''H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds'', also known as ''Invasion'' and ''H. G. Wells' The Worlds in War'' internationally, or simply as ''War of the Worlds'', is a 2005 American

direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

survival Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...

horror-thriller film produced by

The Asylum The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and sc ...

and directed by David Michael Latt. It is a loose adaptation of the

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

novel, and a

mockbuster A mockbuster (also known as knockbuster or a drafting opportunity) is a film created to exploit the publicity of another major motion picture with a similar title or subject. Mockbusters are often made with a low budget and quick production to max ...

of the

DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

film based on the same source, in addition to the third film adaptation overall. A contemporary translation of the novel set in the United States, ''War of the Worlds'' tells of an invasion of Earth by technologically-advanced

extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...

, from the perspective of an American astronomer trying to reunite with his family. It is the only adaptation besides the 1953 film in which the main character actively tries to repel the aliens. The film is loosely based on an unproduced screenplay called "Invasion", written by Carlos De Los Rios in 1997. The DVD was released on June 28, one day before DreamWorks' film, and stars

C. Thomas Howell Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor. He has starred in the films '' Soul Man'', '' The Hitcher'', '' Grandview U.S.A.'', ''Red Dawn'', ''Secret Admirer'' and '' The Outsiders''. He has also appeared in '' Gett ...

Peter Greene Peter Greene (born Peter Green; October 8, 1965) is an American actor. A character actor, he is generally known for portraying villains. He is best known for the roles in the 1994 films ''The Mask'', where he plays the films antagonist, Dorian ...

, and

Jake Busey William Jacob Busey is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in 1996's ''The Frighteners'', Ace Levy in 1997's ''Starship Troopers'', Kyle Brenner in 2001's '' Tomcats'', Aiden Tanner in the 20 ...

. The alternate title of ''Invasion'' is likely for the film's overseas distribution since Paramount Pictures claims to own exclusive film rights of the ''War of the Worlds'' title in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, but also derives from the original name of De Los Rios's screenplay. The film is The Asylum's most successful production to date, having sold over 250,000 copies from

Blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

upon its release. A sequel, '' War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave'', was released in 2008.

Plot

On the surface of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

, the

Mars rover A Mars rover is a motor vehicle designed to travel on the surface of Mars. Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place themselves in sunny pos ...

is destroyed by an unknown force. Astronomer George Herbert (Howell) and his wife Felicity (Van Wyk Loots) are packing for a trip to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. George's son Alex spots a meteorite entering Earth's atmosphere. George is called to work about the incident, and his wife and son leave early for D.C. without him. As he drives to work, a meteorite lands. An

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) * Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

" emerges from the crater and massacres the witnesses with an energy weapon, George barely escaping with his life. George decides to meet with his brother Matt in Hopewell before moving on to Washington, D.C.. Despite rumors that D.C. has suffered some of the worst of the invasion thus far, George moves onward and meets with Sgt. Kerry Williams, the last remaining member of his squad. George and Williams meet with Samuelson, a power-mad Lieutenant with unrealistic notions of resistance against the invaders, who rejects them as cowards. In Hopewell, the walkers launch a heavy insurrection and Matt dies in the trail of destruction. George and Williams are separated in the battle. A pastor, Victor, finds George and describes his belief that the invasion is a form of the Rapture, but remains optimistic. The two go on together towards D.C.. Victor's faith is bruised when a hysterical member of his church curses God for the death of her children. George and Victor witness the final effort of the military against the walkers, who defeat them with

toxic gas Many gases have toxic properties, which are often assessed using the LC50 (median lethal dose) measure. In the United States, many of these gases have been assigned an NFPA 704 health rating of 4 (may be fatal) or 3 (may cause serious or perman ...

. The two seek refuge in the abandoned house of a veterinarian for food and medicine when the neighborhood is flattened by another meteorite, trapping them in the ruins. George observes the aliens harvesting humans while Victor becomes despondent, rejecting his faith. George finds rabies vaccines and plans to use it against the aliens. George successfully injects a curious alien, only for it to kill Victor and leave. Days later, the aliens vanish and George continues his journey on foot to D.C.. George reunites with Williams and a deranged Samuelson, who has given himself a battlefield promotion. Samuelson senselessly murders Williams, and George in turn murders Samuelson. George finally reaches D.C., which is completely destroyed. George becomes suicidal until he finds that the aliens have all died, having no immunity to a human virus. George finds Felicity and Alex alive among the few human survivors.

Cast

as Dr. George Herbert * Andy Lauer as Sgt. Kerry Williams * Rhett Giles as

Pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

Victor * Tinarie Van Wyk-Loots as Felicity Herbert *

as Lt./General Samuelson *

as Matt Herbert * Dashiell Howell as Alex Herbert * Edward DeRuiter as Max

Adapting the novel

Director/editor/executive producer/co-writer

David Michael Latt The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and sc ...

(who admits to never seeing the Byron Haskin/George Pal version or the 1988 television series, but has been a fan of the H.G. Wells novel since childhood) made it clear that his film changed certain aspects from the source material in addition to the time and location. Most notable is that the

tripods A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...

have been changed to six-legged crab-like machines called "walkers" (a result of allowing the effects team creative freedom). The aliens are indeed

Martians Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pred ...

(though the film never states this, it is suggested as an opening credit sequence uses shots of the Red Planet's landscape), but they bear little resemblance to their novel's counterparts. Whereas Wells described his invaders as bear-sized tentacled creatures, the film's Martians are insect-like with four tentacle-like legs. These aliens also have the ability to spit acid from their feet, which melts anything. At the end of the legs three tongue-like appendages closely resemble the Martian fingers from

Byron Haskin Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he ...

's 1953 film version of ''The War of the Worlds'' and the 1988 television series version. The war machines are crab-like "walkers" with six legs. A Heat Ray is built into the machine's "head", and is fired from a single eye. The fighting machines do not appear to have protection against modern artillery (avoiding the "invisible shields" seen in the 1953 film version and Steven Spielberg's

2005 film 2005 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. Evaluation of the year Renowned American film critic a ...

), leaving their ability to conquer unexplained. The aliens do have a substance similar to the black smoke, but is more of a dense green

unable to rise above ground level, allowing survivors to escape by getting to high places. The protagonist is George Herbert, a reference to

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

. The film leaves the ''eve of the war'' storyline and its characters almost completely absent. He also has a son, who is portrayed by Dashiell Howell, who is actually the son of George's actor

. Despite these differences, George goes through much of what befalls the novel's protagonist, even in sacrificing himself to the Martians, only for them to drop dead of infection. He is also separated from his family and tries to reunite with them once the invasion begins, As in the novel, they are alive at the conclusion. George's brother, a

Ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

, is less fortunate; he is seen only briefly after being fatally wounded in an attack by the invaders. In the book, the narrator's brother takes up a major narrative role. A major deviation from the text is that the protagonist actually tries to produce a means of stopping the Martians, but whether or not he is directly responsible for their downfall is ambiguous. There is a theme of disease throughout - George's son is seen suffering from a mild cold, while George himself suffers from a major fever which leaves him incapacitated for two days. The novel's Artilleryman is divided into two characters. The first, Kerry Williams, exhibits the defeated status. He accompanies George as they move to unaffected areas, meeting soldiers oblivious to the danger they will soon face, until they become separated when George takes refuge underwater to evade the Martians. After his ordeal in the ruined house, George encounters the same defeatist Williams again. Instead, the other personality, portrayed in the novel's later stages, is Lt. Samuelson. The novel's unnamed Curate is Victor in the film. While the two are very similar, Victor, a priest, is optimistic and is sure that the invasion is the Rapture. However, his faith is deeply shaken when he meets a congregant who screams against God for the loss of her family, causing Victor to question why he himself has yet to be taken. Unlike the Curate, Victor keeps his composure when he is trapped in the ruined house as he wrestles with his thoughts. Where the Curate had to be subdued in the novel, Victor regains his faith just before he is killed by the Martians. The film includes homages to the 1953 film. The aliens' hands deliberately resemble those of the Martians of the 1953 film, and the protagonists of each film both actively try to weaken the aliens, another deviation from the novel.

Reception

Felix Vasquez Jr. of ''Cinema Crazed'' wrote: "It really says something that it took three writers to produce such a piece of junk." ''Everything Action'' states that the movie generally follows the outline of Wells' book, but found that the movie is not worth watching as it tries too hard to be taken seriously. Scott Weinberg of ''DVDTalk.com'' gave it 3 out of 5 and wrote: "As direct-to-video sci-fi goes, this particular War of the Worlds version is a perfectly entertaining little diversion. If you just love the Alien Invasion stories, you could certainly do a whole lot worse. In fact, you probably have within the past year alone."

Sequel

On April 1, 2008, a sequel, '' War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave'', was released. C. Thomas Howell directed the film and reprised the role of George Herbert, and his son Dash Howell reprised the role of Alex. The film also starred Christopher Reid.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:H. G. Wells' War Of The Worlds (The Asylum Film) 2005 horror films 2005 independent films 2000s science fiction horror films 2005 films American thriller films American natural horror films Alien invasions in films American science fiction war films American science fiction thriller films The Asylum films Mockbuster films Direct-to-video science fiction films Films based on British novels Films based on The War of the Worlds Films set in Washington, D.C. Films directed by David Michael Latt 2000s English-language films 2000s American films