Production Diaries War of the Worlds 2005 - Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto

Описание: 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 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 received generally positive reviews, with praise for effectively capturing the thrilling and suspenseful elements of Wells' novel while modernizing the action and effects to resonate with 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.

Plot
A narrator opens the film stating that extraterrestrials with immense intelligence have grown envious of humanity's dominion of Earth and are 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 his 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. On his way to investigate the impacts, Ray suggests his mechanic friend Manny repair a customer's minivan by replacing a solenoid. He joins the crowd at the scene of the impacts, where a massive "tripod" war machine emerges from the ground following an earthquake and attacks the crowd using energy weapons to disintegrate most of the witnesses into ash.

Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a crane operator and Rachel and Robbie's father
Dakota Fanning as Rachel Ferrier, Ray and Mary Ann's 10-year-old daughter and Robbie's younger sister
Miranda Otto as Mary Ann Ferrier, Ray's pregnant ex-wife and Rachel and Robbie's mother
Tim Robbins as Harlan Ogilvy, a former ambulance driver who is insistent on fighting and killing the aliens
Justin Chatwin as Robbie Ferrier, Rachel's older brother and Ray and Mary Ann's teenage son
Rick Gonzalez as Vincent, Ray and Julio's friend
Yul Vazquez as Julio, Ray and Vincent's friend
Lenny Venito as Manny the Mechanic, Ray's friend and a mechanic
Lisa Ann Walter as Sheryl, Ray's friend
Ann Robinson as Grandmother (she played the lead role of Sylvia van Buren in the 1953 film)
Gene Barry as Grandfather (he played the lead role of Dr. Clayton Forrester in the 1953 film)
David Alan Basche as Tim, Mary Ann's husband and Robbie and Rachel's step-father
Roz Abrams as Herself
Camillia Sanes as News Producer
Amy Ryan as Neighbor With Toddler
David Harbour as Dock Worker (deleted scene)[10]
Danny Hoch as Policeman
Morgan Freeman as The Narrator (voice)
Columbus Short as Soldier
Daniel Franzese as National Guardsman
Channing Tatum as The Boy In The Church
Ty Simpkins as 3 Year Old Boy