12 Most Heart-Stopping Sci-Fi Movie Scenes Ever
5. The Ferry Scene - War Of The Worlds
Steve Spielberg's modern adaptation of the classic H G Wells story is very much a film of two halves. While the second half of the film resorts to a dull survival story involving crazed survivors and a a cliched ending that sees Spielberg succumb to his soppy weaknesses, the first half of the film is a masterclass in filmmaking.
The family dynamic of 'loser' stepdad Ray Ferrier and his two children is engaging, with the strained nature of their relationship quite believable in the circumstances. While the early scenes featuring the tripods obliterating Earth is exhilarating stuff, it is the truly spectacular Ferry scene that really frightens.
After having their car hijacked, Ray and his two children attempt to make their way on to a passenger ferry. The scene is quite serene to begin with, the survivors calmly making their way on board, a rare sense of relief present. This moment is shattered by the sight of the tripods descending from the mountain tops below, their eery 'horn' sending the crowds into a frenzy.
The scene is the stuff of nightmares, with even those who make it on board the ferry not spared from the aliens wrath. The sights of more tripods gathering from underneath the water makes the scene all the more nail biting, emphasising the sheer hopelessness of the situation.
The rest of the film ain't much, so it's advised to turn off here on the assumption that the aliens win the day. Now that would have been a far better ending.