More than 20 years ago, Tom Cruise starred in what eventually became one of his most overlooked sci-fi works despite being a critical and commercial success. As you already know, the award-winning actor has since established himself as an icon in high-concept science fiction, often combining the genre with intense action and visual spectacles. Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report, War of the Worlds, Oblivion, and Vanilla Sky remain among his most renowned sci-fi works to date, and one of these has seen a sudden resurgence on streaming.
From director Steven Spielberg and marking one of multiple collaborations between Cruise and Spielberg, this underappreciated sci-fi movie is based on H. G. Wells’ popular 1898 novel. War of the Worlds centers on an American dockworker who must look after his estranged children as he struggles to protect and reunite them with their mother when extraterrestrials invade Earth and devastate cities with giant war machines. In addition to the 63-year-old actor, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins appear in main roles, while Morgan Freeman serves as the narrator.
For nearly a week, War of the Worlds has been trending on Paramount+ in Europe, particularly in the UK and Ireland. It has been among the top 5 movies in both countries since Valentine’s Day and ranks in the third spot as of this publication. This comes 21 years after the sci-fi action movie was released in June 2005 and grossed over $603 million worldwide against a $132 million production budget, making it the fourth-most successful film of that year. Additionally, as a critical success, the masterpiece boasts a Certified Fresh 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tom Cruise’s ‘War of the Worlds’ Isn’t the Only Adaptation
Cruise’s War of the Worlds isn’t the only adaptation of the 1898 novel, as the book has inspired eight films as of 2025. The most recent of the bunch is director Rich Lee’s massive flop, released on July 30, 2025. Starring Ice Cube and Eva Longoria, the sci-fi film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and holds a rotten 4% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is also described as one of the worst movies of all time.
The 2005 War of the Worlds‘ adaptation streams on Paramount+ in the UK and Ireland. Follow Collider for more information.
- Release Date
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June 29, 2005
- Runtime
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116 Minutes
- Writers
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Josh Friedman, David Koepp, H.G. Wells