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Rotten Tomatoes’ guide, updated September 2, 2025, ranks seven screen adaptations of H. G. Wells’s 1898 novel, with the 1953 film and Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film at the top. The order is one outlet’s editorial ranking, not a permanent verdict: the versions range from a Cold War-era spectacle to family survival, period television, animation and a screen-based reimagining. Here is what distinguishes each—and which one may suit your next watch.
How the ranking and scores work
The order below follows Rotten Tomatoes’ guide updated September 2, 2025. Its Tomatometer reflects critics’ reviews; the Popcornmeter reflects audience ratings. The percentages are the guide’s displayed snapshot on that date, and may change. They describe reception on one platform, not an objective measure of quality.
| Rank | Adaptation | Tomatometer | Popcornmeter | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The War of the Worlds (1953) | 89% | 71% | Cold War-era feature film |
| 2 | War of the Worlds (2005), Steven Spielberg | 76% | 42% | Contemporary family-survival story |
| 3 | War of the Worlds (2019–2022) | 78% | 59% | Three-season television series |
| 4 | The War of the Worlds (2019), BBC | 68% | 26% | Three-part Edwardian-period miniseries |
| 5 | H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds (2005) | 60% | 21% | Separate film directed by David Michael Latt |
| 6 | War of the Worlds: Goliath (2014) | 17% | 47% | Animated sequel |
| 7 | War of the Worlds (2025) | 4% | 20% | Screen-based, surveillance-oriented reimagining |
All scores in the table are Rotten Tomatoes’ displayed figures in its guide updated September 2, 2025; they are not lifetime-fixed ratings.
1. The War of the Worlds (1953)
Director Byron Haskin’s film moves Wells’s invasion story into the anxieties of the Cold War. Starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, it is the guide’s highest-ranked adaptation, with 89% on the Tomatometer and 71% on the Popcornmeter in the September 2, 2025 snapshot.
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Rotten Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus says the film retains an “unnerving power” despite dated elements, and points to its Cold War update and effects. Choose it for a mid-century take on the novel and the contrast between Wells’s Victorian source and a postwar screen vision.
2. Spielberg’s War of the Worlds (2005)
Rather than center the invasion on military strategy, Steven Spielberg’s film follows dockworker Ray Ferrier and his children as they try to survive. Amblin describes it as a contemporary retelling seen through one American family’s fight to survive; the film’s family-focused scale gives the catastrophe an immediate, personal point of view. Amblin also discusses the story’s post-9/11 context.
The film’s September 2025 snapshot is 76% on the Tomatometer and 42% on the Popcornmeter. Rotten Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus praises its thrill and paranoia alongside its modernized action and effects. It is a strong starting point if you want a contemporary, large-scale invasion story anchored in one family.
Rank #2
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3. War of the Worlds (2019–2022)
This is the three-season series starring Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern and Léa Drucker—not the BBC miniseries that also premiered in 2019. The longer format gives its story room to follow survivors after an alien apocalypse, rather than limiting the invasion to one family’s immediate escape.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Rotten Tomatoes’ September 2, 2025 guide lists 78% on the Tomatometer and 59% on the Popcornmeter. Consider it if you want an ongoing survivor story and a television-scale take on life after the attack.
4. BBC’s The War of the Worlds (2019)
The BBC adaptation is a three-part Edwardian-period miniseries starring Eleanor Tomlinson and Rafe Spall. Its period setting moves closer to Wells’s late-Victorian world than the Cold War film or Spielberg’s contemporary version. Space’s account of the two 2019 series helps distinguish this production from the separate, three-season show.
Rank #3
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- Please check our store. This poster may be available in different sizes or as a coffee mug or mouse pad.
The guide’s September 2025 snapshot gives it 68% on the Tomatometer and 26% on the Popcornmeter. Choose it for the period setting and a compact, miniseries format rather than a modern-day family-survival story.
5. H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds (2005)
This is not Spielberg’s film. Rotten Tomatoes lists C. Thomas Howell and identifies David Michael Latt as director. The shared year and nearly identical titles make the distinction important when searching for or choosing a version.
Its September 2, 2025 figures are 60% on the Tomatometer and 21% on the Popcornmeter. If you want Spielberg’s family-centered blockbuster, look for the version directed by Spielberg; this entry is a separate adaptation.
Rank #4
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6. War of the Worlds: Goliath (2014)
This animated sequel shifts the premise from first contact to renewed conflict: resistance fighters use captured Martian technology against a second invasion. It is the clearest format and story departure in the list, aimed at viewers who want animated action rather than a live-action retelling of the initial invasion.
Rotten Tomatoes’ September 2025 guide lists 17% on the Tomatometer and 47% on the Popcornmeter—a marked gap between the two measures. The ratings are a reception snapshot, not a substitute for deciding whether its animated sequel premise appeals to you.
7. War of the Worlds (2025)
Starring Ice Cube, this version tells its invasion story through screens and a surveillance-oriented premise. Tom’s Guide reported a July 30, 2025 release on Prime Video and describes Ice Cube’s character as a government cybersecurity analyst. Its presentation differs sharply from both period adaptations and conventional battlefield spectacle.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe September 2, 2025 Rotten Tomatoes snapshot gives it 4% on the Tomatometer and 20% on the Popcornmeter. Those figures explain its last-place position in this guide; the screen-based approach is the reason to seek it out if you are curious about a formally unusual take.
Which version should you watch?
- For a classic, period-specific invasion film: start with the 1953 production and its Cold War-era reframing.
- For modern spectacle through one family’s experience: choose Spielberg’s 2005 film.
- For an Edwardian setting: watch the BBC’s three-part 2019 miniseries.
- For a longer survivor story: try the three-season 2019–2022 series.
- For animation and a second-invasion premise: pick Goliath.
- For a screen-centered experiment: the 2025 film takes the most surveillance-oriented approach.
If you want to trace what each adaptation changes, Wells’s 1898 novel is the common starting point. The films and shows alter its period, viewpoint, scale and format in different ways; reading the source alongside one of the adaptations makes those choices easier to spot.
Quick Recap
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