Invaders from Mars

Young teenager Sam Witwicky becomes involved in the ancient struggle between two extraterrestrial factions of transforming robots – the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Sam holds the clue to unimaginable power and the Decepticons will stop at nothing to retrieve it.

• 2007Kuala Lumpur International Film FestivalBest Special Effects (Jury Merit Award)
• 2007Los Angeles Film Festivalselected
• 2007MTV Movie AwardsBest Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet
• 2007Taormina Film Festselected
• 2008Academy AwardsVisual Effects — Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier · nominated
• 2008Academy AwardsSound Mixing — Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin · nominated
• 2008Academy AwardsSound Editing — Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins · nominated
• 2008MTV Movie AwardsBest Movie
• 2008Saturn AwardsBest Special Effects — Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl, John Frazier
• 2008Saturn AwardsBest Science Fiction Film · nominated
• 2008Visual Effects Society AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture — Optimus Prime; Rick O'Connor, Doug Sutton, Keiji Yamaguchi, Jeff White · nominated
• 2008Visual Effects Society AwardsOutstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture — Dave Fogler, Ron Woodall, Alex Jaeger, Brain Gernand

plus 3 more entries on file

Set in Earth, primarily the United States · Los Angeles · Qatar · Hoover Dam · Arctic Circle, 1897 · Mission City (fictional) · Cybertron (fictional)

• Filmed at Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, New Mexico — Principal photography began here; location stood in for Qatar.
• White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico — Used for the Scorponok sequence.
• Hoover Dam, Boulder City, Nevada / Arizona — Exterior and interior Hoover Dam scenes were shot at the dam.
• The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia — Production shot at the Pentagon.
• Hughes Aircraft, Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California — California production base; Megatron hangar set was built there.
• Los Angeles, California — Six weekends were spent shooting the climactic battle in Los Angeles.
• Universal Studios backlot, Universal City, California — Some climactic battle elements were shot on the Universal Studios backlot.
• Michigan Central Station, Detroit — Some climactic battle elements were shot there.