War of the Worlds (2005 film) in the context of "Dakota Fanning"

A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which there is a positive outcome for the protagonist or protagonists, and in which this is to be considered a favourable outcome.

In storylines where the protagonists are in physical danger, a happy ending mainly consists of their survival and successful completion of the quest or mission; where there is no physical danger, a happy ending may be lovers consummating their love despite various factors which might have thwarted it. A considerable number of storylines combine both situations. In Steven Spielberg's version of War of the Worlds, the happy ending consists of three distinct elements: the protagonists all survive the countless perils of their journey; humanity as a whole survives the alien invasion; and the protagonist father regains the respect of his estranged children. The plot is constructed such that all three are needed for the audience's feeling of satisfaction in the end.

Josh Friedman (born February 14, 1967) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction action genre, including on the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the film adaptation of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005), Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024). He also wrote the neo-noir murder mystery The Black Dahlia (2006) and co-wrote the James Cameron's Avatar film sequels and the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025).

David Koepp (/kɛp/; born June 9, 1963) is an American screenwriter and director. He is the fourth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U.S. box office receipts with a total gross of over $2.6 billion. Koepp has achieved both critical and commercial success in a wide variety of genres.

He is known for a variety of screenplays, including those of the Steven Spielberg–directed films Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), War of the Worlds (2005) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Other Koepp screenplays include those for the crime film Carlito's Way (1993); the action spy films Mission: Impossible (1996) and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014); the superhero film Spider-Man (2002); another Indiana Jones film, The Dial of Destiny (2023); and another Jurassic Park film, Jurassic World Rebirth (2025). Koepp has also directed seven feature films over the course of his career: The Trigger Effect (1996), Stir of Echoes (1999), Secret Window (2004), Ghost Town (2008), Premium Rush (2012), Mortdecai (2015), and You Should Have Left (2020).