Maps of Movies
War of the Worlds (2005)
Where War of the Worlds says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
A family flees an invasion on foot, but the jumbo jet crash was a real 747 rebuilt on a set, and Boston is Brooklyn
View on the map
Scenes and places
The crane operator's dock (2005)
Ray runs a dockside crane and shows little interest in the two children he sees only now and then. He is charming but self-absorbed.
Set in Brooklyn dock, New York — The dock where Ray works as a crane operator.
A working waterfront dock in Brooklyn, New York.
Ray's house in Bayonne (2005)
Mary Ann drops Robbie and Rachel off and drives on to her parents in Boston. Ray has to play father for a weekend he did not plan for.
Set in Ray's house, Bayonne, New Jersey — Ray's home, where his former wife leaves the children. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Bayonne is a city on a peninsula in Hudson County, New Jersey.
Filmed at Bayonne, New Jersey — The exterior of Ray's house was filmed in Bayonne; a soundstage doubled the interior. The exact house is not given in the cited text. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The intersection where lightning strikes (2005)
A thunderstorm knocks out nearly every electronic device. Ray walks toward the strikes, joins the crowd, and watches a machine climb out of the ground.
Set in Intersection near Ray's neighborhood — A street crossing where lightning hits again and again.
A street intersection; the film does not name the neighborhood.
Filmed at Ferry St, Merchant St and Wilson Ave, Newark — The first appearance of the tripods was filmed at this intersection in Newark. The coordinates are the city's, not the intersection's. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The empty suburban house (2005)
Ray herds Rachel and Robbie to their mother's empty house. For the first time he has to protect them, not just host them.
Set in Mary Ann's suburban house, New Jersey — The empty house where Ray takes his children to hide.
A suburban house in New Jersey; the film shows no address.
The neighborhood hit by a jumbo jet (2005)
Ray walks through the wreckage and meets a news crew who explain that tripods have hit cities around the world.
Set in Neighborhood where a 747 has crashed — A residential street strewn with wreckage from an airliner.
A suburban neighborhood; the film does not name it.
The Bayonne Bridge (2005)
Ray and the children flee in a van as the road ahead blows up. Tripods are a step behind them.
Set in Bayonne Bridge — The steel arch bridge between Bayonne and Staten Island. Google Maps · Apple Maps
An arch bridge over the Kill Van Kull.
The Hudson River ferry (2005)
Ray gets his children onto a ferry crossing the Hudson. Then a tripod comes up out of the water.
Set in Hudson River ferry — A ferry full of refugees crossing the Hudson River. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Athens is a village on the west bank of the Hudson River, New York.
Filmed at Athens, New York — The ferry scene was filmed in the town of Athens on the Hudson. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Bodies drifting down the river (2005)
Rachel and Ray look on as bodies drift past them down the river after the ferry attack.
Set in River where bodies float past — A river carrying bodies downstream.
A river; the exact place is not named in the cited text.
Filmed at Farmington River, Windsor, Connecticut — A second unit filmed this with a stand-in for Dakota Fanning shot from behind. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The military's stand in the valley (2005)
The family watches soldiers counter-attack. Robbie runs toward the fight, and Ray cannot stop him.
Set in Valley battlefield — A valley where the US military fights the tripods.
A valley; the film does not give a place name.
Filmed at Lexington, Virginia — The valley war sequence was filmed around Lexington, Virginia (and at Mystery Mesa, California). Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Harlan Ogilvy's basement (2005)
Ray and Rachel hide in the basement while a probe searches overhead. Ray and Harlan disagree about whether to fight or stay hidden.
Set in Harlan Ogilvy's house — A house offered as shelter by a former ambulance driver.
A house with a basement; the film gives no address.
The goal: Mary Ann's parents' house in Boston (2005)
Ray's one aim, from the first drive, is to get Rachel to her mother in Boston.
Set in Mary Ann's parents' house, Boston — The house in Boston where Ray has been trying to take the children.
A house in Boston, Massachusetts.
Filmed at Brooklyn, New York — Mary Ann's parents' house was in Brooklyn but appears as Boston in the film. Coordinates are for the borough, not the house. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Naugatuck, Connecticut (abandoned chemical plant) — A tripod is shot down and crashes through a factory. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Ray Ferrier — A New Jersey dockworker and estranged father whose weekend with his kids turns into a run for Boston.
- Rachel Ferrier — Ray's ten-year-old daughter.
- Robbie Ferrier — Ray's teenage son.