War Of The Worlds (2005)
Studio Paramount Home Entertainment (UK)
Movie Release Date 29/06/2005
Country USA
Language English
Audience Rating Suitable for 12 years and over
Running Time 112 mins
Format DVD
Color Color
Cast
Tom Cruise
Dakota Fanning
Miranda Otto
Justin Chatwin
Tim Robbins
Crew
Director Steven Spielberg
Plot
Despite super effects, a huge budget, and the cinematic pedigree of alien-happy Steven Spielberg, this take on H.G. Wells's novel is basically a horror film packaged as a sci-fi thrill ride. Instead of a mad slasher, however, Spielberg (along with writers Josh Friedman & David Koepp) utilizes aliens hell-bent on quickly destroying humanity, and the terrifying results that prey upon adult fears, especially in the post-9/11 world. The realistic results could be a new genre, the grim popcorn thriller; often you feel like you're watching Schindler's List more than Spielberg's other thrill-machine movies (such as Jaws or Jurassic Park). The film centers on Ray Ferrier, a divorced father (Tom Cruise, oh so comfortable) who witnesses one giant craft destroy his New Jersey town and soon is on the road with his teen son (Justin Chatwin) and preteen daughter (Dakota Fanning) in tow, trying to keep ahead of the invasion. The film is, of course, impeccably designed and produced by Spielberg's usual crew of A-class talent. The aliens are genuinely scary, even when the film--like the novel--spends a good chunk of time in a basement. Readers of the book (or viewers of the deft 1953 adaptation) will note the variation of whom and how the aliens come to Earth, which poses some logistical problems. The film opens and closes with narration from the novel read by Morgan Freeman, but Spielberg could have adapted Orson Welles's words from the famous Halloween Eve 1938 radio broadcast: "We couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the best next thing: we annihilated the world." --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com
Personal Details
My Rating 0
Seen It Yes
Index 95
Collection Status In Collection
Purchase Price £24.99
Links Amazon UK
Edition Details
Distributor Paramount Home Entertainment (UK)
Edition 2 Disc Special Edition
Barcode 5014437888334
Region 2
Release Date 14/11/2005
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
Subtitles Arabic; Danish; Dutch; English; Finnish; Norwegian; Swedish
No. of Disks/Tapes 2