Spielberg accepted the script after finding it had several similarities to his personal life , including the divorce of his parents ( Ray and Mary Ann 's divorce ) , and because the plight of the fictional survivors reflects his own uncertainty after the devastation of the September 11 attacks . For Spielberg , the characters ' stories of survival needed to be the main focus , as they featured the American mindset of never giving up . Spielberg described '' War of the Worlds '' as " a polar opposite " to '' Close Encounters '' , with that movie featuring a man leaving family to travel with aliens , while '' War of the Worlds '' focused on keeping the family together . At the same time , the aliens and their motivations would not be much explored , as " we just experience the results of these nefarious plans to replace us with themselves "
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
War of the Worlds (2005 film)