War of the Worlds (2005 film)

This article is about the theatrical film. For the direct-to-video films released the same year, see H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (The Asylum film) and H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (Pendragon Pictures film).

War of the Worlds
An alien hand holds Earth, which is engulfed in flame. A red weed surrounds the hand. Above the image is the film's title, WAR OF THE WORLDS, and the main actor, TOM CRUISE. Below is the release date, June 29, and the cast and crew credits.
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteven Spielberg
Screenplay by
Based onThe War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJanusz Kamiński
Edited byMichael Kahn
Music byJohn Williams
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures[a]
Release dates
  • June 23, 2005 (2005-06-23) (Ziegfeld Theatre)
  • June 29, 2005 (2005-06-29) (United States)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$132 million[2]
Box office$603.9 million[2]

War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction action-thriller film[b] directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp, based on H. G. Wells' 1898 novel, The War of the Worlds. Tom Cruise stars in the main role alongside Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins, with narration by Morgan Freeman. It follows an American dock worker who must look after his children, from whom he lives separately, as he struggles to protect them and reunite them with their mother when extraterrestrials invade Earth and devastate cities with giant war machines.

Produced by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Cruise/Wagner Productions, the film was shot in 73 days, using five different sound stages as well as locations in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. It was surrounded by a secrecy campaign so few details would be leaked before its release. Tie-in promotions were made with several companies, including Hitachi.

War of the Worlds was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on June 29, 2005, and received generally positive reviews. It was praised for effectively capturing the thrilling and suspenseful elements of Wells' novel while modernizing the action and effects to resonate with contemporary audiences. The film was also a commercial success, grossing over $603 million worldwide, making it the fourth most successful film of 2005. It earned Academy Awards nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.

  1. ^ a b c d "War of the Worlds (2005)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "War of the Worlds (2005) - Steven Spielberg". AllMovie. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Orr, Christopher (November 29, 2005). "The Movie Review: 'War of the Worlds'". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "AFI Catalog - War of the Worlds". American Film Institute. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  6. ^ "War of the Worlds Might Be Steven Spielberg's Most Terrifying Film". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Watch Paramount Movies on DVD/Blu-ray, 4K UHD & Online Streaming". Paramount Movies. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "War of The Worlds (2005)". MovieWeb. April 29, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  9. ^ "War of the Worlds | film by Spielberg [2005]". Britannica. Retrieved November 3, 2023.


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