No one would have believed in the early years of the 21st century
that our world was being watched by intelligences greater than our own...
That as men busied themselves about their various concerns...
they observed and studied...
the way a man with the microscope might scrutinize
the creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.
With infinite complacency,
men went to and fro about the globe.
Confident of our empire over this world.
Yet, across the gulf of space,
intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic
regarded our planet with envious eyes,
and slowly and surely
drew their plans against us.
WAR OF THE WORLDS
Ray!
I need you back at 4 instead of 12. I've got half the Korea coming.
No, I can't. I'm on a 12 hour blow.
Call Fedesco.
Fedesco can't move 40 containers in one hour.
I gotta have somebody who can do double fix.
Sorry, I can't help you, Sal. The goddamn union regulates.
Com'on, I'm in a position here.
Remember the union regulation, Sal.
You know what your problem is?
I can think of a couple of women who'd be happy to tell you.
8:30?
We said 8:00.
This is one safe looking new vehicle you've got yourself, Tim.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
8:00, huh?
We'll be back by 9:30 on Sunday, depending on the traffic.
Here he is.
Get a hug?
Handshake?
Kicking the teeth?
The door is locked.
Still got those manners?
Hello, dad.
Hello, Rachel!
Here, honey. Let me give you a hand.
The door is locked.
Sweetheart, let me get it.
- Hey, she said she can get it. - I've got it.
- It's heavy. - It has got rollers.
- Just roll it. - We can't roll it up the stairs.
I've got it from here, OK?
302 V8, it's er...
it's gonna be out here next week.
You'd better get go and you won't be in the traffic, don't you think?
You're out of milk.
And everything else.
You close the door, please? Cause it's my refrigerator.
I'm gonna... wait outside.
You're OK, sweetheart. See you in a few days.
Bye, Tim.
- I'd better get this upstairs. - Let me... let me get...
A little old to still be sharing, aren't they?
- I don't hear any complaint. - No, I do.
Robbie has got a paper on the French occupation of Algeria...
which is yet to begin.
It would be nice if you were done by the time we got back
so we don't have to keep him up all night on Sunday.
I've just got to type it up.
- No, you just gotta start writing it first. - I love you, mum.
I love you.
Listen to your father.
Oh, no shoes on bed.
We'll be at my parents' house in Boston
but don't call the house line.
The point is I've got my cellphone so if anything comes up
or you have any questions, just call me.
Believe it or not, I can handle it.
I'll leave the phone on.
Mary Ann...
this is good look for you.
You think?
Yeah.
Take care of our kids.
You've got nothing to worry about.
Listen, you tell your mom that... Rays sends love and kisses.
She'll love that.
The Ukraine, a country of 52 million people,
is in almost blackness tonight
in the wake of a series of freakish lightning storms
of catastrophic proportion which struck the country at approximately 4 a.m.
EMP: eletroc-magnetic pulse,
which causes a temporary interruption of all electrical current within its field.
As in the Ukraine, there are scattered reports that EMP here
was followed by sismic activity on the scale of an earthquake,
measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale. This...
- Baseball season is over. - 5 minutes. That's not gonna kill you.
Here he is.
Boston.
It's how it is?
That's how it gonna be?
- Careful with that throw. - Whatever, Ray.
Mum says you got a report due on Monday. You're gonna work on that when we're done here.
Yeah, I'm almost finished. I've just got to type it up.
That's bullshit.
Yeah?
What do you know, Ray?
Everything. Haven't you heard between me and my brother?
We know everything.
What's the capital of Australia?
That's one my brother's knows.
OK with you I just laughed the first of 500 times you tell that one?
Just do your report...
We don't send you to school so you could flunk out.
You don't pay for it. Tim does.
That's half what I got.
You're an asshole.
I hate coming here.
Why you act like such a dick?
What?
That's not how you gonna get through to him.
- If you want him to listen to you... - What are you?
A mother? Not mine.
Where are you going?
Go to sleep.
I work for a living.
- What are we supposed to eat? - You know... order.
What's the matter?
I've got a splinter.
Where did you get it? Come here.
On the porch railing.
You need me there. You did what?
- You want me to take that out? - Certainly not.
Come here, let me see that.
Dad!
Just look. Don't touch it!
I can't, you're moving around.
OK, but don't touch it.
It's gonna get infected.
- No, it won't. - Yes, it's gonna be infected.
No, it won't.
When it's ready, my body will just push it up.
- Push it up? - Yeah, like that.
You should get TiVo.
Tim got it for my room. It's awesome.
To watch all my shows after homework.
I'll just put on my platinum card.
Robbie!
What is that?
Hummus.
Hummus?
From the health food place.
I kept one of their menus last time we were here.
You said to order!
I meant order food.
Where is Robbie?
- He went out. - Out where?
I don't know. He just took your car and left.
You ever see something like that?
Springtime maybe, not this time here.
Com'on. We'll see better from the backyard.
- That is so weird. - What?
The wind is blowing towards the storm.
That is weird.
Rachel, wanna see some cool?
It's OK.
I wanna go inside.
It's OK!
I wanna go inside!
OK, you go ahead.
That's enough lightnings for me.
I won't go by myself.
It's kinda fun, innit?
Com'on, like the 4th of July.
No, it's not.
It's OK. You're fine.
- It hit right behind our house. - It's not gonna hit here again.
Because lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place...
Shit!
Where is Robbie?
I don't know.
Is Robbie OK?
Are you OK?
Where is the thunder?
I want it stop.
Is it over?
Where you going?
Just checking things out. Wait there.
Are we gonna be OK?
I don't know.
- You don't know? - No... just... Rachel, please.
Stop asking so many questions. Just wait here.
You believe this, Ray? Every single car.
Jesus, Jesus.
- The car just stopped and... - You're OK?
- Lightnings hit our walkway over and over. - Are you OK? You are right?
- Where the hell did you go? - Over Lincoln Avenue.
- You saw the lightning? - Yes! 26 times, we counted.
The lightning started to hit and open up like a hole or something.
26 times? OK.
- You're OK? - Yeah.
Your sister is in the house. I want you to go there and stay with her.
And next time you take my car with no driver's license and no permission,
I call the cops.
You'd better be there when I get back!
Manny!
- What is it? Dead? - Oil and everything. Look at this!
- Starter's fried. - Lightning hit it?
Not even close. I thought if I changed it... You've got any idea of what's going on?
I'm on my way to find out. Try to change the solenoid.
Right... I told you that. The solenoid.
- Let us through. - Hey.
I'm sure you know who is bedhind this.
God's pissed off at the neighborhood right now...
- You see it? - Yes.
- You've got power? - No.
- It's the cars though, you know. - A solar flare, a guy told me.
Solar flare?
Yeah, he says the sun resorts big blast of plasma and turns in a solar flare.
Can I say...
It's the only thing that can kill all the electronic stuff...
Can I say something? The sun doesn't cause lightning, OK?
- I told you what the guy said he heard. - OK, but it just sounds dumb.
I've never seen anything like this before.
That many lightnings on one spot.
- Is this the only place? - Put that down.
We're gonna fall in.
Is it hot?
No, it's freezing.
- You feel that? - You feel that?
- Yeah. - What is it? The subway?
There is no subway here.
A train maybe?
That can't be the water main.
There's nothing that stand there.
The water main doesn't run through here.
Well, there's something down there and it's moving.
Step back!
Everyone back up, everyone clear the intersection.
What's that?
Oh my God!
Ray, no, stay in back.
What happened?
What's going on?
Dad, what's the matter?
What's all that stuff all over you?
What's all that stuff?
We live this house in 60 seconds.
- Why? I've no idea of what's going on. - The food from the fridge, put it in here.
Just do it.
- Rachel! - Dad, you're really scaring.
I need you to get a suitcase. You bring it to me.
Can you just do that for me?
What's happening?
I can't tell you now. We've only got about... another minute.
Please...
Keep down.
Ray, I'm standing right beside you, can you please answer me?
Get the front seat, Robbie.
Whose car is this?
Whose car is this!
Hey, you were absolutely right, I had to change the solenoid.
Com'on, open up.
Open the door!
- Get in, Manny. - That's funny. You gotta get out of the car.
- It's not yours. - Manny, Manny, shut up!
Get in, Manny. The guy is gonna come back.
- I don't have time to explain. - I've got a shop to run.
Get in, Manny, and you're gonna die.
What do you mean?
Get out of the truck. I'm not kiddin you. Get out!
- I'm not fooling around. I got a busy day... - Close the door!
Get down! Get down!
Are they the terrorists?
- Get down! - Holy shit!
- Where are we going? - We gotta go.
We got maybe the only working car. We're not stopping until we are clear.
Clear what?
- What the hell is going on? - You saw. We're under attack!
By who? Who's attacking us?
Can you keep her down?
Shut up!
I'm driving, do something!
OK, put 'em up, Rach. Make the arms.
This space is yours, right?
- You're safe in your space. - I'm safe in my space.
- Nothing will happen to you in this space. - I'm scared!
I'm gonna go in the front seat. I must talk to dad.
I'll be like 2 feet away, OK?
- Will you hold my hand? - Yes.
- You're gonna be OK? - Yes.
I wanna know everything you know.
This thing, this machine, it crawled out of the ground
and started to torch on everything, just killing everybody.
What is it?
Is it terrorists?
This came from some place else.
- Like Europe? - No, Robbie, not like Europe!
Dad, this machine, it's already here.
Buried.
Maybe...
it came down in the lightning storm.
What do you mean, "came down"?
You've just said it was buried.
No, the machine I'm talking about was buried but...
what came down in the lightning storm...
what operates... That's the...
The what?
1.30, helicopters or airplanes.
- That's the what? - Hey, Rach.
- How is she doing? - How you doing?
- OK. - She's good.
What was that thing you do with her?
Sometimes, she gets claustrophobic.
- I want mum. - You feel better?
Don't tell me about it, you know.
What I need you to do is to hold it together for me. OK?
I want mum!
When you start screaming like that...
That's where we're going right now.
- I want mum! - I know!
That one.
Robbie, the door.
Mum! Mum!
Mum! Tim!
They're gone.
Is she dead?
She is not dead.
She is just not here, OK? They were never here.
How do you know?
Because they're on the way to Boston.
I just hope they just... kept on going up to Boston.
They must be up at your grandma's house by now.
I'm gonna call her.
How come the lights are on here and not at your place?
Because there's nothing bad up there.
We're safe here.
Rachel, this is your area. You are safe...
Dad, it's not how it goes.
OK. Well, you're hungry?
Because there is food. I'm gonna feed ya.
- We have this ketchup, mustard... - Busy. You think all the circuits are down?
This is really good, Robbie!
I said pack food. What the hell is this?
That's all there was in your kitchen.
That's all right.
Food.
Er, bread.
OK. We're gonna have, er,
let's get some sandwiches.
See me deal.
2 for you, 2 for Robbie,
2 for me,
one for the house.
Maybe after you've eaten some, I'll teach you how to play some poker,
5 card stud, maybe a little blackjack.
I'm allergic to peanut butter.
Since when?
Birth.
You can eat two bread, OK?
I'm not hungry.
Robbie and I could beat peanut butter sandwhiches.
With jelly on this sandwich?
I'm not hungry either.
You're not hungry either?
Everybody just... relax, OK?
That's why we're here now. We're safe. We're gonna stay.
And in the morning, mum and Tim are gonna be here, and it will be fine.
If everything's fine, why do we have to sleep in the basement?
We've got perfectly good beds.
It's like a slumber party.
What are you afraid it's gonna happen to us?
Nice basement.
I wanna sleep in my bed.
I've got back problems.
You know the way the channel, when there's a tornado,
and they tell to go in the basement for safety?
- It's like that. - There's gonna be tornados?
- Rachel, no more talking. - Can't you be nice to me?
- Good night, Robbie. - I love you, Rach.
Is the lightning back?
No, this is something else.
- What's that sound? - I've never heard that before!
What is that?
We gotta go! Where do we go?
Are we still alive?
Down here!
You were on this plane?
Are you a passenger?
How you doin? Will help me open it?
Are you a passenger?
He's deaf!
The show went off right beside him.
The camera on his soulder saved his life.
You get that, Max? Your stupid camera saved your stupid life.
Where were you?
Out there in the Pine Barrens.
We were attached to a national guard unit, the 83rd mechanized.
They moved on one of those things around midnight.
They got some kind of shield around them.
We can't see if everything we fire at them detonates too early
before we can get close enough to considerably damage.
When they flash the thing, everything lights up like Hiroshima.
There's more than one?
You gotta be kidding me, right?
We were feeding New York when New York went dark.
Some patched over the DC, they went down.
L.A., Chicago, uplink to London.
Even called to try to get them catch the feed
but nobody answers.
It's the same everywhere.
Once the tripods start to move, no more news comes ouf of the area.
My God!
You ain't seen nothing yet.
I saw that storm. I was right in the middle of one of those.
You didn't see like this.
Those machines come out from under the ground, right?
So that means they must been buried a long time ago.
So who's driving the goddamn things?
Watch the lightning.
Watch it.
Watch the lightning. Keep watching it.
What is that?
That...
is them.
They come down in capsules right in the lightning into the ground into the machines.
You hear that?
We get the hell ouf of here.
Get in, get in!
Were you on that plane?
That's too bad.
It would have been a great story.
Look at me.
You keep your eyes only on me, understand?
Don't look down, don't look around me.
I'm taking you to that car and you're gonna wanna look around
but you're not going to, OK?
You're doing good.
Keep your eyes on me.
We go right to Boston. We gonna see your ma.
Nice girl.
Listen, I want you to close your eyes, OK?
Closed? Here we go.
Robbie, get in!
- Robbie, get in! - Why are you yelling?
Get in.
- Why the hell aren't we on the turnpike? - I don't want our working car to be seen.
We're still on the Hudson to me.
We'll find an open bridge or a ferry that went across the Hudson,
and take the backroads across Connecticut all the way to Boston.
Where is everybody?
I don't know, running, hiding...
With any balls, we find one of those things and kill it.
Just let me make the big decisions, OK?
- Which mean never, Ray? - Hey, enough of the Ray shit!
- It's dad, sir or Mr Ferrier. - Don't cry!
That sounds a little weird to me but you decide.
- Dad! - Yes, Rachel?
I have to go to the bathroom.
Really?
Not to fast, OK?
We got to watch out.
And people who might want our car.
- There's nobody around! - I've got to go.
Rachel, it's good right there.
Not in front of you, guys!
Just go where I can see you.
Are you crazy? Don't look!
I'm not gonna look. Just stay in sight.
That's looking!
Everytime you don't listen to me,
I'm telling your mother. I'll make a list.
Make a list!
I told you to stay where I can see you!
Stop!
Wait! Stop! Let me on! Gimme a hand!
Watch out, kid! You gonna get yourself run over!
Robbie! You wanna go in that direction?
You're dead if you're leaving in that direction Robbie!
You never gave a shit before!
You never give a shit!
OK, smartass, what's your plan?
You become dad, you tell me where we're going.
We catch up these soldiers, hook up with whoever isn't dead and get back at them!
We get back at them!
That's what we do!
Try one that doesn't involve your ten-year-old sister joining the army!
You have anything like that?
- Why not tell you've no idea where to go? - Well, try something like that!
You wanna come up wise and shit?
You only chose Boston because you hope mum's there,
and so you can dump us on her.
and then you only have to care about yourself.
That's exactly the way you like it!
Robbie, where you try to go?
What are your trying to do?
Who's gonna take care of me if you go?
This is a test of the emergency alarm system.
If this had been an actual emergency, official messages would follow
the alert tone.
This concludes the test of the emergency alert.
I'll close my eyes, why don't you drive for a bit?
I don't have a license.
Since when does that stop you?
Ray!
Dad!
Don't stop. Don't keep your foot off!
I've got it.
- Where is everybody going? - I don't know, Rach.
But we do, right?
Yeah, we do.
Why they do that?
Why?
Everybody just wants to ride.
- Can't we get them one? - Sit back.
Put on your seat-belt, Rachel!
I'm sorry, I can't. Please, get away from the car.
Stop the car!
20 people in there!
Hold on!
Are you OK?