Tom Cruise stars in director Steven Spielberg’s action-packed epic, War of the Worlds. The motion picture event of the year hits DVD on 14th Novermber.  Click on read more for full details...

 

Loaded with explosive DVD bonus programming, the ultimate two-disc special edition delivers a movie experience unlike any other

One of the top five movies of the year, three-time Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg’s*  $582 million** pulse-pounding movie event War Of The Worlds smashes its way onto DVD and VHS on the 14th November from Paramount Home Entertainment.  In his biggest box office opening ever, $2 billion box office superstar and three-time Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise*** leads an all-star cast on an emotionally riveting and unrelenting thrill ride as a father who fights to save his family from a deadly alien invasion while engaging in an extraordinary battle to preserve the future of humankind.  This contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells’ seminal sci-fi classic, War Of The Worlds also stars Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins****. 

Paramount Home Entertainment will release a two-disc War of the Worlds Special edition DVD offering a second disc loaded with bonus programming that will blow viewers away - including exclusive interviews with Spielberg and Cruise recounting their on-set experiences and revealing their approach to telling the personal story at the heart of this epic odyssey.  Showcasing the film’s gripping action sequences and ground-breaking special effects, the captivating DVD features also include a never-before-seen look at the cutting edge creation of the virtual army of Tripods, a homage to the enduring legacy of H.G. Wells’ novel, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s breakneck production, which spanned two dozen locations on both coasts and several thousand extras over the course of 72 days.  A must own classic, the two-disc War of the Worlds Special edition DVD will retail at £24.99 and VHS £14.99.  

*1999 - Best Director, Saving Private Ryan; 1994 – Best Picture/Best Director, Schindler’s List
** - Worldwide
***1990 - Best Actor, Born On The Fourth Of July, 1997 - Best Actor, Jerry Maguire, 2000 Best Supporting Actor, Magnolia
****2004 - Best Supporting Actor, Mystic River

THE TWO-DISC WAR OF THE WORLDS SPECIAL EDITION DVD BONUS MATERIALS
The War of the Worlds Special Edition DVD includes a second disc offering an arsenal of bonus materials:

• REVISITING THE INVASION
Marking their second film collaboration, Spielberg and Cruise recount their on-set experiences and reveal their approach to telling the personal story at the heart of this epic odyssey.

• THE H.G. WELLS LEGACY
A portrait of the acclaimed author with accounts from his family, Spielberg and War of the Worlds screenwriter David Koepp exploring the legacy of H.G. Wells’ classic novel from its initial conception through its various adaptations.

• STEVEN SPIELBERG AND THE ORIGINAL WAR OF THE WORLDS
Paying homage to the original film in his own adaptation of the H.G. Wells book, Spielberg invited Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, the stars of the original 1953 film, to make a cameo appearance in War of the Worlds.   In this program, Barry and Robinson share their experiences -- past and present -- of filming H.G. Wells’ epic story of alien invasions.

• CHARACTERS: THE FAMILY UNIT
Spielberg and Cruise discuss the emotional core of the film: the Ferrier family portrayed by Cruise
(Ray Ferrier), Fanning (Rachel Ferrier), Chatwin (Robbie Ferrier) and Otto (Mary Ann, Ray’s ex-wife).

• PRE-VISUALIZATION
A rare look at Spielberg in pre-production as he designs the film’s action sequences on computer through a process called “pre-visualization,” in which traditional storyboards are animated into 3D digital sequences that depict not only what a scene will look like, but reveal every aspect of a given location, including sets, actors, cameras and crew.  

• PRODUCTION DIARIES: EAST COAST
Viewers join the cast and crew on a whirlwind shooting tour of the Eastern Seaboard from Newark and Bayonne to Brooklyn, up the Hudson to Naugatuck, Connecticut, and onto Athens, New York, and ending in eastern Virginia. The diary is in two parts, one highlighting the beginning of the invasion and the second following the Ferrier family into exile.

THE TWO-DISC WAR OF THE WORLDS SPECIAL EDITION DVD BONUS MATERIALS (CONT’D)

• PRODUCTION DIARIES: WEST COAST
After a Christmas break, the cast and crew are back on the West Coast for more action filming on dozens of practical locations, as well as six stages spread over three studio lots.  This production diary focuses first on the alien destruction and second on the ensuing all-out war between humans and aliens.

• DESIGNING THE ENEMY: TRIPODS AND ALIENS
Spielberg and his collaborators discuss the ground-breaking design of his aliens, their machines, and the challenges in bringing H.G. Wells’ vision to life.

• SCORING WAR OF THE WORLDS
Spielberg and John Williams discuss the score to the film, their 21st collaboration.

• WE ARE NOT ALONE
Spielberg and his stellar cast and crew offer their closing thoughts about the experience of making War of the Worlds.

• PHOTO GALLERY

WAR OF THE WORLDS SYNOPSIS

A contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic, the sci-fi thriller reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family. Fleeing from an extraterrestrial army of killer Tripods that annihilate everything in their path, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) races to keep his family safe.

PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the world’s largest entertainment and media companies, and a leader in the production, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, and music.

DVD TECHNICAL DETAILS

TITLE WAR OF THE WORLDS
RELEASE DATE 14th November 2005
RRP 2 Disc DVD (RRP £24.99), VHS (RRP £14.99)
RUNNING TIME Feature: 82 minutes + Special Features: Approx 150 mins
CERTIFICATE 12 tbc
LANGUAGE & SOUND  Audio:  English DTS Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
  French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Subtitles:  English, French, Spanish, German, Italian
Closed Captioned