The aliens are the main antagonists in the 2005 science-fiction film War of the Worlds, which is a modern retelling of the H.G. Wells story. They are an alien race from an unknown planet who have planned the invasion of Earth for many years, intending to wipe out all humans.
They were voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
Appearance[]
They have grayish skin, long skinny arms and legs, and triangular heads with large, black eyes. They have two sets of sharp teeth. They also appear to be highly intelligent but have no empathy toward humans, seeming to see them as pests to be exterminated.
History[]
The opening narration says they were watching Earth for a long time and were envious of humans. It's revealed that millions of years ago they buried their tripod machines underground, showing they planned the attack long in advance. As the film starts, an electric storm takes place in New Jersey which knocks out all the power, and all cars stop working as well. An alien pilot is transported down into the tripod, which then surfaces, destroying a number of buildings and killing a large crowd of people by blasting them with its heat ray.
That night, another tripod arrives and shoots down an airplane, causing it to crash through the house where Ray Ferrier and his children were staying, and it's likely everyone on the plane was killed. Ray's daughter Rachel also comes across a river full of bodies, though they seem intact and it's not clear how they were killed.
More tripods appear in New York and attack a ferry that was being loaded with refugees, capsizing it, drowning many passengers while others are captured by the tripods to be "harvested" for their blood, which is then used to grow red weeds all around the Earth, which is likely similar to what the aliens' own planet looks like. The US military later arrives and tries to give battle to the tripods on a hilltop, but are soundly defeated and set on fire, though they do buy the refugees some time to escape.
After this, it's implied that most human resistance has ceased, and the aliens begin searching all houses for signs of human life. They send a probe down into a farmhouse where Ray, Rachel, and Harlan Ogilvy are hiding, but don't find them. The aliens themselves then come down and explore, and are seen looking at some photos of Harlan's family while looking disgusted, but the humans narrowly stay undetected. However, Harlan later goes mad and Ray has to kill him for fear that the aliens will hear the noise and come back.
Some nights later, the probe comes back and Rachel is startled and runs outside, and is abducted by a tripod, which is filled with captive humans who are to be harvested. Ray is also captured but manages to destroy the tripod with a grenade. A few days later, they come to Boston where it's revealed the aliens are dying due to their exposure to Earth's bacteria, and a tripod is brought down by the military. The hatch on the tripod comes open and its alien pilot drops out, hisses at the humans, and dies.
Trivia[]
- The aliens in the original story are said to be Martians, but the film does not specify their planet, as it's now known that Mars does not support life.