One of the biggest box office successes from just a few years ago that seems to have vanished from the map for whatever reason was the 2005 Steven Spielberg/Tom Cruise collabo, War of the Worlds. It’s not out on Blu-ray, nor is it seemingly even being worked on. I thought the movie was pretty damn cool, even if there were a few things in it that kind of nag at me. That being said, it contained what was easily my favorite scene from any film that year, the tripod attack. The sound of the phasers. The Saving Private Ryan-like visuals set in an urban environment. It was all so beautiful to me and still is.

The story revolves around Ray Ferrier (Cruise), who is in charge of looking after his two children while their mother goes on a trip with her new husband. That’s when the war of the worlds between humans and an alien race gets it on.

This scene takes place fairly early in the film. A large mass of ominous clouds have just shot razor-like lightning beams toward the earth. The lightning worked as an electromagnetic pulse, knocking out all battery-operated objects. I’m never a stickler for such things, but the video camera somehow being operable in this scene really troubles me. However, it’s full of great action, aurally and visually. The clip could probably have been cut two minutes earlier, but oh well. All the better. Enjoy.