18 Of The Most Disappointing Movie Endings Ever

The endings kind of ruined all the good in some of these films.

Liezel

• Published in Film & TV
• July 1, 2022

Many people think that the introduction of a movie matters a lot. After all, a good intro usually keeps viewers on their seats waiting for more.

But you know what's just as equally important? The ending.

A bad ending could leave a sour taste in the mouth of viewers even if the rest of the movie was pretty amazing and especially if you were really waiting for that film for so long. And by bad endings, we mean endings that fall flat, are anticlimatic, seem incomplete or rushed, or just plain disappointing.

These endings can feel like after all the work they've done, the creators of the film just ran out of juice and decided to just run with whatever they had at the moment with really no thought of improving on it.

Unfortunately, lousy movie endings aren't uncommon. Even some films that are considered great and that are made by renowned filmmakers can fall into this.

These include films by acclaimed directors like M. Night Shyamalan and James Cameron and there are even films that star A-list actors like Adam Sandler and Tom Cruise.

Want to know what movies have some of the worst endings? Keep reading to find out!

1. Titanic

Titanic is a beloved classic. But come on, we all know they could have both fit on that wood board or they could have still made a way to save them both.

2. Birdbox

The 2018 film starring Sandra Bullock was definitely a hit and we get why but the ending leaves us hanging and doesn't seem plausible at all.

First, she rows herself and the two kids down a rocky river blindfolded and then somehow manages to get them to the school for the blind. But, we don't really know what happens to them next and if they really are safe in that place.

And since there have been no announcements of a part 2, we just got to keep wondering.

3. La La Land

We know, we know. La La Land won six Oscars and the songs still get into our heads whenever we hear it but that ending was just painful! The creators totally made us invest in the love story, they got us rooting for the couple, and then they up separating the two in favor of their careers.

How is that not disappointing?

4. War of the Worlds

Sure, the film starring Tom Cruise got us at the edge of our seats but in the end, you'll just realize, it has absolutely no point. The planet doesn't even need saving since the aliens couldn't even survive a second on Earth and the protagonist's family all survives in the end so all is fine after all.

5. Lucy

We love this film for its story and, of course, because of the amazing Scarlett Johansson but after all her character goes through, she just ends up disappearing into thin air. And she manages to share all the secrets of the universe through one USB?

Yeah, that could have gone a little bit better.

6. Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky is a pretty entertaining film about a man whose world is turned upside down after an accident but the end just deserves so much better because of how boring it is. Hint: It's all just a dream (one of the cheapest ending methods to just finish it all off).

7. The Village

We really want to like this film but the deceit at the end of it just does it in.

8. Splice

This one is a bizarre film right from the start and sadly, the ending doesn't do it any favors. It ends with the scientist getting raped and impregnated by the creature she created and the weirdest part is she decides to keep the baby.

Why in the world?

9. Signs

Sadly, this is yet again another M. Night Shyamalan film with an ending that just doesn't work. For the same reason as War of the Worlds, the solution to getting rid of the trouble is just too simple like no thought was put into it at all.

10. Avengers: Infinity War

Okay, before anyone riots, it's not the movie ending itself that sucked. It was actually one of the best films that Marvel put out and was a crucial part of the franchise.

It had more to do with how early Marvel announced the next films after it. So while we knew that many of our favorite superheroes were dusted, they'll be back anyway so it just takes part of the comeback emotions away.

11. Uncut Gems

For more than two hours, this Netflix film starring Adam Sandler was a challenge to watch. Thankfully, they managed to make it entertaining.

What made it suck was how the main character just gets robbed and killed anyway in the end. What was the point of all his redeeming and all that?

12. Remember Me

You know what's a cheap kind of way to end a movie about two grieving strangers who fall in love? Having one of them die in the end.

You know how to make it kind of crass? Have them die in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The plot twist of this film just came out of nowhere and even if they did go by the dying twist, they could have done it any other way than for that easy emotional grab.

13. Click

The movie was actually pretty great and many people did enjoy it and the lesson it aimed to teach. Sadly, they just had to add in that "it was all a dream" ending.

They could have just left it at Michael dying and that would have been okay.

14. Knock Knock

For this film, it's not even just the ending. The overall film is just sick.

It's the tale of two women who plot against a happily married man and end up raping him and then setting it all up to look like he was degenerate. The worst part is that they get away with it.

It's just disappointing.

15. Savages

The concept of having three slacker pot dealers turning down an offer from a Mexican drug cartel is interesting. Sadly, it was again ruined by that "it was all just a dream" concept.

16. The Forgotten

The film actually has a pretty interesting concept. But it just gets bizarre when everything that's happened is attributed to aliens doing a social experiment.

It gets even weirder when the main character's memory is just erased and then everything goes back to normal when the aliens just go away without a reason.

17. The Devil Inside

This film is a fairly standard exorcism horror movie. The problem is that it doesn't have an ending at all.

Viewers are just directed to a website to find out what happened which is based on a true story. A decade later and then the website doesn't even exist anymore.

18. Jaws: The Revenge

This movie gives a bad name to all sharks. It's about a shark targeting a specific family just to get revenge.

It's not believable, especially not with the ending where the shark freaking roars. It's just plain ludicrous.

We know that making movies is hard and that there is a lot of pressure to make a film that ends on a great note. But if you've committed to one, you really have to commit to the process of it all and not slack in any of it.

That's how you make a truly great film, one that doesn't suck at the end. Do you know any other film that doesn't end too well?

Liezel