From the book Story Of Science Fiction, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron discuss the ending of War Of The Worlds.
In the book he tells Cameron that he "never could figure out how to end that darn thing," referring to the abrupt finale. He outright said, "The film doesn't have a good ending."
I loved 2/3 of Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." The film lost me when Tim Robbins' character showed up and then, as Spielberg mentions in the above passage, that terrible ending happened. The film starts to lose its momentum at around the 80-minute mark. However, how can you deny what came before it? ABSOLUTELY STUNNING use of set-up and action. The film contain some of Spielberg's very best work in the sci-fi genre, and that's saying something.