War of the Worlds: Book vs. Movie
Rich Lee's 2025 film War of the Worlds reworks H. G. Wells's book through the screens of a surveillance analyst. Ice Cube plays Will Radford, who watches an alien invasion unfold while trying to protect his family.
About the book and the movie
- Author
- H. G. Wells
- Year
- 1897
- Pages
- 180Buy book
- Audiobook length
- 5 hr 54 minGet audiobook
- Narrator
- Peter Batchelor
A cylinder falls onto a common near an English town, drawing curious spectators who have little reason to fear its occupants. When the Martians emerge with weapons that overwhelm the army, an unnamed writer is separated from his wife and forced into flight. His account follows the collapse of ordinary life as refugees, soldiers, and would-be survivors struggle to understand the invasion.
- Director
- Rich Lee
- Writer
- Marc Hyman
- Year
- 2025
- Runtime
- 1 hr 29 minWatch on Amazon
- Cast
- Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Iman Benson
- Genre
- action, Adventure, horror, science fiction, Thriller
- IMDb
- View on IMDb
Homeland Security analyst Will Radford monitors threats through a vast surveillance system, sometimes turning its reach toward his own adult children. When unexplained events escalate into an alien attack, the screens on his desk become his window onto a catastrophe he cannot physically reach. Trying to protect his family also exposes disturbing gaps in what his government has told him.
Other adaptations of this book
The War of the WorldsMovie · 1953Details
- Director
- Byron Haskin
- Writer
- H. G. Wells, Barré Lyndon
- Year
- 1953
- Runtime
- 1 hr 27 min
- Cast
- Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Robert Cornthwaite
A supposed meteor attracts curious residents to a small California community, but the object contains visitors with devastating weapons. Scientist Clayton Forrester and local teacher Sylvia Van Buren find themselves fleeing an invasion that conventional defenses cannot stop. While researchers search for a weakness in the Martians, reports from elsewhere reveal that the attack extends far beyond their town.
The War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds · Movie · 2005Details
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Writer
- David Koepp, Josh Friedman
- Year
- 2005
- Runtime
- 1 hr 57 min
- Cast
- Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin
Ray Ferrier is looking after his estranged children when a strange storm brings enormous war machines out of the ground. With his New Jersey neighborhood collapsing around them, he sets out to reach their mother, struggling to keep a frightened daughter and defiant teenage son together. Crowded roads and desperate survivors make every attempt to find shelter more dangerous.
The War of the WorldsSeries · 2019 · BBC OneDetails
- Year
- 2019
- Episode
- 1 hr
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 3
- Network
- BBC One
- Cast
- Eleanor Tomlinson, Rafe Spall, Robert Carlyle, Rupert Graves
In Edwardian England, Amy and George are trying to build a life together despite the scandal of his existing marriage. A mysterious object landing near their home draws them into an invasion that tears through the society already determined to keep them apart. As Martian machines advance, Amy must find a way to survive both the initial attacks and the altered world they leave behind.
The War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds · Series · 2019 · Canal+Details
- Creator
- Howard Overman
- Writer
- Howard Overman
- Year
- 2019–2022
- Episode
- 48 min
- Seasons
- 3
- Episodes
- 24
- Network
- Canal+
- Cast
- Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Natasha Little, Léa Drucker
A signal from space raises hopes of contact with another civilization, but the arrival that follows kills most of the population. Scattered survivors in Britain and France search for family, shelter and an explanation while hostile machines patrol the emptied streets. Scientists trying to understand the attackers uncover a threat whose connection to humanity is more complicated than anyone expected.
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