Top 10 Good Movies with Bad Endings

As long as the film sticks to its own rules, sci-fi does not need to be overly logical. Centering around the character of Colter Stevens, a comatose soldier whose consciousness is transferred to a school teacher caught in a train that was destined to explode, "Source Code" should have ended with the hero learning about the terrorist's next target and dying in the train's explosion. In an attempt to conclude on a heartwarming note, "Source Code" overstayed its welcome by sending Stevens on one last trip that ends with the protagonist preventing the attack and living happily ever after in someone else's body!

Black comedies are hard to pull off, but the Coen Brothers have forged a solid career out of the genre. An admittedly lesser entry in the duo's filmography; "Burn After Reading" is a screwball comedy featuring A-list actors playing against type. Despite the plot centering around the potential leak of CIA secrets, most of the experience feels kind of trivial, so going with an ending that reflects this spirit does make sense. Unfortunately, from a viewer perspective, "Burn After Reading" desperately needed a remarkable third act to elevate the film to the next level; instead, the Coen Brothers had it go out with a shrug.

One part existential drama, one part "Friday the 13th" in space - Danny Boyle's sci-fi epic hit all the right notes during its first two acts, before electing to throw something like a zombie into the mix. With the Sun fading and the Earth on ice, Icarus II's eight-man crew is tasked with dropping a nuke to reactivate the dying star. Things go awry when the team decides to check out the ship of the failed mission that preceded them, a side-quest that ends with a deranged zombie captain of the first Icarus mission boarding going on a killing spree. "Sunshine" is still pretty great, but this twist feels out of place and unnecessary.

A faithful adaptation… but one that would have been better off trying something different. Focusing on a swift planet-wide attack launched by a far more advanced alien species, H.G. Wells' 1897 literary classic concludes with nature saving the day due to the invaders lacking a sufficient immune system. While this works in the book due to the sheer intensity that pervades most of the story, Steven Spielberg's adaptation is more of a summer blockbuster than a dramatic account of humanity's final hours on Earth. As a consequence, the climax falls flat and comes across as a bit of a cop-out that makes the central characters feel inconsequential.

When good movies go bad, pointing out the exact moment that things turned south can be challenging. Not so in the "The Dark Knight Rises" - it came when it prematurely killed the main antagonist to introduce a far less compelling one. Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy is rarely anything other than great, but "The Dark Knight Rises" chaotic third act goes out with a relative whimper despite the dozens of on-screen explosions. In addition to unceremoniously axing Bane, the film’s attempt to tie up loose ends proved rather laughable. Apparently, the unrecognizable Bruce Wayne can fake his death and galavant around Europe with Selena Kyle. Also, Robin inherits the Batcave. Okay.

No, we are not stretching the definition of what constitutes a "good" movie. Temporarily ignoring the aliens leaving crop circles, "Signs" works surprisingly well as a character study about a family trying to deal with a personal tragedy. The extraterrestrials are mostly used as a means to mend Mel Gibson's estranged relationship with his children; alas, Shyamalan could not resist including a trademark twist - in this case, a laughable one. The aliens' only weaknesses are water and blunt weapons, which instantly turn these supposedly intimidating creatures into cartoon characters. This addition is made even worse due to the daughter's convenient quirk of randomly leaving glasses of water around the house.

In contrast with nearly every other film, "I Am Legend" is especially infuriating because the perfect ending was written, filmed, and edited; however, the movie went for a safer option. Based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, Will Smith's post-apocalyptic drama sees humanity on the verge of extinction due to a virus that gave rise to a new species. The theatrical edit sees the supposed hero discovering a cure, which went completely against the somber and fatalistic tone set by the initial two acts. The alternative ending flips the table on the protagonist, where as one of the the last surviving humans, he is actually the monster stalking Earth's dominant species.

Ironically, shutting off your brain is the only way to enjoy Luc Besson's flick about unlocking the mind's full potential. Following Scarlett Johansson as she’s injected with a drug that transforms her into a superhuman, "Lucy" is a ridiculous but fun revenge action-thriller that seemingly collapses under its own absurdity in the final act. Based on the premise that humans only use a fraction of the brain’s potential, the eponymous character becomes a nigh omnipotent being after unlocking 100% of her cerebral capacity. Eventually freed from the shackles of the mortal plane, Lucy gifts a USB containing life's true meaning to Morgan Freeman. In hindsight, is everyone sure "Lucy" was not meant to be a comedy?

Unless in the presence of a glowing rock, the Man of Steel is damn near unstoppable; filmmakers, however, should probably stop short of turning Superman into a time lord. Bolstered by a mesmerizing cast and Richard Donner's brilliant direction, "Superman" set the standard for superhero adaptations and, to this day, houses cinema's most iconic variants of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. Putting aside the titular character's heroic stunts, the film is a relatively grounded experience, which makes the ending all that more aggravating. Devastated by Lois' death, Superman flies against the Earth's rotation and reverses time, allowing the reporter to be saved. Hey, at least the science checks out… not.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.



“Kill List” (2011)





“The Game” (1997)

An underappreciated gem to many, Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg's android drama can only be enjoyed from start to finish by those with a serious sweet tooth. David is an android child created to love a human couple, who unceremoniously get rid of him when their biological child returns. "A.I." seems to reach its conclusion when David freezes underwater while begging to be turned into a real boy. However, an epilogue set 2000 years later sees David revived by advanced androids who allow him to spend one final day with a clone of his human mother. "A.I.'s" happy ending is overly sympathetic, rooted in wish fulfillment and thus dissatisfying in its sentimental ambiguity.