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| Marines Battle Aliens in Hollywood Blockbuster |
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| By Sgt. James S. Goff / Marine Corps Los Angeles Public Affairs |
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Actor Tom Cruise shakes hands and talks with Marines from 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, after production in the film "War of the Worlds." Photo by Staff Sgt. Bobbie Bryant
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Marines from 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, await to hear Steven Spielberg yell "Action!" for an upcoming battle scene against the invading "aliens." Photo by Staff Sgt. Bobbie Bryant
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LOS ANGELES, July 1, 2005 - The Marines and Hollywood actor Tom Cruise all have something in common: saving the world from alien invasion.
Marines from 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Recon Battalion and 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, joined forces to show off their combined military prowess against evil aliens when filming a simulated and intense combat scene for the Steven Spielberg film “The War of the Worlds.”
The Marines’ biggest moment in the film included a massive battle scene that pitted Camp Pendleton and 29 Palms Marines against computer generated otherworldly enemies with an all-out assault of LAVs, M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks and a barrage of .50 cal. machine guns.
However, the Marines’ role didn’t just include being the stars of the movie's ultimate battle scene, but also working behind the scenes to ensure the Marine Corps’ accurate and realistic portrayal in the big budget film.
Maj. Kevin Collins, executive and operations officer for 1st Tank Bn., 1st MarDiv., was not only in charge of his numerous Marines working as extras in the film, but also helped focus on cueing the Marines action, directing their background action and coordinating their safety while vehicles were on the move.
“Director Steven Spielberg went out of his way to include us in the process of filmmaking, allowing me to rewrite a section of the script to make it more realistic, which he then shot on film,” said Collins.
But the biggest challenge for Collins and his Marines were making sure everyone was safe, he said.
"We had hundreds of extras running back and forth with tanks, LAV's and hummers attacking these huge alien vehicles," Collins said. "The professional safety controls we all implemented really kept this shoot safe even with massive pyrotechnic effects and huge amounts of blank firing. Thanks to close supervision and the Marines situational awareness, we avoided any incidents," Collins added.
Although the Marines were portrayed as courageous and fearless in the face of impending alien doom, there were also moments of Marines acting out of character while on set.
One not so memorable incident occurred during filming when a Marine slipped and fell right next to Cruise while he was saying his line.
"Needless to say that kind of ruined the shot, but Tom made fun of it and everyone got a big laugh," Collins said.
Overall, the cast and crew of "War of the Worlds" treated the Marines with tremendous respect. Spielberg even turned his video monitor towards the Marines and played back the first 15 minutes of "Full Metal Jacket", Collins said.
For Cruise, who plays a dockworker struggling to get his family to safety once the aliens attack, his experience working with the Marines was unforgettable.
“It was an absolute pleasure,” Cruise said on working alongside the Marines.
Cruise also posed for several pictures, signed autographs, shook many hands and hung out with the Marines after the final day of production.
Loosely based upon the 1898 sci-fi novel by H.G. Wells, this movie version modernizes the setting to the 21st century. These particular aliens are outfitted with powerful tripod attack vehicles equipped with disintegration rays.
US Army personnel also participated in the film.
“War of the Worlds” releases in theaters Wednesday, June 29.
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Actor Tom Cruise shakes hands and talks with Marines from 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, after production in the film "War of the Worlds." Photo by Staff Sgt. Bobbie Bryant
Download high res image
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Marines from 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, await to hear Steven Spielberg yell "Action!" for an upcoming battle scene against the invading "aliens." Photo by Staff Sgt. Bobbie Bryant
Download high res image
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