War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008)

War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave is a 2008 direct-to-DVD science fiction film starring and directed by C. Thomas Howell. The film was produced and distributed independently by The Asylum.

The film is a sequel to the film H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, an adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel and mockbuster of the Dreamworks adaptation of the same source. The film's tone and overall plot significantly differ from the restrained realism of the first film and the original novel, expanding on Wells' science-fiction concepts and bearing more resemblance to films like Independence Day and Battlefield Earth.

The film is set two years after the extraterrestrial invasion of Earth, where America remains in a state of peaceful anarchy until a wave of aliens attempt another insurrection of the planet. C. Thomas Howell reprises his role of George Herbert, who here finds himself physically capable of actually fighting back against a second wave of alien invaders while trying to rescue his abducted son, while American pilots take the battle to the aliens' homeworld, Mars.

Synopsis

George Herbert explains that despite years of searching for extraterrestrial life, mankind never expected the invasion which devastated human civilization into anarchy, and that the aliens were killed by a lack of immunity to the bacteria in the human blood they consumed. Two years later, a town is seen, populated with silent refugees including characters Shackleford and Sissy. Suddenly, three Tripods land in the city. People are struck by a Heat-Ray. Shackleford takes a sample of Sissy's blood, with which he injects himself.

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