People Name The Best And Worst Movie Endings
Movies are one of the world’s favorite ways to stay entertained, we don’t know anybody who doesn’t like to watch a movie every once in a while. There are so many genres that you’re bound to find the perfect flick for you. The only problem is you can’t always know if you’re about to watch something great or completely waste your time. Sure there are the classics that everybody loves and raves about.
But at the same time, there are thousands of movies that end on a sour note for audiences. An otherwise good movie can be completely soiled by a terrible ending. While the journey is important, the final scenes of a film can really seal the deal for viewers.
Movie-goers share their thoughts on the best and worst movie endings of all time!
WORST: The Last Jedi
Star Wars fans are known to be tough to please. When it comes to the newer movies they’ll always find something to complain about. Although this time they might be right for criticizing the ending of The Last Jedi. Although the cinematography was great, the plot left many with a bad taste in their mouth.
We get that Disney wanted to make a strong female character but it feels like they made her a bit too powerful to the point where it stops being believable. Speaking of which, how come they killed off Luke in the most ridiculous way possible? The man was one of the strongest Jedi of his time and he gets killed by using too much of the Force? Lame.
BEST: Big Fish
If a movie is directed by Tim Burton, you know the ending is going to be emotional and full of heart. Big Fish is a story about family, love, and forgiveness. We all know that fathers love to exaggerate when they tell us stories about their past. But in Edward’s case, all of his stories are true. It’s a shame Will only found out about this after his father passed.
This ending is great because we get to see Will reconnect and make peace with his father after their big fallout all those years ago. He comes to terms with his father’s past and realizes that they were more than just made-up stories.
WORST: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
It’s probably safe to say that Harry Potter is the most popular franchise out of them all. Millions of kids spanning over several generations have read the books and watched the movies. New content in the form of books, video games, and films keep coming out even though original series ended years ago.
But despite all the positivity around the franchise, many have criticized the way the original movies have ended. After You-Know-Who was defeated and peace was brought to the wizarding world, the movie director David Yates decided to add one last scene which shows our favorite characters several years later. Many complained that the ending was uncharacteristic of our favorite former Hogwarts students.
BEST: Whiplash
We all love a good underdog story where one person sticks it to the “man” and, against all odds, manages to reach his dream. Whiplash does a great job at showing us the hardships and torment a musician goes through to become successful. Although we don’t see Andrew Neiman reaching legendary status, we do know he has the potential to do so.
In the end, not only does he take back control from the tyrannical Terence Fletcher who tormented him, but he also shows he can do great things without him. It’s hard to stay indifferent when the final scene is over and you can’t help but feel happy for Neiman who, at one point, seemed like was going to lose everything he worked for.
WORST: Knowing
Nicholas Cage has starred in so many movies, sometimes it’s hard to know which are actually worth watching. Knowing is one of those movies where the plot is simple enough but the ending is so anticlimactic that you can’t help but wonder if the writers ran out of ideas.
The movie introduces aliens as beings with angelic characteristics. Towards the end of the movie, they’re shown to take several of the kids to some other planet while the earth is being destroyed by the solar flare. Everyone in the theater wondered why they only took the kids and left everyone else to die.
BEST: The Truman Show
The ending of The Truman show is a bittersweet one. On one hand, we can relate to the audience who cheers and cries when Truman steps off the stage. We go through the same emotions when we watch the last scene of our favorite TV show or movie. We don’t want it to end but at the same time it has to end and we can either be happy or sad about it.
On the other hand, no matter how emotional we get at the end of the day, we turn on the TV and say “what else is on”. We don’t stop living our lives when the show is over, we keep on going and continue to watch more shows that make us feel all kinds of emotions. What a beautiful ending!
WORST: Ocean’s 12
We all love a good heist movie, it has all the action, plotting, and clever characters to keep us entertained. Unfortunately, Ocean’s 12 is a sequel, and like many sequels, it doesn’t measure up to its predecessor. We have the same ragtag team of celebrity misfits running around trying to get back the money they stole in the previous film.
This is likely where the problems began, there’s no real plot or heroes’ journey there. All it has is a bunch of celebrities running around acting all cool in different camera angles. The movie tries to sell you a feeling of a luxury lifestyle while not delivering any meaningful plot. This movie is the definition of eye candy.
BEST: The Mist
Almost all of Stephen King’s stories are incredible, the man is a literary genius. The movie The Mist is based on his book of the same name and depicts people under attack by otherworldly monsters. Although the visuals of the film aged poorly, it compensates with a tense and attention-grabbing plot.
But the true brilliance lies in the ending. At that point in the film, it’s logical for the characters to lose all hope. The logical thing for them would be to end things their way and not let the creatures get them. At least that’s what David was thinking as he shot his son and friends. Imagine how devastated he must’ve felt when the mist lifted and US army soldiers were seen saving the survivors.
WORST: I Am Legend
This movie actually has two endings, the original one that was released in theaters and the two-disc special edition DVD. In the original ending, Neville sacrifices himself so that Anna and Ethan can deliver the vial with the antidote safely to the colony. Many disliked this ending because it was very generic and boring.
It was a classic man beats monster ending where the outcome is obvious to everyone. But in the alternate ending Neville realizes that he is in fact the monster in the eyes of the Darkseeker, capturing them to do all kinds of experiments. He eventually releases the female Darkseeker he captured and leaves with Anna and Ethan. Were either of these endings good? Viewers said no.
BEST: The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight trilogy is loved by many, Christopher Nolan really put everything he had into writing and directing these movies. The second installment gave us insight into the duality of Gotham city, where crime and justice have to coexist if peace is to be restored. However, they didn’t account for the Joker to come disrupt this delicate balance.
In the end, we see Gordon take command and declare Batman a wanted man. We see the police force chase after him as he tries to escape on his bike. It’s a sad ending but a hopeful one at the same time. A perfect cherry on top of a thrilling and action-packed adventure.
WORST: Savages
We never tried it ourselves, but we bet writing a movie script is a lot of hard work especially when it comes to the ending. You want to end on a powerful note that people will remember. It seems like Savages struggled with this one as there are essentially two endings, one after the other. It’s like the writers weren’t sure which ending they liked more so they put both in.
It’s funny how at first you accept that they’re all dead, you come to terms with it and imagine that’s when the credits will start to roll. But no, instead it turns out all of it was a dream, and they’re sipping coconut milk on some random beach all rich and happy.
BEST: The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects is a brilliant movie from start to finish. We’re taken on a journey along with the U.S. Customs agent, listening to what Verbal Kint tells us. Much like the agent, we don’t suspect for a second that Kint could be lying through his teeth. We’re so captivated by the story that when the truth is revealed it takes us a minute to process it.
The ending was so iconic that many movies and TV shows parodied it for years. The slow transition in Kint’s walk to the agent’s gradual realization. The viewer is kept in suspense until it’s obvious that Kint must be Keyser Söze and everything was a farce from the very beginning.
WORST: Now You See Me
On paper this movie is amazing; magicians pulling off heists and giving money to the needy. What’s not to love? On the big screen, however, the execution was a bit lacking. The idea that magic might be real was lost on us. For starters, it wasn’t clear if magic actually exists or if they used special technology to pull off the tricks.
The ending was especially disappointing, after all, they’ve been through it boiled down to a romance story with an open ending. We understand that the writers probably tried to make us wonder if the magic was real all along, but they just left audiences scratching their heads.
BEST: Unbreakable
You know a movie’s going to have some amazing plot twists when it’s written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The movie starts off innocently enough, a man survives a train crash and tries to figure out how it happened. As the movie progresses we find out, with the help of Elijah, that he has superpowers and is basically unbreakable.
But being indestructible isn’t the only thing he has, he can also see people’s past crimes. At first, we don’t think much of it but when David touches Elijah we find out that he was the mastermind behind all the fatal accidents that had happened. The answers to the mysteries unfurl and the audience is left with their jaws on the floor.
WORST: The Last Airbender
It’s sad to say but everything about this adaptation was a mess. As fans of the animated series, it was hard for us to sit through the film. Most fans prefer to pretend it never existed. The costumes looked cheap, the acting was bad, and the special effects were lacking. It gets worse when you realize that M. Night Shyamalan was a big fan of the show.
There’s not much good we can say about this movie. It’s a good thing that they decided against making a sequel, although it might’ve allowed Shyamalan a chance at vindication. But finishing this film on an open ending was delusional at best.
BEST: Inglorious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino is known for making amazing and action-packed movies like Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, and of course Inglorious Bastards. Released in 2009 it was one of the few movies about World War II that wasn’t completely sad and serious from start to finish. The movie depicts the successful attempt of a commando unit to assassinate Hitler and many other German leaders.
The movie’s ending was simply poetic. While we know it wasn’t historically accurate, it was impactful to see Shoshanna get her revenge in the end. We don’t think it’s an overstatement to call it one of the greatest movie endings of all time.
WORST: Gone Girl
The ending of Gone Girl wasn’t what we would’ve expected. We know some people who had the unfortunate experience of dating manipulative and “crazy” significant others. As outside observers, we can see that these relationships are toxic and should end.
The idea of a person like Amy existing in real life is terrifying. The fact that Nick stayed with her after she murdered someone and almost put him in jail for the same thing is infuriating. That’s one of the reasons the ending didn’t sit right with viewers.
BEST: Inception
The movie had a slow start but got more interesting and complex the longer we watched. Leonardo DiCaprio delivered an outstanding performance as the lead role, we wouldn’t expect anything less. The idea that you can go into someone’s mind and mess with it is a concept that many people have wanted to explore for decades.
The way the movie decided to deal with this issue was brilliant, giving every person a symbolic object that goes with them into the “dream world”. The choice of ending the movie on a question mark was widely praised as it allowed fans to debate its meaning and keep the Inception lore going.
WORST: Planet of the Apes
We all know that apes are pretty strong animals, in a fair fight between man and ape, apes win every time. But going as far as saying that they can operate complex spaceships is far-fetched. The idea of apes taking over humans is something we can get behind, But when the movie suggests that they can travel into the future and conquer humanity with all our heavy missiles, tanks and firearms…well, that’s where they lost us.
Also, why would the apes need to change the Abraham Lincoln statue? The original ending with the Statue of Liberty was far more impactful than whatever this was.
BEST: The Matrix
Easily one of the best trilogies ever created, the Matrix has so many layers that watching it once isn’t enough. The first movie was by far the best, mainly because it laid the groundwork for the other two. It’s incredible how it takes Neo the entire movie to become the Chosen One, only giving us snippets of what he can do in the last few minutes.
But these last few minutes are enough for us to understand what’s going to happen from this point on. The tides have shifted and humanity now has a chance to be freed from their robot tyrants. We don’t even need to watch the other two movies to know that Neo is going to save the world.
WORST: The Grey
Movie trailers can make it seem like a film is full of action-packed scenes, but the final product doesn’t always deliver. Although The Grey has some exciting moments, we think it’s safe to say we wanted to see the battle between John Ottway and the alpha wolf. Needless to say, viewers left the theater feeling empty inside.
It feels like the writers and producer robbed us of that final fight, especially since it was advertised in the trailer. We get that animating and editing might’ve been a bit expensive, but at the same time, it would probably be an epic ending to an otherwise not-so-epic adventure.
BEST: Stand By Me
The childhood adventure depicted in Stand By Me is something many adults can relate to. When we were young we had a group of best friends we’d go out on adventures with. It wasn’t anything crazy like finding a dead body, but these were bonding experiences that made our friendship stronger.
This film takes us back to a simpler time. But most importantly it teaches us the value of true friendship. The flashback to the present when we learn about what happened to Chris Chambers was a punch to the gut, a shocking ending to a heartfelt film. It’s impossible to remember this movie without getting a bit teary-eyed.
WORST: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Not many movies can pull off an intricate and deep plot. Especially one as highly criticized as Twilight. It’s safe to say it’s one of the most controversial movies out there. At the time, you either loved it or hated it. But even the most ardent of Twilight fans weren’t happy with the way the saga wrapped up.
Fans can agree that Breaking Dawn part 2 had a lame ending. No one likes watching an entire film only to find out everything was just a vision. Viewers felt like they wasted their time on a conclusion that delivered no new information.
BEST: The Social Network
It’s not every day we see a movie that shows us the struggles behind making the most popular social media platform. This movie gives us a somewhat exaggerated but accurate glimpse at what creating and launching Facebook was like. Of course today people might look at Mark Zuckerberg differently, but at the time the movie made a huge impact.
The ending was especially exciting because we got to see the final product after all the struggles and drama that went into Facebook. The final scene of Zuckerberg refreshing the page and waiting for a response from his ex-girlfriend leaves us on a bittersweet note.
WORST: My Sister’s Keeper
This is arguably one of the more difficult movies to watch. The concept of a savior sister is grim in and of itself. This is essentially a child who’s conceived for the sole purpose of “harvesting” their body to save their sibling. The movie might’ve been able to pull off the dark plot if it had stuck to the original ending.
The sick sister dies in the end, making all the suffering everybody went through pointless. While a movie adaptation doesn’t have to perfectly adhere to the source material, the changes they made left audiences baffled and annoyed. Viewers agree that this is a film worth skipping, read the book instead.
BEST: The Shawshank Redemption
This movie is the embodiment of the phrase “make the best out of a bad situation”. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins completely sell us on a friendship that blossomed while incarcerated. There’s nothing you can do but root for Andy Dufresne to pull off his plan and eventually escape. Of course, the question lingering on our minds is whether or not he’ll make it.
We see Dufresne make it out as a free man, but the movie doesn’t leave us there. This film isn’t about a prison break, it’s about the bond between two friends. In the end, we get to see our two leads reunite on the outside.
WORST: Silver Linings Playbook
Sometimes Hollywood prefers a sappy ending to a meaningful one. This film was supposed to be about growth, self-improvement, and self-realization. But all we got was an “all well that ends well” conclusion, everybody got what they wanted and lived happily ever after. As a result, it feels like everything we watched was meaningless.
It’s not like David O. Russell is a bad screenwriter, maybe he just wanted an ending where everyone lived happily ever after. But surely there are better ways to do it without making us feel like we wasted the last 122 minutes of our lives. Sometimes the easiest ending is the least satisfying to watch.
BEST: Gone Baby Gone
What starts as an average action flick becomes incredibly suspenseful when we watch how P.I. Patrick Kenzie has to decide between justice and family. A good crime thriller will have the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the film’s runtime, and this one was no exception. This movie was destined to have a shocking ending no matter what the main character chose.
In a way this ending takes us with it and puts us in the shoes of Kenzie, it asks us what we would do in his situation and how we would handle it. Engaging the viewer in the character’s decision is one of the reasons why this movie is so brilliant.
WORST: Signs
When we watch movies that involve aliens, they’re usually depicted as highly intelligent and advanced species. Of course, that doesn’t always have to be the case, but the way the extraterrestrial beings behave in this film left viewers scratching their heads. This is a case of a film that was pretty exciting until the very end.
We just can’t wrap our minds around the idea that these beings can be destroyed by water. Not only is this a boring weakness, but they literally visited a planet full of it. That combined with Joaquin Phoenix beating the alien with a bat left us with a bit of a silly ending that didn’t seem to fit the tone of the film.
BEST: Guardians of the Galaxy 2
It’s safe to say that most Marvel movies are pretty great. From the cinematography to the character building, they get it right almost every time. Guardians 2 is no exception, they showed us the importance and meaning of family when they introduced both of Quill’s father figures. On one hand, he had the father he thought he always wanted, Ego. And on the other hand, he had Yondu, the father he needed.
We also find out that Quill is no ordinary human, he has celestial powers and he’s not afraid to use them to fight his neglectful father. The ending is so action-packed that it’s hard to stay indifferent when they finally defeat Ego. Many fans say that this film was even better than its predecessor!