23 Worst Movie Endings Since 2000

6. The Annoying Punk Kid Survives - War Of The Worlds (2005)

Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds is for the most part a great movie, albeit one stymied by the distracting presence of Dakota Fanning, and Spielberg's tireless devotion to adventure movies that revolve around the family unit. A pivotal moment occurs when protagonist Ray's (Tom Cruise) son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) wants to join the fight against the aliens, and foolishly runs headlong into an alien swarm against his father's wishes. Of course, the classic twist abounds, whereby the aliens prove to fall victim to the Earth's atmosphere and their failure to protect against our bacteria, and are soon enough wiped out. Ray and his family are reunited, including Robbie, who emerges at the last minute, safe and sound, in a Jar Jar Binks-esque "f*** you!" to the audience as the movie draws to a close. Why It Sucks: Spielberg just couldn't resist throwing in a schmaltzy happy ending at the eleventh hour, even though the ending would've meant so much more emotionally if everyone but Robbie survived, and Ray had actually lost something from his own family. It feels lazily thrown in at the last minute just to please studio executives.