Top 30 WORST Movie Endings of All Time

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most disappointing and anticlimactic film conclusions. Spoilers ahead! Which movie ending do you think is the most disappointing? Let us know in the comments below.

#30: “Source Code” (2011)

“Source Code” is about an Army pilot, Stevens, who is repeatedly sent to inhabit the body of a teacher in order to prevent a deadly train attack. Stevens’ real body is on life support, and he wants to be allowed to pass on. But to do that, he has to succeed in his mission to stop the train tragedy. On his final attempt, he defuses the bomb, stops the villain, and even makes up with his father. Leaving it there would’ve been perfect. However, after his old existence had ended, he still lived on in the teacher’s body. It's supposed to be a happy resolution, but him completely taking over another man’s life is anything but.

#29: “Savages” (2012)

Fake out endings are always going to feel a little cheap, especially when the imagined conclusion is better than the actual one. This was the case with “Savages,” a gritty film about weed-growing friends going up against a cartel. It was exciting and didn’t pull any punches when it came to portraying the darker side of the drug trade. It culminated in a violent shoot-out, where everyone involved met a tragic end. This was dark but made sense given the events that had preceded it. You’d think that’s where the credits would come in. Instead, it was revealed that what we’d just seen hadn’t really happened at all. The real finale was much more anti-climactic, with the heroes getting away scot-free.

#28: “The Midnight Sky” (2020)

Plot twists aren’t a new concept. When done correctly, they can be an excellent way of subverting the audience’s expectations and making them rethink everything they’d just watched. A poorly executed one, however, can sour the rest of the story. Such was the case with “The Midnight Sky.” Two characters – a reclusive scientist and a young girl – form a strong emotional bond as they undergo their journey together. Any hopes of the two surviving to the end and continuing their paternal relationship were dashed when it was shown she’d been a figment of his imagination. It was a bleak moment that was made worse with the final blow – that the crew he’d been trying to help had been left with an uncertain fate.

#27: “Wonder Woman” (2017)

One common trope found in the superhero genre is an extensive battle at the end, consisting mostly of CGI and low stakes. “Wonder Woman” seemed like it was going to break that mold. It had focused on the more human elements of war, with the heroine realizing that subduing her enemies wouldn’t be enough to stop it. The director, Patty Jenkins, even intended for the antagonist to be a human, and not a God as previously assumed. It would’ve been a refreshing take, even if it wasn’t as showy. However, the studio preferred a classic VFX-laden fight, which is what we got instead. It traded a poignant impact for flashy visuals, which caused the otherwise stellar origin to end on a shaky note.

#26: “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006)

Making extreme narrative decisions is risky enough, especially in an established franchise. However, it’s another thing entirely to immediately walk those back before the credits have even finished rolling. “X-Men: The Last Stand” was one of the most tragic in the original trilogy. Several beloved mutants – including Dr. Xavier – had died. Others, like Magneto, had lost their powers, either voluntarily or by force. Normally, choices like this would have lasting repercussions that would have a ripple effect across the following films. Instead, they were reversed almost immediately, with Magneto indicating he still had telekinesis and Xavier surviving. It was an immediate backpedal of the consequences they had just established, and it made the emotions they caused feel unearned.

#25: “Safe Haven” (2013)

A character suddenly being exposed as having been a ghost isn’t a new plot device, but when it works, it can be a genuine gut punch that can completely recontextualize a story. If it doesn’t hit the mark, it instead comes across like a gratuitous way of forcing a shocking twist. Up until its ghostly reveal, “Safe Haven” had been a perfectly fine romantic drama. There were plenty of dramatic turns that kept it exciting, and so the additional development of Jo being dead the entire time was unneeded. Having Alex find the letters she’d left behind would’ve gotten the point across just as well, without retconning one of the principal roles.

#24: “Forces of Nature” (1999)

The best romantic comedies usually have one thing in common: the two leads riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after. When one deviates from that, it can dampen the mood. “Forces of Nature” seemed like it was going to end with Ben leaving his current relationship to pursue one with Sarah instead. The chemistry between the two was undeniable, and the lead-up to their first kiss felt natural. This was shattered when she reminded him that they’d only known each other for a few days. Their short-lived relationship quickly petered out, and he carried on with his wedding. Considering everything they’d been through together up until that point, them not getting together made the story feel pointless and unsatisfying.

#23: “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (2001)

It’s a shame when a movie sets up a heart wrenching finale, only to shift to something more wholesome at the last second. “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” is centered around a robot child experiencing a severe existential crisis. The climax of the film was intense, and even showed the robot attempting to take his own life. For a moment, it seemed like it would end with him begging to become real as he faded away. However, the creators decided to abandon that. Instead, it’s revealed that he’d survived, and would be given one last day with a copy of his mother. While it was more hopeful, it wasn’t as emotionally satisfying as a more somber closing would’ve been.

#22: “Seed of Chucky” (2004)

Considering how over the top the rest of the Chucky series is, a film about villainous dolls raising a child hardly even raised eyebrows. For the most part, it was a standard “Child’s Play” picture, blending the classic brutal kills with moments of pure existentialism. It seemed like it was going to end on a dramatic note, with Chucky taking Tiffany’s life, and then being killed by his own son, a thematically interesting conclusion to bring the whole tale full circle. However, that was ripped away when it suddenly cut to five years afterwards, showing that their deaths had not been final. It cheapened the previous scene, and made it seem more melodramatic than it needed to be.

#21: “Grease” (1978)

“Grease” had its silly moments, but even a whimsical number like “Beauty School Dropout” was clearly a dream sequence, which helped the film feel more grounded in reality. This balance was maintained up until the very end, when Danny and Sandy rode off into the sky. Others even waved to them as they flew away, indicating that the bizarre moment actually occurred rather than being someone’s daydream. Had there been more moments of pure fantasy throughout, then this bizarre and unsatisfying ending could’ve gone unnoticed. With it being left as it was, it only served to end the musical on an unnecessarily confusing note.

#20: “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008)

Next on our list is the Indiana Jones film that went away from the spiritual and straight into sci-fi. While we could stomach a lot, this film nuked the fridge big time when the crystal skull awakened a generic alien who proceeded to melt Cate Blanchett’s brain. Even worse is the image of Indy witnessing a spaceship flying off into another dimension. The ending of “The Last Crusade” and originally the series was perfect; why’d they have to go and mess with it?!

#19: “Superman” (1978)

Don’t get us wrong, there’s still something magical about 1978’s “Superman,”but that doesn’t mean the ending makes any sense. When Superman fails to save Lois Lane, he decides to just throw out the laws of physics. This involves Superman nonsensically using his super speed to reverse the rotation of the planet and turn back time, cause that’s how it works. Now, we’re not scientists, but we’re pretty sure that would just kill everything, rather than save anyone’s life. This ending is more likely to leave viewers puzzled than impressed.

#18: “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2” (2012)

There’re many who’d argue that the beginning and the middle of the “Twilight” saga were pretty bad too. But even diehard fans had difficulty standing up for its ending! The final battle scene has some moments, but the conclusion is simply a con - revealing that the whole battle was just a vision. It’s to be expected that a book-to-film adaptation should employ creative license, but at least make it worth our while! In the end, the epic something was an epic nothing... And an epic waste of time!

#17: “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009)

While some films on this list were perhaps a little too hasty to kill people off, the “Transformers” team flirted with the idea of KO-ing a main character, but couldn’t quite follow through - much to our frustration! First Sam dies and is then revived, and then the unthinkable happens as Optimus Prime looks to be on his way out. But it’s OK because he’s a robot, and robots can get spare parts! All that was ever needed was a service and an upgrade and then ‘hey presto,’ day is saved!

#16: “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014)

Everyone loves an emotional ending, but “The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s” attempt was just cringey! Sure, it’s kinda cute when the kid stands in the way of The Rhino, even if it is sorta confusing as to exactly why Rhino’s there... But when the real webslinger arrives back into shot, we just can’t suspend our disbelief any further! The heart-to-heart, the fist-bump, the megaphone and the manhole cover - it all reeks of cheese! This ending was meant to keep us guessing, but it only had us cursing!

#15: “The Forgotten” (2004)

When in doubt, blame aliens! That’s apparently what the filmmakers behind “The Forgotten” decided when they came up with this ending. The film follows Julianne Moore’s character Telly, who believes that she had a son - but no one else in her life remembers him. It’s an intriguing premise, which seems set to raise questions about Telly’s sanity, and take us for a ride into government conspiracy territory. That is, until the reveal that it was all aliens. Yep, turns out the government is working with extraterrestrials to conduct a completely nonsensical experiment about maternal instincts. E.T. . . go home!

#14: “Saw 3D” (2010)

The original “Saw’s” twist ending shocked us, but man did this series jump the shark. Remember Dr. Lawrence Gordon, the guy who cut off his foot in the first movie? Well, get this. He managed to survive, and in the final act of “Saw 3D” it’s revealed that he’s been Jigsaw’s partner in crime ever since. In retaliation for killing Jill, Gordon kidnaps Detective Hoffman, takes him to a familiar room, and declares the game officially over. It’s totally ludicrous, but at least the franchise got marginally better with 2017’s “Jigsaw.”

#13: “The Number 23” (2007)

In this psychological thriller from Joel Schumacher, Jim Carrey's character Walter finds a book titled "The Number 23." It tells the story of a detective who murdered his own girlfriend. With an increasing amount of things in common with the character and the eponymous number seemingly popping up everywhere in his life, his own sanity begins to unravel as he pulls at each thread of the mystery. What mysterious forces could be at work? Well, as it turns out, it was actually Walter who wrote the book himself, before giving himself amnesia. Of course.

#12: “Lucy” (2014)

It’s hard to say whether “Lucy” is a smart story stuck in a dumb movie or a dumb story stuck in a smart movie. One thing’s for certain, though: Its ending is 100% idiotic. As her brain reaches maximum capacity, Lucy transcends all humankind, becomes one with the space-time continuum, and leaves behind a flash drive for Dr. Morgan Freeman. It almost feels like director Luc Besson is trying to channel “2001.” But instead of going out on a profound note, “Lucy” leaves the audience slapping their foreheads in frustration.

#11: “Serenity” (2019)

Matthew McConaughey has starred in some incredible films. And “Serenity” is not one of them. What starts off as a mystery thriller with an impressive cast soon becomes . . . well, a computer game. Yeah, they’re all in a computer game. Except for Matthew McConaughey’s son Patrick, who’s real and created the game. It turns out, the scenes that seem like flashbacks of Patrick are actually in the here and now. This last fact is revealed at the end when Patrick kills his abusive step-dad. Sadly, by this point the audience’s suspension of disbelief is already dead.

#10: “Now You See Me” (2013)

A good magic trick builds anticipation that leads toward some sort of big reveal. And understandably, audiences were expecting the same from the ending of “Now You See Me.” The vast majority of the film is seriously slick. The magic is impressive, and left us all waiting on the edge of our seats for the conclusion. But when that presented itself as one double-agent cop and a series of plot holes big enough to personally fall into, viewers were sighing rather than smiling!

#9: “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013)

“Into Darkness” was such an awesome follow-up to J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” reboot that it’s easy to forgive the film’s absurd ending. With that said, it was a pretty absurd ending. Rather than paying homage to “Wrath of Khan,” “Into Darkness” literally recreates its spiritual successor’s iconic climax. The only difference is that Kirk and Spock reverse roles, leading to Kirk’s demise and Spock making William Shatner’s infamously silly cursing sound even sillier. Don’t worry, though, because Bones basically cures death and brings Kirk back to life. Well, that’s convenient.

#8: “Cats” (2019)

“The ending,” you say? “How about the whole movie!” That’s a good point, but the ending IS particularly bonkers. Admittedly, director Tom Hooper had his work cut out for him when he decided to adapt Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, which doesn’t really make sense either. But you can get away with levels of absurdity on stage that don’t necessarily translate to film. The ending of “Cats” sees outcast Grizabella singing a song at the Jellicle Ball that wins her a ride on a chandelier to the Heaviside Layer, a metaphor for rebirth that’s also a literal place … of some sort. This is despite the efforts of the evil Macavity, who for some reason has magic powers. Yeah, make sense of that.

#7: “The Matrix Revolutions” (2003)

By the end of this trilogy, the storyline had become so convoluted that it needed something extra-special to hold it all together. Unfortunately, the film dodged that idea entirely. Sure, Neo’s sacrifice is heroic and Smith’s demise is a good thing... But what about everybody else plugged into the Matrix? Has the whole thing just been explained away by a brief encounter on a park bench? A pretty sunrise is nice, but it doesn’t answer any questions! How long will there be peace? Will the ones who want out actually be freed? And what does the Oracle mean that we’ll see Neo again?

#6: “War of the Worlds” (2005)

Arguably, Steven Spielberg was fated to disappoint from the start by choosing to remain loyal to “War of the Worlds’” source material. This means that the aliens are defeated by germs. Did these intergalactic travelers learn nothing from the extraterrestrials who were defeated by water in “Signs?” Do your research, aliens! Still, the movie looks set to challenge us with an ambiguous and powerful ending, since Ray’s son Robbie presumably died after stupidly running into battle. But guess what, he’s alive, without a scratch on him, and the narration wraps up everything in a nice, tidy bow ...

#5: “The Happening” (2008)

Frankly, when it comes to bad endings, M. Night Shyamalan’s movies left us spoiled for choice. “Signs?” “The Village?” “Lady in the Water?” Audiences still fondly remember the twist ending of his breakout film “The Sixth Sense,” but man have there been a LOT of disappointments since. Ultimately though we had to go with “The Happening” (2008). Sure, there’s a well-meaning environmental message in there . . . but you’re saying that the mysterious mass suicides in the northeastern United States were set in motion by trees?! And TREES are now about to cause GLOBAL CATASTROPHE? We sat through this ENTIRE film for that?!

#4: “Planet of the Apes” (2001)

Messing with a classic film’s iconic twist ending? That’s just bananas! In the famous 1968 film, Charlton Heston’s George Taylor realizes that the “planet of the apes” is really Earth - he’s traveled to the far future. For his 2001 reboot, Tim Burton decided to add a different twist … but one that has more shock value than logic. The hero returns home to discover that apes have taken over - shown by a dramatically reworked Abe Lincoln memorial. This is actually closer to the source material, but in the novel, centuries have passed, allowing time for apes to become the dominant species. In the movie, there’s no explanation whatsoever. And even if this DID make sense, it would still pale in comparison to the original.

#3: “Law Abiding Citizen” (2009)

Normally, viewers are rooting for the villain to lose. However, there are plenty of exceptions to this rule, with Clyde from “Law Abiding Citizen” being one of the most notable. After witnessing the horrific fates of his family and subsequently being failed by the justice system, seeing him take down those at fault felt justified. Him successfully carrying out his final act of revenge would’ve been the perfect way to cap the thriller. Instead, they opted for a typical Hollywood finale where the hero outsmarted him at the last second. It derailed the story, and gave the protagonist what many felt was an undeserved win. Clyde coming out on top would’ve been the perfect cathartic ending, rather than the typical one we got instead.

#2: “I Am Legend” (2007)

Richard Matheson’s novel “I Am Legend” is a classic that inspired the movies “The Last Man on Earth” and “The Omega Man.” What made it so memorable was its ending, when vampire hunter Robert Neville realizes that for vampires, HE is the terrifying monster preying on the innocent. The Will Smith vehicle “I Am Legend” seemed to be going in the same direction . . . until sending Smith out with a bang and his friends on to live happily ever after. It’s a conclusion that completely undermines the source material in favor of pure cliché. Although an alternate ending was released on DVD, this movie’s awful ending has become “legendary.”

#1: “The Devil Inside” (2012)

Was this a prank or what?! Taking our top spot is this found footage horror flick centered on demonic possession. In the finale, priest Ben Rawlings realizes that Isabella isn’t quite herself. Deciding that the hospital can’t help her, he sets his hopes on an exorcism instead. A scuffle in the car leads to the driver getting possessed, and they veer into oncoming traffic. Then everyone’s rolling around in the car and it’s horrible and bam, movie’s over and you’re left with…a website link? Wow, we hope you didn’t pay to see this in theaters.