6.5
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.
Tom Cruise
Ray Ferrier
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
Lisa Ann Walter
Bartender
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
David Harbour
Dock Worker
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
Robert Cicchini
Guy in Suit
Jim Hanna
Bus Driver
Tracy Howe
Crowd Onlooker
Adam Lazarre-White
Crowd Onlooker
Vito D'Ambrosio
Crowd Onlooker
Laura Zoe Quist
Crowd Onlooker
Ana Maria Quintana
Crowd Onlooker
Lorelei Llee
Crowd Onlooker
Mark Manley
Ferry Worker
John Scurti
Ferry Captain
Becky Ann Baker
Disaster Relief Volunteer
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
Ricky Luna
Soldier
Columbus Short
Soldier
Kent Faulcon
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
Lauri Johnson
Older Woman
Takayo Fischer
Older Woman
Shanna Collins
Teenager
Elizabeth Jayne Hong
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
Morgan Freeman
Narrator (voice)
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)
Channing Tatum
Boy in Church (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)
Director
Steven Spielberg
Novel
H.G. Wells
Screenplay
Josh Friedman
Screenplay
David Koepp
April 5, 2020
8
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.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$132,000,000.00
Revenue:
$603,873,119.00