Tom Cruise's 116-Minute Remake Of 1898 Sci-Fi Thriller Classic Resurges On Streaming

Published Sep 29, 2026, 10:54 AM EDT

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

Tom Cruise's career continues to evolve in interesting ways. After becoming a household name with movies like Risky Business (1983), Top Gun (1986), and Cocktail (1988), the star pivoted to focus mostly on action films in the 2000s and 2010s. The Mission: Impossible franchise became a key focus for the actor, and other action films like Jack Reacher (2012), Oblivion (2013), and Edge of Tomorrow (2014) only further solidified his action-hero reputation. The latter two of those titles, however, also continue Cruise's relationship with sci-fi, with one mid-2000s film remaining a standout entry for the actor in the genre.

21 years after its theatrical release and 128 years after the original book by H.G. Wells, the Cruise-starring War of the Worlds is now reconnecting with audiences on streaming. As of writing, the 2005 Steven Spielberg film ranks as the ninth most popular movie on HBO Max in the U.S.

War Of The Worlds Was A Hit But It Divided Audiences

Marking Cruise's follow-up to Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds marked the fifth feature film adaptation of Wells' story at the time, with Byron Haskin's 1953 movie generally considered to be the best. Also starring Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto, and Justin Chatwin, Spielberg's take on the alien invasion story was a success at the box office, grossing $603 million worldwide on a $132 million budget, but its reputation remains somewhat mixed.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the Cruise sci-fi movie has a 76% critics' score, indicating a generally positive reception in official reviews, but the audience-driven Popcornmeter is far less positive at 42%. Common complaints from viewers include Spielberg's decision to focus on one family, the family dynamics and performances, and an extended sequence set in a basement. The War of the Worlds ending was also a point of criticism. Wells' story has been adapated several times since 2005, most recently in a critically panned 2025 movie starring Ice Cube.

Tom Cruise & Steven Spielberg's Sci-Fi Collaborations

War of the Worlds marks the second major collaboration between Cruise and Spielberg after Minority Report (2002). The 2002 sci-fi may not have been as big of a box office hit at $358 million worldwide, but it was far more successful critically. Minority Report, which adapts a story by writer Philip K. Dick, sports an 89% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Popcornmeter also strong at 80%.

Though War of the Worlds is generally not considered one of either Cruise or Spielberg's best movies, it does feature plenty to admire, including stunning imagery, impressive effects, and thrilling action set pieces. It remains to be seen how the film will perform on HBO Max in the days and weeks ahead, but the film's resurgence speaks to Cruise's continued appeal as a movie star, a promising sign given his new movie, Digger, opens on October 2.