There are few stars who know what audiences want more than the man, the myth, the legend, that is Tom Cruise. Even though we’ve basically seen him do everything and survive, the man has a remarkable ability to put himself in situations we know he’ll make it out of and yet have us still terrified. And in this sci-fi epic, he’s the ultimate everyman doing the one thing we’re all programmed to do: run for our damned lives from aliens.
Two decades later, War of the Worlds remains one of the most relentless alien invasion movies ever made and, as it enjoys another major resurgence on streaming, a whole new audience is discovering why it remains one of Cruise and Steven Spielberg‘s most underrated modern films. The best news? It won’t cost you a penny.
Inspired by H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi novel, War of the Worlds follows divorced dockworker Ray Ferrier, whose weekend with his two children becomes a desperate fight for survival after Earth is invaded by colossal alien Tripods. But the twist is that, rather than focusing on the military or government response like, say, Independence Day, this story is told almost entirely from the perspective of Cruise and his family as he desperately tries to keep them alive.
The film stars Dakota Fanning (The Watchers) as Rachel Ferrier, Justin Chatwin (Another Life) as Robbie Ferrier, Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings: The War for the Rohirrim) as Mary Ann, Tim Robbins (Silo) as Harlan Ogilvy, and Rick Gonzalez (Arrow) as Vincent.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky
Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🏜️Paul Atreides
🖖Capt. Kirk
✊Princess Leia
🔦Ellen Ripley
🔥Max Rockatansky
01
How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
02
What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
03
What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.
04
How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.
05
You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.
06
What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they’d pay it again.
07
How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?
08
When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
Arrakis · Dune
Paul Atreides
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.
USS Enterprise · Star Trek
Captain Kirk
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
The Rebellion · Star Wars
Princess Leia
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
The Nostromo · Alien
Ellen Ripley
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.
The Wasteland · Mad Max
Max Rockatansky
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
Was ‘War of the Worlds’ a Success?
A global invasion-level success, actually. The movie hit huge, and it grossed over $600 million worldwide against a reported budget of $132 million, so that made it one of 2005’s biggest hits. As for the critical response, it was well received, with 76% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes finding it well worth their time, while the audience score was slightly lower, at 71%. Critics were particularly taken with the nerve-shredding direction, Cruise’s against-type, almost cowardly performance, and the stunning visual effects, which still hold up today. Not to mention the horrible noise the Tripods make.
War of the Worlds is free to stream right now on Pluto but, if you miss it, it’s also available on MGM+. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.
