The story from the 1898 novel of H. G. Wells is updated to the 1950s for this film, and the setting is moved from the environs of London to southern California. Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), a veteran of the Manhattan Project, is fishing near the town of Linda Rosa when a large meteorite lands nearby. At the impact site, he meets Sylvia van Buren (Ann Robinson) and her uncle, Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins (Lewis Martin). As the meteorite is radioactive and too hot to examine closely, he decides to wait in town for it to cool.

The 2005 version of War of the Worlds is a science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and Pendragon Pictures' version. It stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a divorced dock worker estranged from his children and living separately from them. As his ex-wife drops their children off for him to look after for a few days, Earth is invaded by aliens riding Tripod vehicles, and Ray tries to protect his children and flee to Boston to rejoin his ex-wife.