Top 10 Worst Final Scenes in Movies
#10: Goodbye Grizabella
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“Cats” (2019) If you can sit through all of the “Cats” movie, you’ll reach the strange ending where Grizabella ascends into the sky. You might receive a few answers, but you’ll definitely be scratching your head at questionable visuals. The last scene also has Macavity losing out on his trip to the Heaviside Layer, while Veronica is finally invited into the Jellicles’ circle. It’s all complete nonsense that lands with a big thud at the conclusion of this adaptation. Unless you’re an apologist for the original show, the ending sequence might have you questioning your own sanity. This and an endless final number only make everything seem like a bad fever dream.
#9: Rhino Cliffhanger
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014) Through all of its high and low points, the ending of this sequel leaves audiences with an ineffective cliffhanger. The movie ultimately makes the confusing decision to have Paul Giamatti go full Rhino just before the credits. As if the original antagonist Electro isn’t enough, the filmmakers include this new villain for almost no reason. It seems especially useless given the fact that Garfield’s Spider-Man never got another solo film. Instead of setting up an interesting adventure for the future, the last scene feels like it’s all style and no substance. It also ends up being a huge waste of Giamatti’s talents.
#8: I’m the Protagonist
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“Tenet” (2020) Among Christopher Nolan’s most divisive films, “Tenet” features a trippy story about time travel. The ending shows the Protagonist one-upping his associate by telling her that a future version of himself is the real mastermind. The sound mixing might make this much harder to hear on top of trying to believe it. Unless you’re completely understanding the movie’s rules, this will only raise more questions than answers. It’s also a large chunk of exposition that doesn’t feel as cinematic as earlier scenes. Nolan’s ambitions to create a complex story are commendable, but they’re also bogged down by the cold plot instead of having any emotional resonance.
#7: What Did We Learn
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“Burn After Reading” (2008) There’s a lot to enjoy about this dark comedy, including several fun performances from stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The chaotic story wraps up with a scene at the CIA where officials talk about the entire case. It stops the movie dead in its tracks, only to finish out the plot through a dialog-heavy sequence. Not only that, the men recapping everything don’t have any profound answers to the previous events. The surviving characters don’t face much in the way of consequences and the authorities are no closer to understanding anything. You could say that the filmmakers intended for it to be anti-climactic, but that doesn’t make it any less cumbersome.
#6: Return of the Outbreak
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“The Happening” (2008) M. Night Shyamalan’s film did not receive positive reviews for its tale of a freak event that inspires people to harm themselves. While many people disliked the overall movie, the ending itself still boggles minds to this day. The toxin that seems to change people stops working and life moves on for several months. As the Moore family enjoy themselves, events in France hint that the world hasn’t shaken the plant-based threat. Avoiding any serious answers, the explanation for “The Happening” starting, stopping, and starting again remains mysterious. Shyamalan then uses the conclusion to toy with the audience once more rather than offering a satisfying close.
#5: Evolution
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“Lucy” (2014) Scarlett Johansson spends the bulk of “Lucy” developing superpowers after absorbing a mysterious drug. By the end, she develops the ability to transcend space-time and her own human form. It’s a bit far-fetched for a movie that’s already absurd to start. In the case of the final scene, Lucy says that she’s “everywhere” and turns into some kind of advanced entity. This kind of reveal is a love-it-or-hate-it scenario, scaring off viewers with its ridiculous cop-out. Confounding the central antagonist, the lead character’s disappearance might be one of the most out-there endings ever put to film.
#4: The Future
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“A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (2001) With David underwater, many thought the robot boy in “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” would stay there forever. Steven Spielberg instead chooses to jump into the future in an ending that’s ultimately unnecessary. The hero finds himself meeting evolved Mecha-beings that give him one last vision of his mother. Choosing fantasy over a more open-ended conclusion, Spielberg received pushback for this fairytale finish. It’s definitely one that wishes to give the main character a happy send-off rather than giving audiences something more challenging. While the filmmaker defends his choice, the actual finale feels too sentimental for its own good.
#3: Reintroduction
“The Forgotten” (2004) After a shocking twist, “The Forgotten” struggles to finish out its mystery with any believability. Julianne Moore’s Telly Paretta learns that she’s been the subject of a military and alien experiment. Paretta is then expected to live on with this information, finding herself at a park where other characters have had their memories wiped. She introduces herself to them again as the curtain closes on this bizarre ride. The calm ending is completely at odds with the rollercoaster of the previous minutes. Moore’s performance tries to reel in the strange writing of this awkward scene, but nothing can quite save this moment from feeling like a bait and switch.
#2: Website
“The Devil Inside” (2012) In the history of horror endings, “The Devil Inside” might be the lamest of them all. The film finishes on a cliffhanger that plays for shock value. A flurry of violence happens at the climax of this disaster, including a possession that leads to a car accident. The ultimate fates of the Rossi family aren’t entirely clear either. Not only that, the filmmakers really throw the audience for a loop with one final surprise. The credits include a title card telling viewers to learn more at a website. Avoiding any real resolution, the plot ends like an advertisement rather than a proper movie.
#1: Lincoln Memorial
“Planet of the Apes” (2001) Let’s be clear, this remake of the sci-fi classic has already received tons of criticism for its execution. There are a number of choices that add up to this being ineffective including the ending. For the last scene, Tim Burton sends his hero back to Earth. The nod to the first film involves changing monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial to ape-looking figures. It’s a goofy remix of the original version that’s more comedic than shocking. In the same vein, the twist doesn’t feel all that satisfying with these final moments. The set design attempts to sell this as a profound surprise, but doesn’t do much to reinvent this lackluster interpretation of the 1968 movie.
