War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds is a 2005 science fiction disaster film based on H. G. Wells' original novel starring Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It was released on June 29, 2005. It is one of four film adaptations of the novel, preceded by two straight-to-video versions released in the same year and the original 1953 film version. War of the Worlds draws elements not only from the H. G. Wells novel, but also the 1938 radio play and the 1953 film. Hence, to place this film in proper historical context as an adaptation requires some knowledge of all three previous incarnations of Wells' story. As in the original novel, which takes place in and around London, the narrative is told from the point of view of civilians caught up in the conflict. Whereas the novel portrayed the experience of a solitary British journalist late in the 19th century, War of the Worlds is, according to Spielberg, purported to show the war... full article at wikipedia