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thenewnio · 1 year ago

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War of the Worlds movie script

This is a script for a stopmotion film adaptation of H. G. Wells's classic that I might make, since I've realized that my fantasy film may take a long time to complete. It's inspired by Jeff Wayne's version, as well as War of the Worlds: The True Story.

Enjoy!

Narrator: No one would have believed sometime in the 21st century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own. No one could have dreamed we were being scrutinized and studied, as one with a microscope might study the creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. No one gave a thought to the timeless worlds of space as sources of human danger. And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this Earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. A secular cooling had gone so far with our neighbor Mars; That last stage of exhaustion had become a problem for its subterranean inhabitants. The pressure of necessity had brightened their intellects, enlarged their powers, and hardened their hearts. And looking across space, they saw, sunward, a morning star of hope, our own warmer planet, green with vegetation, and blue with water. To carry warfare sunward was, indeed, their only escape from the destruction that, generation after generation, crept upon them...

Dramatis Personae:

6 as Bert

B.E.N. as Ogilvy

Milly as Clarise

Miden as Henderson

Anago as Stent

Uliri the actual Sarmak as Martian Sarmaks

Dragon as Artilleryman Jim

Iago as Loudmouth Patrick

Anastasia/Anya as Amelia

Kevin as Singer Carlene

Oblina as Wilhelmina Elphinstone

Monty as Jane Elphinstone

Maggie as Martian's victim

Nio and Gcio as the sisters

Mifeng as Cousin Mimi

*The rest of the cast shall be other toys, while the Martian tech will be made from scratch. Special effects will be stock animations, and pre-existing soundtracks will be used.*

(Opening scene: An observatory. Two characters --- Ogilvy the astronomer, and our protagonist, Bert, who is looking into a telescope.)

Ogilvy: Now, if you just angle it there... That's it! There's Mars! Can you see it?

Bert: Pretty clear.

(From his viewpoint, we see a green burst of light from the surface of the Red Planet.)

Bert: What's that weird light?

Ogilvy: Yeah, that's been going on for the last ten days. I hear before that, NASA saw something weird at Cydonia. Y'know the "face" on Mars?

Bert: Isn't that an optical illusion?

Ogilvy: Yeah, but take a look at this!

(He holds up his laptop for Bert. On it is a rover picture of what appears to be a rocket silo *digitally altered actual Mars rover photo*.)

Bert: You don't think there could actually be something alive there, do you?

Ogilvy: The chances of anything alive on Mars are a million to one. I'm just saying it's probably an oddly shaped rock formation.

Bert: What about the green light?

Ogilvy: I think maybe we're seeing a new Martian phenomenon for the first time. Don't worry about it.

(Scene: Later that night. Something glowing green suddenly shoots across the sky. It lands in the nearby park. Timeskip to early the next morning. Ogilvy's phone rings, and he answers.)

Ogilvy: Hello, Ogilvy Observatory... WHAT?

(Cut to him racing through the park to the crash site. He reaches the area to find a huge silvery object. *Maybe paint a bottle or jar for the Cylinder?*)

Ogilvy: Whoa.

(He picks up a stick and creeps into the crater to get a better look at the thing. With the stick, he taps on the object; To his stunned amazement, it makes a hollow sound. Then the top of it begins to rotate.)

Ogilvy: WHAH! There's something alive in there!

(Timeskip to sometime after word of the Cylinder has spread. Bert notices the people rushing to the park.)

Bert: Huh?

(He follows them to the park, and to the crash site. A crowd of people have gathered around, and Ogilvy, along with two others --- Stent and Henderson --- are trying their best to keep the people back.)

Stent: Everyone stay back! Wait until the thing's opened!

(Ogilvy notices Bert, then.)

Ogilvy: (waves) Bertie! Over here!

(Bert approaches.)

Ogilvy: You were right! Something did come from Mars after all!

Bert: But what is it?

Ogilvy: It's gotta be some sorta spacecraft! An actual Martian emissary! (Notices that Bert seems tense.) What's wrong?

Bert: I dunno. Something doesn't seem right here.

(The lid stops unscrewing...)

Bert: How do we know they---

(The lid suddenly falls off. It lands with a ringing thud. The crowd falls silent, watching, as something begins to emerge from the Cylinder. it rears up to reveal itself: A creature resembling an octopus, with huge green eyes, a beak and sixteen tentacles. The onlookers let out a collective gasp upon seeing the Martian, who makes disturbing warbling sounds.)

Ogilvy: They're trying to communicate!

Henderson: But what are they saying? Can they even speak English?

Ogilvy: Only one way to find out. They're a dominant species, right? (holds up a white flag) Well, I brought this so we can show them we're our planet's dominant species.

Stent: We're gonna communicate with that?

Ogilvy: It's a start. Next we're gonna see if they know English. It is the second universal language, after all.

(Thus, the three approach the pit, Henderson waving the flag.)

Ogilvy: Greetings! On behalf of the planet Earth, we humbly bid you welcome---

(The Martian retreats back into the Cylinder. More of the Martian speech, along with strange mechanical noises, can be heard within.)

Stent: Now what're they doing?

(As if to answer, a camera-like device on a flexible metallic stalk rises out of the Cylinder. It faces the trio... and fires a bright green laser. Henderson is the first to be disintegrated, then Stent.)

Ogilvy: Ah---

(Immediately, he, too, falls victim to the beam. Bert gasps. All hell breaks loose as the crowd panics and runs, screaming. The laser continues blasting, wiping out several unfortunates. Bert stays there for a moment, horrified, until the weapon points towards him. He runs, panting fearfully, without once daring to look back. We transition to his home, where he meets his wife, Clarise, at the door.)

Clarise: Bert! What happened?

Bert: It's horrible! Monsters from Mars! They killed Ogilvy!

(Scene: Later that night. Bert tells Clarise everything that happened in the park.)

Bert: Poor Ogilvy. He didn't deserve to die like that.

Clarise: Good god, they may come here...!

Bert: They can barely move. The army'll deal with them tomorrow.

(Cut to outside the house. A green light streaks across the night sky, falling to Earth. Transition to the next day, as a platoon of soldiers are positioned near the crater. Already there is firing going on; Human soldiers shooting at the Martians and their laser weapons. An army surplus truck approaches, but it is hit by one of the lasers and explodes. The one survivor, an artilleryman named Jim, crawls from the wreckage and watches as his platoon charges the crater.)

Martian: Aloo!

(Suddenly, a huge shadow falls over the soldiers...)

Soldier: What the hell is...?

(A laser beam from above cuts him off permanently.)

Martian: Aloo!

General: RETREAT!

(Meanwhile, Bert and Clarise hear an explosion.)

Clarise: What was that?

(The couple rush outside just in time to see a laser obliterate a nearby building.)

Bert: We can't stay here.

Clarise: What'll we do?

Bert: We'll go to cousin Mimi's. I'll rent a car.

(Cut to them driving through the streets in said rented car, and transition to them reaching their destination. Clarise gets out.)

Bert: Okay, you wait here while I return this. I'll take a cab back here.

Clarise: Be careful.

(She kisses him on the cheek. and he drives off. Cut to him on the road, as a storm arises. *Use stock dashcam footage of driving through a storm at night.* He hears something, and turns to look, only to see the thing that attacked the army: A massive machine on tripod legs, striding in the car's direction. Bert swerves to avoid it, but ends up crashing into a ditch. Dazed but unhurt, he climbs out of the car to see the Tripod moving away. He grabs this opportunity to escape on foot. Fade to his house, where Bert arrives cold and wet. He collapses onto the couch, exhausted. Suddenly, there's a pounding at the door.)

Jim: Hey! Open up!

(Bert gets up and answers the door. Jim looks traumatized.)

Bert: What happened?

Jim: They... They wiped us out! My whole platoon's dead!

Bert: Oh my god...

(Scene: Sometime the next day. We see them sitting at the kitchen table. Jim is telling his story.)

Jim: ...But I managed to get away and make my way here.

Bert: I saw one of those things, too. I left my wife at my cousin's house; I need to get back to her.

Jim: Okay, here's what we'll do: We'll pack some supplies, we'll go to town, and see if we can find some other guys in the army. We'll see if they'll escort you to your wife and cousin.

Bert: Okay, let's do this.

(Cut to them leaving the house and transition to their arrival in town. People are doing their best to flee, as various soldiers are preparing their artillery for battle. Suddenly, they hear a loud booming from somewhere far off. Everyone looks to see a huge plume of smoke rising in the distance. Then a Tripod emerges from the haze. People go wild with panic, and, in the chaos, Bert and Jim are separated. More Tripods appear, following after the first. They approach the town, firing lasers as they come closer and closer. Bert has an idea, then.)

Bert: Everybody get under the water!

(He runs to the nearby river. At his command, many others do the same. People scramble into the water as a Tripod strides by. As the army men fire at the Tripods, the machines discharge what look like advanced bombs. The canisters hit the ground, and begin discharging black smoke. Those who breathe this poisonous vapor fall into coughing fits, some dropping dead. Several soldiers cover their noses and mouths to continue firing at the invaders. Finally, a Tripod is struck in the hood, killing its pilot.)

Bert: They hit it! Yeah!

(The people cheer as the damaged Tripod topples over into the river. However, the hunk of Martian tech reacts badly with the water: The machine's weapon explodes, sending a great wave towards those in the river. Bert, along with several others, is tossed about in the turbulent water. Meanwhile, the Tripods pick up the remains of the deceased Martian, and take their leave. Bert surfaces with a gasp for air, having miraculously survived. He staggers toward shore, collapsing on a grassy knoll once back on land, next to a guy named Patrick, who stares at the scene before him.)

Patrick: Holy crap... Is this the end of the world...?

Bert: Look, we'll... We'll find a way to beat them. The Martians gotta have some weakness. We should go north, for now.

Caption: At the same time, in the city...

(Bert's sister, Amelia, is in a theater watching Carlene, a singer, perform. *Insert pretty/cool song here.* Afterwards, she exits to see soldiers on the street. Nearby, some people are packing into a bus to flee.)

Amelia: Huh. I wonder what's going on.

(She heads into her apartment building. Entering her apartment, Amelia looks out the window. Suddenly, there's panic on the streets: Tripods are approaching. Upon seeing them from her window, Amelia gasps. She leaves the building along with other residents, spotting two women packing their car.

Amelia: Excuse me! I don't suppose there's room for one more?

Jane: Sure!

Wilhelmina: Jane, we are not taking this strange woman with us.

(Gilligan Cut to all three of them driving in the car. Soon, they reach the harbor, where people are boarding ships to escape seaward. Exiting the car, they board the nearest steamer. After the ship picks up the last of its passengers, it sets sail.)

Amelia: We should be safe, now.

(As if Amelia tempted fate, three Tripods appear. They wade into the water, moving to intercept the ship. Enter the navy battleship Thunder Child. She barrels into the back leg of a Tripod, knocking it into the sea. Aboard the steamer, the passengers cheer. The Thunder Child fires at the second Tripod and hits her mark, detonating the thing. However, this leaves her open for attack: The third Tripod opens fire. The Thunder Child catches aflame, but moves as close as she can to the Tripod. Thus, The ensuing explosion takes it down, while the steamer continues on. Meanwhile, back with Bert and Patrick...)

Bert: There's a house over there! C'mon!

(Patrick follows him to the empty house. Inside, they begin to gather supplies.)

Patrick: Okay, wise guy. Where should we go from here?

Bert: We'll wait here until morning, then---

(CRASH! Another Cylinder lands nearby, the force of its landing smashing the house. Sometime later, Bert and Patrick awake in the rubble, having somehow survived.)

Patrick: ...What the hell was that?!

Bert: Shhh!

(Bert creeps over to a gap in the rubble, Patrick moving to join him. They see the Cylinder; In the time they were unconscious, it had already opened. Standing guard over it is a Tripod, while a couple of smaller machines scutter around.)

Patrick: What are they doing?

Bert: I don't know...

(Then, an unconscious human --- a woman --- is brought to the pit by one of the small machines. A group of Martians gather round, one of them inserting a large needle/straw-like device into her body. It extracts blood, which the Martians drink.)

Patrick: Oh god! Oh my god, that's gonna be me!!!

Bert: No! Be quiet!

(Too late: The Martians look towards the direction of Patrick's cry. Seeing their bloody faces, Patrick faints. Bert scrambles away as they approach. A probe on a flexible neck enters and scans the area, just missing Bert, before setting its gaze on the comatose Patrick. It retreats, and a Martian's tentacle reaches in, pulling the limp Patrick out through the gap. Bert can only watch in horror. The sounds of the Martians conversing and feeding emanate from outside. Transition to the next morning. Bert awakens, having passed out as well. Hearing nothing from outside, he crawls towards the gap, to see that the Martians are nowhere in sight. Climbing out, he quickly sneaks away from the ruined house. All around are strands of a normally-subterranean Martian plant: The genetically-engineered Red Weed. As Bert wanders across the landscape...)

Jim: Psst! Hey! Over here!

(Bert looks to see Jim, alive and well. He joins the artilleryman.)

Jim: You're a sight for sore eyes.

Bert: I thought you were dead, too.

Jim: C'mon.

(The two head to another abandoned house. There, they sit on the roof, where Jim tells of what he has seen. During his story, we hear subtle noises in an auditory flashback.)

Jim: So, last night, after we got separated, I came across some folks who somehow got a broken streetlight working again. I watched them get drunk celebrating. Come morning, one of the things suddenly showed up. When we first saw it, it was just standing right in front of us. God knows how long it'd been there. When it started moving towards us, we scattered. I've been sneaking around since.

Bert: Consider yourself lucky; I actually saw them feed.

Jim: Those Martian SOBs...

Bert: Well, I need to find my wife. I guess this is goodbye again.

Jim: So long, friend. Godspeed.

(Bert leaves Jim, and continues his trek. Eventually, he reaches the city, now in ruins. As he wanders among the rubble, he hears a strange sound...)

???: Ulla...Ulla...

(The sound stops as suddenly as it started. Bert looks around at the dead city, drops to his knees and begins to sob. Suddenly, a Tripod staggers into view. It wobbles about, before falling over, crashing to the ground. Its pilot rolls out of the hood.)

Martian: Ulla...! (dies)

(A handful of survivors approach the dead Martian. They stare for a moment, then begin to cheer. Cut to Bert in a bed. He awakens to two sisters watching him.

Bert: Where...?

Younger Sister (Nio): You're with us. You were delirious when we found you.

Bert: I need to find my wife downtown.

Older sister (Gcio): The place's been destroyed. It's just as dead as the Martians.

Bert: At least let me get some closure...

(Scene: Bert's house, which is miraculously unscathed. Bert arrives to find the door forced open. He enters, but finds no sign of Clarise. Just then...)

Mimi: It's no use. There's nobody here. We're the only ones that got away.

(Bert heads to the doorway to see Mimi and Clarise. They see him, and Clarise gasps.)

Bert: Clarise...

(Clarise comes forward.)

Clarise: I knew... Somehow, I knew...!

(The couple embrace.)

Narrator: The torment was over. In all the bodies of the Martians that were examined after the war, no bacteria except those already known as terrestrial species were found. Slain they were by the putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared; slain as the red weed was being slain; slain, after all man’s devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this earth. By virtue of this natural selection of our kind we have developed resisting power; to no germs do we succumb without a struggle, and to many, our living frames are altogether immune. But directly these invaders arrived, directly they drank and fed, our microscopic allies began to work their overthrow. Already they were irrevocably doomed, dying and rotting. It was inevitable. By the toll of a billion deaths man has bought his birthright of the Earth, and it is his against all comers. Before the Cylinder fell there was a general persuasion that within the Milky Way galaxy and far beyond no life existed. Now we see further. We have learned now that we cannot regard this planet as being fenced in and secure for humanity; we can never anticipate the unseen friends or foes who may come upon us suddenly from the stars. The broadening of men’s views that has resulted can scarcely be exaggerated.

The End

#war of the worlds

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the-bookkeper-from-the-future · 2 years ago

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Hi guys, this is my first ever story on this app. There may be some errors .

Experiment gone wrong

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It was a dark and stormy night, the kind that makes your skin crawl with anticipation of what horrors could be lurking in the shadows. And for Emily, a scientist who specialized in genetic engineering, it was a night that would change her life forever.

Emily had always been fascinated by the idea of manipulating DNA to create new species or cure diseases. She had spe t years working in a lab, pushing the boundaries of science and testing the limits of what was possible. But her latest experiment had gone horribly wrong, and she knew that she was in deep trouble.

She had been working on a new strain of bacteria that could break down plastic waste, hoping to find a solution to the world's growing pollution problem. But somewhere along the way, something had gone terribly awry. The bacteria had mutated, becoming so.ething far more dangerous than anyone could have anticipated.

Emily had been working late in the lab, surrounded by the faint hum of machinery and the soft glow of computer screens. She had been so focused on her work that she hadn't noticed the subtle changes around her. The bacteria had begun multiplying at an alarming rate, spreading out of the petri dishes and into the air. Emily had breathed in the tiny organisms, unaware of the danger she was putting herself in.

It wasn't until she started felling sick that she realized something was wrong. At first, it was just a headache and a slight fever, but soon the symptoms grew worse. Emily's skin began to itch amd crawl, as if something was just beneath the surface. She felt a burning sensation in her chest, amd her heart raced as if it was tryi g to escape from her body.

She stumbled out of the lab, gasping for air and clutching at her chest. The hallway was empty, the other scientists having long gone home for the night. Emily stumbled down the stairs, her head spinning and her vision blurred.

As she stumbled outside, she saw that the world had changed. The streets were empty, the buildings dark and abandoned. The only sound was the rain tapping against the pavement, and the occasional distant scream.

Emily stumbled doen the street, her mind racing with fear and confusion. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew that she had to get help. She stumbled into a nearby convenience store, hoping to find a phone or a first-aid kit.

But the store was empty, the shelves stripped bare of the food and supplies. The only thing left was a TV, flickering in the corner. Emily stumbled towards it, hoping to fund some news or information about what was happening.

But what she saw made her blood run cold. The news castor was talking about a new virus that had swept the world, infecting millions and leaving chaos in it's wake. The footage showed streets filled with rioting mobs, people running from something that couldn't be seen.

Emily felt a feeling of dread wash over her as she realized what had happened. The bacteria she had been working on had mutated into a virus, infecting her and spreading to the world. And now she was alone, trapped in a nightmare of her own creation.

As the storm raged on outside, Emily huddled in the store, trying to find a way to survive. She knew that she had to find a cure, to undo the damage she had caused. But as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, it became clear that there was no easy solution.

The world had been forever changed, and Emily was the only one who knew the cause of the virus. She was a scientist turned monster, a creator turned destroyer. And as she watched the world burn around her, she knew that she would never be able to make tgi gs right.

hi guys let me know if you like it by answering on the pole given below.

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