Tom Cruise isn’t exactly having the best time at the box office. His latest film, the highly anticipated Digger, was expected to launch the superstar into the next era of his career but has been far from a blockbuster hit. The film has not only been highly divisive but it’s turning out to be a box office bomb, coming in as Cruise’s lowest opening in almost 20 years. However, even as Digger falters, one of Cruise’s most under-appreciated films is a streaming hit — but you’ll need to act fast if you want to stream it.
When people think of Tom Cruise’s best movies, War of the Worlds usually isn’t at the top of the list. Released in 2005, the sci-fi action thriller is an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel and tells the story of a blue-collar father who has to protect his children and reunite with their mother after aliens invade Earth. The film had some major star power, with Steven Spielberg directing and Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins co-starring with Cruise. Morgan Freeman did the narration. The film did well at the box office and critics lauded it, but fans weren’t sold. In years since, however, fans have come around and recently War of the Worlds was a top 10 streaming hit across multiple countries. But if you want to check it out for yourself, you’ll need to do so soon. It leaves HBO Max on November 1st.
While War of the Worlds is a sci-fi film about an alien invasion, there is actually a bit more to it than just that. The film is also an allegory of the September 11th attacks and it’s something that the movie builds in layers. You have the general story to start with: an ordinary day turns into something terrifying in an instant when something unprecedented happens that changes everything forever — in this case, an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out everything technological and heralds the arrival of the aliens. As the movie continues, the parallels go deeper as it’s revealed that the aliens have been lying in wait to rise up and attack (a nod to the anxiety about sleeper cells) and we even get a direct question from one of the characters asking if what’s happening is terrorists. There’s also plenty of visuals in the movie that echo 9/11, including ash covering everything after an energy weapon attack.
These are things that didn’t necessarily go over well in 2005. After all, the 9/11 tragedy had happened just four years prior so a lot of the imagery and feelings were still very fresh. However, time offers perspective and in the more than two decades since the film’s release, audiences have come to appreciate the way the sci-fi story incorporates many of the fears and trauma people endured and ultimately delivers a story of resilience. Sure, much of the movie is spent in the chaotic efforts of a human survival, but there’s also the reminder that that drive to survive can be a great strength. Audiences are also now truly appreciating the visuals in the film and rightly so — War of the Worlds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The design for the alien Tripods — including the sounds — are truly incredible.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. The film is currently streaming on HBO Max and makes for a great weekend watch. However, if you want to check it out you will want to do so soon. As noted previously, War of the Worlds will depart the platform on November 1st.
Now we have to ask: with War of the Worlds finding new appreciation years after its release, do you think the same will happen for Digger? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
