Paramount+ original film War of the Worlds was released June 23rd, 2005.
#WOTW cleared $603.8M at the international box office.
rottentomatoes: 76%
metacritic: 73
imdb: 6.5
oscars: 3 nominations
Ray Ferrier
Ray Ferrier works construction in Newark, New Jersey.
“No, no. I can’t. I’m on a 12-hour blow. Call Tedesco. I wish I could help you, Sal. Goddamn union regulations. You remember the union regulations, Sal. I can think of a couple women who’d be happy to tell you. 8:30? Did we say that? Hey, this is… this is one safe-looking vehicle you got yourself here, Tim. Congratulations. 8:00, huh? Yeah, it was. There he is! Get a hug? Confusing handshake? Kick in the teeth? The door’s locked. Still working on those manners? Hello, Rachel. She said she could get it. Really, I got it from here, okay? 302 V-8. It’s gonna be out of here next week.” — Ray Ferrier
“You better get going. You want to beat the traffic. Yeah. Could you close the door, please? That’s my refrigerator. Let me… let me get it. Mary Ann, let me get this. Excuse me. I don’t hear any complaints. Believe it or not, I can handle it. Mary Ann? It’s a good look for you. Yeah. Mary Ann, you got nothing to worry about. Listen, you tell your mom that Ray sends his love and kisses. Five minutes. It’s not gonna kill you. There he is. Boston? That’s how it is. That how it’s gonna be? Careful with that throw. You got a report due on Monday, so you can do that when we’re done here. Yeah, bullshit. Everything. Between me and my brother, we know everything. That’s one my brother knows. Just do your report. We don’t send you to school so you can flunk out. That’s half what I got. That why you act like such a dick? What? What are you, your mother, or mine? I’m going to sleep, you know. I work for a living. You know, order.” — Ray Ferrier
“What’s the matter? Oh? Where’d you get it? Come here. Do you need me to, what? To do what? You want me to… you want me to take that out? Well, come here. Let me see it. Let me see. Wait. You’re moving it around. It’s gonna get infected. Yes, it’s gonna get infected. Push it out, huh? TiVo. Yeah, I’ll just put it on my platinum card. Robbie? Robbie? What… what is that? Hummus? I meant, order food. Where is Robbie? Out where? Springtime, maybe. Not this time of year. Come on. We can see better from the backyard. That is so weird. The wind is blowing toward the storm. Rachel! You wanna see something cool? It’s okay. It’s okay. Okay, you go ahead. It’s kind of fun, isn’t it? Come on. Like the 4th of July. ♪ Oh, say… ♪. It’s okay. You’re fine. Yeah, well, it’s not gonna hit there again. Okay? Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. OH, shit! I don’t know. Where’s the thunder? I’m just checking things out. Just wait, wait there. I don’t know. No, I meant, I just… Rachel, please, just stop asking so many questions. Just wait here.” — Ray Ferrier
“Oh, Jesus. Jesus. You’re okay? Are you okay? Where the hell’d you go? Lincoln Avenue? You saw the lightning? Were you near it? 26 times? You’re okay? Good. Your sister is in the house. I want you to go in there and stay with her. Okay? The next time you take my car with no driver’s license and no permission, I call the cops. You better be there when I get back. Robbie. Manny! Hey, Manny! What is it, dead? Lightning hit it? I’m on my way to find out. Try changing the solenoid. I should’ve known you two were behind this. You see it? You got power? It’s the cars, though. A solar flare? No. It’s freezing. You feel that?” — Ray Ferrier
“We’re leaving this house in 60 seconds. All the food from the refrigerator and the cupboard, and put it in here. Just do it. Rachel? Go and get your suitcase. The one that you brought, bring it to me, okay? Can you just do that for me, darling? Okay? Shh. I can’t tell you now. We’ve only got about another minute. Please. Please. Just keep it down. Just get in the front seat, Robbie. Just get in. Get in. Manny, listen to me, pal. Shut up! I don’t have time to expl… get in, or you’re gonna die! Manny, get in with us. Close the door. Close it! Get down! Get down! Get down! Get down! Just get down. Get down! We gotta go. We got the only working car around here. I won’t stop until we’re clear. We gotta go. You saw. We’re under attack. Rachel, you’ve got to keep it down. Rachel. Shut up! I can’t think! Look, I’m driving! Do something!” — Ray Ferrier
“Thi… this thing, this machine, it crawled our of the ground, started torching everything. It was killing everybody. No, this came from someplace else. No, Robbie, not Europe! That machine, it was already buried. Maybe it… it came down in the lightning storm. And they came down… no, the machine I’m talking about was buried, but what came down in the lightning storm, what operates it, that’s the, uh, you know? The… Rach, how you doing there? How’s she doing? What was that thing you did with her? I know. You feel better? Yeah, tell me about it. I just need you to hold it together for me, okay? When you scream like that, I can’t really drive… that’s where we’re going now. They probably turned around! She’s not dead. All right? She’s just not here. Okay? They were never here. Because they’re on their way to Boston, and so they just kept on going. They’re probably at your grandma’s house. Because nothing bad happened here. Okay? So we’re safe here. All right? Okay, Rachel? This is your area. Okay, you are safe.” — Ray Ferrier
“Okay, well, you are hungry? I’ll get some food. I’m gonna feed you. Get something to eat. What do we have? Tabasco. Barbecue sauce. This is really good, Robbie. Vinaigrette. I said pack food. What the hell is this? Okay. No, it’s all right. It’s all right. Okay. Uh… food. Bread. Okay. We’re gonna have, uh… let’s get some sandwiches. Wanna see me deal? Wanna see me deal? Here we go. There’s two for you, there’s two for Robbie, there’s two for me, one for the house. Maybe after we eat, I’ll go down and show you guys… teach you how to play poker. Five-card stud. Maybe a little blackjack. Since when? Okay, well, here. You can eat the bread. Okay? Okay, well… Robbie and I are gonna be eating peanut butter sandwiches. Want jelly on this sandwich? You’re not hungry either? Okay. Okay. That’s fine. Fine. Everybody, just relax, okay? Because we’re here now. We’re safe, and we’re gonna stay. In the morning, your mom and Tim are gonna be here, and everything’s gonna be fine. Okay? Okay.” — Ray Ferrier
“It’s like a slumber party. Nice basement. Okay. You know on the Weather Channel when there’s a tornado, and they tell you to go down to the basement for safety? It’s like that. Rachel. Hey. No more talking, okay? No, this is something else. I’ve never heard that before! We gotta go! Where do we go? Robbie, this is your house! Where do we go? Wait, wait, wait, wait! Down here! Were you on this plane? Are you a passenger? Are you a passenger? Where were you? There’s more than one? My God. I saw that storm. I was right in the middle of one of those. What is that?” — Ray Ferrier
“Look at me. Look at me. You keep your eyes only on me, you understand? Don’t look down. Don’t look around me. I’m taking you to the car, and you’re gonna wanna look around, but you’re not going to. Are you? You’re doing good. You’re doing good. Keep your eyes on me. We’re going right to Boston, gonna see your mom. That’s a girl. That’s my girl. Listen, I want you to close your eyes, okay? Got them closed? There you go. Keep ’em closed for me. Robbie, get in. Robbie, get in! It’s okay. Get in. I don’t want everybody to see we’ve got a working car. We’ll stay along the Hudson till we find a bridge or ferry, then we’ll cross the Hudson and take the back road across Connecticut, all the way to Boston. I don’t know. Hiding in their basements, maybe. Yeah, good. Why don’t you let me make the big decisions, okay? Enough of the ‘Ray’ shit, all right? It’s ‘Dad,’ ‘sir,’ or if you want, ‘Mr. Ferrier!’ That sounds a little weird to me, but you decide. Yes, Rachel? Really? Not so fast, all right? There’s two things we gotta watch out for, and the second is people who might want our car. All right, Rachel? Rachel, it’s good right there.” — Ray Ferrier
“All right, then just go where I can see you. I’m not gonna look! Just stay in sight! Okay, well, listen, every time you guys don’t listen to me, I’m telling your mother, okay? I’m making a list. Making a list! I told you to stay where I could see you! Come on. What? Robbie, you wanna go in that direction? There’s nothing living in that direction! Okay, hard-ass, what’s your plan? You’re in charge now. You tell me what we’re doing. Now, let’s try one that doesn’t involve your 10-year-old sister joining the army! You have anything like that?” — Ray Ferrier
Rachel Ferrier
“Hello, Dad. I got it, Mommy. I got it. It’s just rollers. Roll it. Okay. Bye, Tim. Mom. What’s the capitol of Australia? That’s not how you’re gonna get through to him. If you want him to listen… where you going? What are we supposed to eat?”
“Got a splinter. On your porch railing. Absolutely not. Dad? Don’t touch it! Dad! Don’t touch it! Just look. No, it won’t. No, it won’t. When it’s ready, my body’ll just push it out. I read that. You should get TiVo. Tim got it for my room. It’s awesome. I can watch all my shows after homework. Hummus. From the health food place. I kept one of their menus last time we were here. You said order! He went out. I don’t know. He just took your car and left. I wanna go inside. I wanna go inside. Don’t wanna go by myself. No. No, it’s not. It hit right behind our house! Where’s Robbie? Is Robbie okay? Are you okay? Why won’t it stop? Is it over? Where are you going? Are we gonna be okay? You don’t know?”
“What’s going on? Dad, what’s the matter? What’s all this stuff? Dad? You’re really scaring me. Dad. Whose car is this? Whose car is this? What do you mean? Is it the terrorists? I’m safe in my space. I’m really scared. Yes. Yes. It’s the what? The what? I want Mom. I want Mom. Take me to Mom’s. I want Mom! Take me to Mom’s! Take me to Mom’s! Hurry yp, Dad. Come on. Robbie, get the door. Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom? Tim? Mom? Tim? Mom! Tim! Mom! Is she dead? How come the lights are on here and not at your place? Dad, that’s not how it goes. I’m allergic to peanut butter. Birth. I’m not hungry.”
“If everything’s fine, why do we have to sleep in the basement? We’ve got perfectly good beds. I wanna sleep in my bed. Got back problems. There’s gonna be tornadoes? Could you be a little nicer to me? God! Yeah. Good night. Love you.”
“Is the lightning back? Is it them? Is it them? Are we still alive? No. I’m not gonna look, Dad. Why are you yelling? Where is everybody? Dad? I gotta go to the bathroom. Yeah. I gotta go. I’m not going in front of you guys! Are you crazy? Don’t look! That’s looking!”
Robbie Ferrier
“The door’s locked. I just got to type it up. I love you, Mom. Baseball season’s over. Whatever, Ray. I’m almost finished. I just gotta type it up. Yeah? What do you know, Ray? Okay with you if I just laugh the first 500 times you tell that one? You don’t pay for it. Tim does. You’re an asshole. I hate coming here.”
“The car just stopped… the lightning started about a block away, over and over again. Lincoln Avenue. By the church. 26 times we counted! Over and over again we counted. The lightning opened up this whole or something. Yeah. Yeah.”
“What happened? What’s all that stuff all over you? Ray? Hello? Ray? Why? I have no idea what’s going on. I think you’re having a bit of a… what’s going on? Just tell me. What’s happening? I’m standing right beside you. Can you please answer me? Where are we going? Clear of what? What the hell is going on? By who? Who is attacking us? You’re freaking her out! Okay, put ’em up, Rach. Make the arms. This space here, this is yours. This belongs to you, right? You’re safe in your space. Nothing can happen to you. I’m gonna go to the front seat, talk to Dad. I’ll be two feet away. Will you hold my hand? Are you gonna be okay? I wanna know everything you know.”
“What is it? Is it terrorists? What do you mean? Like Europe? What do you mean, ‘came down?’ You just said it was buried. Why aren’t there any helicopters or airplanes? She’s good. Works sometimes. She gets claustrophobic. Mom! Tim? Tim? They’re gone. How do you know? I’m gonna call her. Busy signal. One of those fast ones. You think all the circuits are down? That’s all that was in your kitchen. I’m not hungry either.”
“What are you afraid is gonna happen? Come with me, Rach. Wanna stay here? Love you, Rach. What’s that sound? Why aren’t we on the turnpike? If we had any balls, we’d go back, find one of those things and kill it. Which would be when? Never, Ray? Never’s about your speed. Come on. I gotta go! There’s nobody around! Stop! Do you have room? Wait! Stop! Let me on! Let me on! Give me a hand! Wait! Stop! Stop! Give me a hand! Do you have room? Stop! Wait! What do you care? You never gave a shit before! We catch up with these soldiers, and we get back at them! We get back at them! That’s what we do! Why don’t you just tell us the truth? You have no idea which way to go.”
Mary Ann
“We said 8:00. Mm-hm. We’ll be back by 9:30 on Sunday, depending on traffic. Here, honey. Let me give you a hand getting that inside. I don’t mind. It’s heavy. I’ll just get it in the door. But we can’t roll it up the stairs, can we? You’re out of milk. And everything else. I better get this upstairs. Okay. A little old to still be sharing, aren’t they? No, I do. Robbie’s got a paper on the French occupation of Algeria due Monday, which he’s yet to begin. It would be nice if he were done by the time we got back so we don’t have to keep him up all night on Sunday. No, you got to start writing it. I love you. Listen to your father. Oh, no shoes on the bed. We’ll be at my parents’ house in Boston. Don’t call the house line. You know… well, I’ve got my cell phone, so if anything comes up, just call. I’ll leave the phone on. You think? Take care of our kids. Right. She’ll love that.”
Broadcasters
“The Ukraine, a country of some 52 million people, is in almost total blackness tonight in the wake of freakish lightning storms of catastrophic proportion, which struck the country at approximately 4 a.m. local time. E.M.P. or electromagnetic pulse, which causes a temporary interruption of all electrical current within its field. As in the Ukraine, scattered reports say the E.M.P. here was followed by seismic activity on the scale of an earthquake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale.”
New York
“Ray. Ferrer. Whoa. I need you back in four. I got half of Korea coming in. He can’t move 40 containers in an hour! I need double-picks. Come on. I’m in a position here. You know what your problem is?”
“Thank you. Let me get it. I’m gonna go wait outside. Okay, sweetheart. I’ll see you in a few days.”
“What is that? Hey, look at that! You ever see something like that? You gotta come see this! What? That is weird. Hey, watch it. That’s enough weather for me!”
“Turn everything off! Everything is off! I can’t get one freakin’ thing to turn on! Try the lights. Can you believe this, Ray? Every single car.”
“All of them. Everything. Look at this. The starter’s fried. Not even close. I thought if I changed it… any idea what’s going on? Right, that’s what I said. I told you that. The solenoid. Hey! They say all the lightning struck down by the church! What the hell is going on around here? Let us through! Let us through here! What up, Ray? God’s pissed off at the neighborhood. You blame Him? Yeah. Nope. Nothing. Solar flare. That’s what this guy told me. The sun shoots out blobs of plasma. They turn into solar flares. It’s the only thing that can kill all the electronic stuff. The sun does not cause lighting, okay? I’m just saying what he heard. Okay, but it sounds dumb.”
“I never seen anything like this before. That many strikes of lightning in one spot? Is this the only place? Put that down. Step back, please! You’re gonna fall in. Get back! Look at that! Look what it did! Back up, people! People, back up back there! Move back! Everybody, back up! Move back! Is it hot? What is that? Yeah, I feel that. What is it, the subway? There is no subway here. PATH train, maybe? That can’t be the water main. There’s nothing else down there. The water main doesn’t run through here. There’s something down there, and it’s moving. Everybody, move back! Back up! Back it up. Let’s go! Now! Come on, folks, back up! Get back. Back! Help me out here! Everybody get out of the way! Everyone back up! Clear the intersection! Out of the way! Back up! Back up! Get out of the way! Get back! Move away! We gotta clear this area! Clear the intersection! Get the hell outta here! Oh, no! Ah! What is it? Come on, people. Let’s go! Come on. Back up, people! Move back! Move back! Move it!”
“Watch it. Oh, my God. Ray, no! Stay, man. Just stay back here. Stay back! Wow. I don’t think it’s a fire. That looks like smoke to me. Hey! Hey, Ray! You were absolutely right. I had to change the sole… Ray? Hey! Hey, Ray! Ray… Ray? What? Come on. Open up. Open the door. Come on! Open the door, Ray! What are you… you gotta get out of the car. You can’t take it. Where youse goin’, kids? Daddy’s acting crazy. Guy’s gonna come back… you’re bustin’ my chops. I got a shop to run. No, Ray, get out of the… all right, get out of the trick! I’m not kidding now. I’m not gonna get in. I’m not getting in. I’m not gonna get in trouble. I’m not fooling around… Ray! Bring the car back, Ray! It’s not my car!”
“How you doing? Wanna help me open this? He’s deaf. The shell went off right beside him. Camera on his shoulder saved his life. You hear that, Max? Your stupid camera saved your stupid life. Out there in the pine barrens. We were attached to a National Guard unit, the 83rd Mechanized. They moved on one of those things around midnight. Got some kind of shield. Everything we fire at them detonates too early, before we can get close enough to cause any damage. When they flash that thing, everything lights up like Hiroshima. You gotta be kidding me, right?”
“We were feeding New York, but New York went dark. So we patched over to D.C., they went down. L.A., Chicago, uplinked to London. Even called affiliates to try to get them to catch the feed, but nobody answers. It’s the same everywhere. Once the tripods start to move, no more news comes out of that area. You ain’t seen nothing yet. You didn’t see it like this. Those machines come up from under the ground. That means they must’ve been buried here a long time ago. So who’s driving the goddamn things. Watch the lightning. Watch it. Watch the lightning. Keep watching the lightning. That is them. They come down in capsules, riding the lightning into the ground, into the machines. You hear that? We’re getting the hell outta here. Come on! Get in, get in, get in, get in! Hey, were you on that plane? That’s too bad. It would’ve been a really great story.”
“Watch it, kid! You’re gonna get yourself run over!”
Narrator
“No one would have believed in the early years of the 21st century… …that our world was being watched by intelligences greater than our own; .. that as men busied themselves about their various concerns, they observed and studied… …the way a man with a microscope might scrutinize the creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency, men went to and fro about the globe, confident of our empire over this world. Yet, across the gulf of space, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic regarded our planet with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.”
