Underplayed Gems

War of the Worlds (2005)

War of the Worlds poster
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Genre
drama film, fantasy film, action film, science fiction film, adventure film, disaster film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 57m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
6.6 of 10 from 9,292 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

An American dock worker tries to keep his estranged children safe when aliens attack Earth with giant war machines. He struggles to get them to their mother as cities are destroyed around them.

tensesuspensefulurgentbleakchaoticinvasion-scalefamily-centeredharrowing

What happens

War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction and action 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 estranged children as he struggles to protect 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 premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre on June 23, 2005, and was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on June 29. The film was released on June 13, 2005 in Tokyo. The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for effectively capturing the thrilling and suspenseful elements of Wells's novel while modernizing the action and effects to appeal to contemporary audiences. It was also a commercial success, grossing over $603 million worldwide against a $132 million production budget, 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. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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