferrier" family. Cruise can, at times, bring charisma to the screen. Here he brings little and I am afraid that I found this a triumph of commercialism over creativity and was cheerily egging on the aliens from fairly early on.
Rob
An intense, serious and harrowing portrayal of the H.G. Wells classic. Tom Cruise doing an excellent job of not being Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning out acting everyone. It's hard to call this film an enjoyable watch as it's actually emotionally affecting at times, with some very raw realism concerning human nature. This movie manages to keep a constantly high pace without being exhausting to watch. Well worth a place in your collection.
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