Everybody who enjoys movies may recall a time when they were completely engrossed in it, experiencing the highs and lows of the plot along with the characters they identified with. Everything seems to be building up to some sort of big climax, but it just fizzles away with an unsatisfying ending. Even worse, it could have been an unjust conclusion that denied the heroes the closure they deserved.
Occasionally these disappointing conclusions can detract from the remainder of the movie, making it hard to watch again despite its high quality. When asked which beloved films Reddit users thought had weak endings, the responses included criminal thrillers, science fiction epics, and understated character dramas, demonstrating that no genre is immune to a weak conclusion.
#1 The Wolverine
The Wolverine, James Howlett's (aka Logan, aka Wolverine) second solo appearance in the X-Men franchise, is a standout film that significantly outperformed X-Men Origins: Wolverine due to its fantastic action and creative set pieces. The movie's legacy, however, is essentially nonexistent because of a bloated, overdone conclusion that dumps the fascinating, private fighting scenes in favor of having the title character duel a massive mechanical ronin. However, The Wolverine's post-credits sequence failed the movie in the end since Days of Future Past utterly overshadowed the promised continuation of the plot.
#2 Prometheus
Several high points in Ridley Scott's inventive and expansive return to the Alien series, most of which are boosted by his desire to explore topics you may not expect from a monster picture, can be found. But, rewrites finally delivered us the tangled hot mess of a conclusion that the movie currently bears as an anchor to its eventual sequel, Alien: Covenant. Jon Spaihts's original script, on the other hand, had a more rational and horrifying finish at hand.
#3 The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Lost World is frequently regarded as the second-best installment in the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise, with Steven Spielberg returning to the director's chair to build on the universe he established in the first film. The Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise has a wide range between hits and misses. The Lost World's unnecessary third act, which introduces a T-Rex that inexplicably unleashes fury in San Diego of all places, is difficult to justify even by the most diehard Jurassic Park super-fans.
#4 Contact
Contact, an international smash, and high-caliber critical success that was based on Carl Sagan's book, helped revive the careers of actors Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. The maudlin and ridiculous climax, which partially undermines the important issues and ideas given in an otherwise compelling novel, has done Contact's reputation the most harm.
#5 Hancock
It's a shame that Hancock, one of those movies that teeter on the brink of greatness, never fully developed into the provocative film that critiques superhero movies and succeeds as one as well. Most fans would explain that this is because the movie's third act makes a pretty sharp turn, abandoning the lighthearted, comic tone of the first half in favor of a self-important, lore-heavy conclusion that few people remember and even fewer liked.
#6 War of the Worlds
It's odd that Steven Spielberg, out of all the directors, appears twice on this list. Unfortunately, that's the case, as his second project with Tom Cruise produced a massive sci-fi blockbuster that keeps you on the edge of your seat—until the last few minutes of the movie, when a dull third act gives way to a stupid climactic twist, forcing the movie to shuffle its plot toward an ultimately meaningless conclusion.
#7 Us
In terms of ambition, Jordan Peele's follow-up to Get Out maintained (or, one could argue, increased) that level, and for the most part, the movie succeeds, with a number of stunning and terrifying set pieces supplying a new generation with some new nightmare fuel. The movie's third act, which has a style-over-substance battle sequence, an oddly prominent Hands Across America joke, and a climactic twist that comes across as one indulgence too many, unfortunately, won't cause anyone to lose any sleep.
#8 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The English-language remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by David Fincher was a seemingly impossible task, but he came very close to succeeding because the movie closely matched the tone of the original adaptation while displaying the celebrated director's signature technical spectacle and broad scope. Yet, compared to the conclusion of the original adaptation and novel, the film's denouement appears sanitized and "Hollywood"-ified and emphasizes a romantic viewpoint over the true essence of the characters.
#9 Birdman
One of the greatest surprises of the 2015 Academy Awards was Birdman's Best Picture omission since the movie had long been a crowd- and critic-favorite and had officially signaled Michael Keaton's comeback. The film's contentious conclusion, which incorporates a darker and more empathetic post-script that feels like the "Hollywood" cherry on an art film sundae, maybe one reason it failed to win the top award in cinema.
#10 8MM
Joel Schumacher's boundary-pushing neo-noir thriller 8MM has subsequently become one of the modern viewers' least-watched performances of Nicolas Cage, transitioning from a sleeper smash to a full-on cult classic. This may be due to the film's tonally conflicted finish since the story seemed focused on a less depressing and more upbeat conclusion despite the exceptionally dark trip that the protagonist had previously undergone.
#11 High Tension
Two closest friends on a weekend study trip find themselves on the run from a vicious serial murderer who brutally murders everybody in his path in Alexandre Aja's debut feature film, which is his first direction since Crawl. High Tension was an excellent and nasty horror film that was released at the ideal moment for international popularity, yet practically everyone can agree that its climatic twist and gory conclusion cause the spectator to squint until the end credits.