From disappointing plot twists to unresolved cliffhangers, these movie endings left audiences feeling cheated. Join us as we explore the most controversial and unsatisfying conclusions in cinema history that had viewers throwing popcorn at their screens in frustration.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the movie
00:10conclusions that disappointed audiences, either due to bad execution or because
00:14things were left unresolved.
00:1710. It's Just a Prank Bro, The Game
00:31Nick Van Orten is a man with everything, so when his brother Connie gets him involved in
00:35an elaborate game for his birthday, Nick is intrigued. However, Nick soon becomes overwhelmed
00:39by the apparently elaborate conspiracy involving the game. He's driven to his wits end even
00:43seemingly killing Connie and jumping off a roof in remorse, except he lands on a cushion
00:47on the ground.
00:53Connie's alive, the gun was fake, and everybody cheers and claps for Nick. It was all just
00:57a game after all. Never mind the extreme psychological trauma and gaslighting his family put Nick through,
01:02or the numerous plot holes this creates. For every person who loves the ending, there's
01:06another viewer who despises it.
01:089. Your Sequel Is In Another Castle, Super Mario Bros.
01:17Luigi, are you gonna stop moping around? Come on. Luigi, come on in.
01:23Movie adaptations of video games used to be more misses than hits, particularly in the 80s and 90s. Turning a bright and colorful platformer like Mario into a steampunk dystopia tale was certainly a choice.
01:34And once the day is saved and Mario and Luigi return to New York, all appears well. At least until Princess Daisy arrives at the door, locked and loaded for a new adventure.
01:42Luigi, Mario! Daisy! You gotta come with me, I need your help. The sheer amount of vague sequel bait packed into this final scene is impressive. However, for as much potential excitement as this ending brings, it ultimately comes to nothing, since the film never got a sequel.
01:57I believe it. You do? I believe.
02:028. The Rest of Your Life, Law Abiding Citizen
02:06Maybe I wasn't such a bad teacher after all. If you go through with this, Clyde, it's a decision you'll have to live with for the rest of your life.
02:13This thriller is a continual battle of wills between prosecutor Nick Rice and vigilante Clyde Shelton. Ultimately, Nick is unable to convince Clyde to call off using a bomb against the mayor. As Nick leaves, it's revealed that he planted the bomb underneath Clyde's cell, killing him and bringing his crusade against the corrupt legal system to an end.
02:32It's a discouraging ending, since despite being a criminal, Clyde isn't wrong about the system he's fighting against, and he proves relatable.
02:47Meanwhile, Nick is a much less sympathetic lawyer who goes against his own principles and gets to have a happy ending, watching his daughters play. Nick didn't earn the victory. It instead feels like the studio chickened out on a more shocking ending.
02:587. More Questions, Prometheus
03:10Speak to him, David. Tell him where he came, just like he asked him.
03:15Ask him where they're from.
03:17What are you doing?
03:18Prequels are great for fleshing out a story and providing more context for the source material, usually. Prometheus took a different approach by instead raising more questions than an answer.
03:27The final survivor, Elizabeth Shaw, manages to use her bizarre alien offspring to fight off the Engineer who wants to kill all humans for some reason.
03:34Hoping to get answers on why his race is hostile to humanity, she heads off to the Engineer's homeworld, leaving us more confused than when the movie started.
03:40Does it matter why they change their minds?
03:43Yes.
03:44Yes, it does.
03:47I don't understand.
03:49Oh, but look, Xenomorph, isn't that neat?
03:52That sure makes up for two hours of unanswered questions and baffling character decisions.
03:56Number 6. Theatrical Ending, I Am Legend
04:05This post-apocalyptic film is an engrossing and excellent film until the ending.
04:17The conclusion first released in theaters sees protagonist Robert Neville sacrifice himself to save fellow survivors Anna and her son Ethan.
04:24With the cure Robert gave them, the two head to a camp of other survivors outside the city.
04:28On September 9th, 2012, at approximately 8.49pm, he discovered that cure.
04:38And at 8.52, he gave his life to defend it.
04:43This ending is particularly frustrating because it's not only exactly like every other movie ending in his genre,
04:48it's also not the ending the filmmakers originally shot.
04:51So the foreshadowing for the intended finale is all still there, but none of the payoff is.
04:55Thankfully, the reported sequel will be using the original ending instead, where Neville survived.
04:59I'm sorry.
05:05Number 5. A New Skywalker
05:07Star Wars Episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker
05:14After a divisive middle installment, the conclusion of the sequel Star Wars trilogy brought fans together by uniting everyone.
05:20In dislike.
05:22Far from being the nobody the previous film painted her as, Rey is revealed to be Emperor Palpatine's granddaughter.
05:27You're his granddaughter.
05:30You are a Palpatine.
05:34And as if making Rey related to the most powerful Sith Lord wasn't bad enough,
05:38the ending doubles down on the whole great families equal great power in the Force thing.
05:42Once the day is saved, Rey returns Luke and Leia's lightsabers to Tatooine to bury them.
05:46When asked her name, Rey instead declares that she's Rey Skywalker.
05:50Most Rey fans preferred her as her own person, and her detractors hated her taking up the mantle of characters they saw as superior.
05:56Rey Skywalker
06:04Number 4. It's over. Or is it? The happening.
06:07I'm just going to talk in a very positive manner.
06:10Giving off good vibes.
06:12We're just here to use the bathroom.
06:15Then we're just gonna leave.
06:17I hope that's okay.
06:19M. Night Shyamalan films tend to end with either a mind-blowing twist or an absurdly disappointing one.
06:25This finale falls into the latter camp.
06:27Amid some truly cringe-worthy dialogue and acting, the film's big twist is that it's the plants causing everyone to seek their own deaths.
06:33And just when the protagonists are ready to give in to the inevitable, whatever toxin the plants are releasing just stops.
06:39Cue a time skip in the apparent return of the bizarre event.
06:49Despite the title, the ending of The Happening has us questioning whether any of it needed to happen at all.
06:53Or at least whether it was worth watching.
06:55So.
07:01Number 3. Rhino Interruptus. The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
07:04I am Rhino! I told you I would get back!
07:13While this sequel is something of a mixed bag, it doesn't really stick the superhero landing with its final scene.
07:18Peter returns to being Spider-Man after an extended absence, once again donning his spandex to battle Paul Giamatti's Rhino, who's wreaking havoc.
07:25Giamatti's having fun chewing the scenery, but as a conclusion to the movie, the scene feels like a letdown.
07:30There's no place like home.
07:35People hoping for a more somber ending with the death of Gwen Stacy instead got a tacked-on happy ending.
07:40Meanwhile, those hoping for a fun action scene instead got an abrupt cut to black just as it's starting to ramp up.
07:45How disappoint-
07:50Number 2. On The Edge. The Italian Job.
07:52Okay, William, go!
08:00A crime-keeper classic of the highest order, The Italian Job is a fun movie.
08:04It follows Charlie Croker and his crew of ne'er-do-wells making off with four million in gold from Turin, Italy.
08:09All goes well, though not without a few hijinks.
08:12However, the gang celebrates their success a little too rowdily while their bus is navigating the narrow roads in the Alps.
08:17The back half of their vehicle is left dangling precariously over the cliffside, with the gold poised to fall out.
08:31Charlie has a great idea, though. Too bad the audience is left hanging along with the rest of them.
08:35Most cliffhangers aren't quite so literal.
08:37Hang on a minute, lads. I've got a great idea.
08:41Uh...
08:43Uh...
08:44Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
08:53You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
08:57If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
09:01Number one, Lincoln Memorial, Planet of the Apes.
09:06ZDC, Unidentified Aircraft. Do you copy your order?
09:09Copy that!
09:12Remakes can be tricky.
09:13They have to try something new while also staying faithful to the original.
09:16This one fails on a few levels, with its ending being particularly lame.
09:20Ape villain General Thade is defeated and the human hero, Leo, flies off into space to return to Earth.
09:25He crash lands at what appears to be the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
09:29However, the familiar monument has Thade's face, for some reason.
09:41It's a bizarre retooling of the It Was Earth All Along twist from the original, but with a different U.S. monument.
09:46Even those who never saw the first one rolled their eyes at Abraham Lincoln.
09:50Is there a movie conclusion that left a sour taste in your mouth?
09:59Swing into the comments to share your picks.
10:08Did you enjoy this video?
10:09Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
10:11And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
10:20See you next time.
10:21See you next time.