War of the Worlds (2005 film)
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction thriller film 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. Plot A narrator opens the film stating that extraterrestrials with immense intelligence have grown envious of humanity's dominion of Earth, and are therefore plotting against them. Divorced longshoreman Ray Ferrier works as a crane operator at a dock in Brooklyn, New York, and is estranged from his children: 10-year-old daughter Rachel, and teenage son Robbie. Ray's pregnant ex-wife, Mary Ann, drops the two off at his house in Bayonne, New Jersey on her way to visit her parents in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, a strange thunderstorm occurs during which lightning strikes multiple times into the middle of a nearby intersection, causing an EMP that instantly disables almost all electronic devices such as vehicles, phones, watches and all electricity. On his way to investigate the impacts along with many others, Ray suggests his mechanic friend Manny repair a customer's minivan by replacing the solenoid. Ray joins the crowd at the scene of the impacts, where a massive "tripod" war machine emerges from the ground following an earthquake, and then uses powerful energy weapons to destroy the area and disintegrate most of the witnesses into gray ash. Ray collects his children, and commandeers the van Manny has repaired; he attempts to convince Manny to join them, but is forced to leave Manny behind to be killed when a tripod attacks. Ray drives his children to Mary Ann's empty home in suburban New Jersey to take refuge. That night, they take shelter in the basement, but they soon hear a strange roaring noise followed by an explosion that destroys the house. At daybreak, they discover that