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23 Movies That Tried Really Hard To Have An Awesome, Twisty Conclusion But Ended Up Pissing Viewers Off Instead

"The whole thing made no sense."

Hannah Marder
by Hannah Marder

BuzzFeed Staff

Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community what movie climaxes and twists were really disappointing or anticlimactic. Here are some of the best responses!

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

1. In Million Dollar Baby, when Maggie became a quadriplegic.

Maggie hitting her head then in a hospital bed
Warner Bros. Pictures

"We could have had a female-Rocky franchise, but instead she is destroyed in the most absurd way possible. Unforced artificial tragedy after all that wonderful buildup."

—barbarianbabes

2. In Now You See Me, when Thaddeus realized Dylan had been behind everything.

Thaddeus, from his cell, says "you" to Dylan
Lionsgate

"I hate with a passion Now You See Me because the ending with the cop (Mark Ruffalo) actually being the one guiding them made no sense and seemed forced."

—thannia

3. In Last Christmas, when Kate realized that Tom was dead and he was the person she got a heart transplant from.

Kate asks who died, and the Realtor says the previous owner, "someone Webster"
Universal Pictures

"I actually love the movie Last Christmas, but the twist ending was pretty obvious from the get-go. I knew that they were building to the big reveal at the end, but I just kinda hoped that maybe I was wrong and there'd be a happy ending, but nope. Just a gut punch in an otherwise fun movie."

—Michael David

4. In The Little Things, when it was revealed that Deacon bought the barrette he sent Baxter instead of actually finding it among Sparma's things.

Deacon looks at the barrette pack (with one missing) before he throws it in the fire
Warner Bros. Pictures

"I know it's a new movie, but it's fresh on my mind. I sat through that slow movie with these talented actors for the ending to come to such a...flaccid conclusion. If you can call it a conclusion."

—scvaughner

5. In Promising Young Woman, when Al killed Cassie.

Al after suffocating Cassie
Focus Features, Universal Pictures

"I HATED the end of Promising Young Woman. It went from this great feminist revenge fantasy to saying that the only way for her to get revenge is for her to suffer and die. I hate it so much. And as someone who HAS been a victim, I found it so insulting."

—Megan Hash

6. In Us, when it turned out Red and Adelaide had switched places, and her son somehow knew (??).

Red puts on Adelaide's shirt as kids, then Red's son looks at her suspiciously at the end
Universal Pictures

"The plot twist had no backing and undermined Lupita Nyong’o’s performance. I couldn’t tell if we were supposed to know that her kid knew she was a tether before."

—ajeverything

7. In Sixteen Candles, when Jake showed up to be with Sam.

Jake waves at Sam, who looks confused, so Jake says "Yeah, you"
Universal Pictures

"We all knew that Sam wouldn’t get with Farmer Ted because he was such a creep, and since it’s an '80s teen film, she gets the guy she wants in the end. Nonetheless, I love this movie, but its plot is just too basic and predictable."

—dracomalfoyandhamilton

8. In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, when the assumed-dead Wade Wilson/Deadpool returned as the mutant killer Weapon XI.

Wolverine looking shocked to see Deadpool alive and scarred with no mouth
20th Century Fox

"When they introduced Deadpool as a mutilated toy from Toy Story."

—stylishpenguin64

9. In Antebellum, when Veronica escaped the plantation, only to discover she had actually been in a Civil War reenactment park.

Veronica races by war reenactors and out of the park, seeing a sign that calls it "Antebellum, Louisiana's premier Civil War reenactment park"
Lionsgate Films

"I started watching it, waiting for it to get better, but it never did. There didn't seem to be any kind of narrative framework to it; events just kind of happened. And then when it turned out the people were being tortured by people doing an elaborate form of cosplay? WTF? Really? The whole thing made no sense."

—TMar_Of_Vulcan

10. In Glass, when actual superhuman David Dunn was killed in a puddle.

David's head being pushed in a puddle
Universal Pictures

"After the decades of waiting for the classic conclusion to M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable and Split, all we saw was Bruce Willis die over a fucking puddle. WTF even was that?"

—afsanahoque2000

11. In Frozen, when Hans turned out to be the bad guy instead of Anna's true love.

Hans goes to kiss Anna, then stops, saying, "Oh, Anna. If only there were someone out there who loved you"
Disney

"Let’s all be honest and say that Frozen had the most obvious twist ever. Kristoff was obviously going to be the romantic interest, so Hans filled no apparent role in the movie. He was either gonna turn on Anna or was going to be a nothing character. Disney films are like crime shows — if there’s a character with a big role that isn’t playing a big part of the story, they’re probably dodgy AF."

—Artemis978

12. And in Frozen 2, when Elsa's mom appeared and revealed that Elsa was the fifth spirit.

Elsa hears her mother sing and tell her that "you are the one you've been waiting for"
Disney

"I literally cannot. First of all, Elsa learned NOTHING from the first movie. She pushed Anna away, AGAIN! Second of all, it was disappointing that the voice is her mother and Elsa was a fifth spirit. We should've gotten something like Anna having powers or maybe Anna and Kristoff's kid having powers, or something like that. Frozen 2 disappointed me in the plot, and that's why I like Frozen better."

—viribavi

13. In The Village, when it turned out it was modern times and the "monsters" were just members of the village.

Ivy escapes the fence and a man in a truck sees her
Buena Vista Pictures

"The ending didn't even make me mad or groan. I just quietly went, 'What?' in realizing it just annihilated the excitement."

—dsw62

14. In The Notebook, when it turned out the old couple were Noah and Allie, and then they died together.

Noah and Allie lying together in bed and dying holding hands
New Line Cinema

"They had a beautiful life together and died peacefully in their sleep at a ripe old age. I thought it was supposed to be a sad ending."

—sarahs402d05f80

15. In Toy Story 4, when Woody decided to leave all his friends to stay with Bo Peep.

Woody and Bo watching as the other toys leave
Pixar

"The end of Toy Story 4 was shocking for all the wrong reasons. Woody's choice to stay behind at the end of the movie is completely out of character and ruins his evolution throughout the entire well-planned series. I have to omit Toy Story 4 from my memory because Woody's identity is shaped around giving love to others (particularly his kid and his family of toys), not selfishly running off for an adventure. Pixar ruined the character they helped us learn to love."

—hiitsnicetomeetyou

16. In Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, when it was revealed that Rey was a Palpatine.

Kylo tells Rey she's a Palpatine
Lucasfilm

"That movie was all meaningless plot twists and death fakeouts, and no substance."

—Femkat

"Luke deserved better, and Rey being related to Palpatine? We as fans deserved better."

—mattblot84

17. In Wonder Woman, when Sir Patrick was revealed to be Ares.

Diana says "Sir Patrick?" and he says, "You were right, Diana. They don't deserve our help"
Warner Bros. Pictures

"The point was that war was multifaceted and that Diana couldn’t just find one source to fight, and then Ares shows up at the end?????? It completely disregarded the message that it built up just for a bad action sequence."

—morganelle18

18. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, when Voldemort died from his skin flaking off.

Harry watches as Voldemort flakes away
Warner Bros. Pictures

"The choice to have Voldemort turn into ash was ludicrous and a huge letdown. It didn't allow for any catharsis or climax to happen for a journey we had been following FOR A DECADE. In the books, he dies like a regular man; the stillness and lifelessness of his body is a poignant moment for all the children and parents he terrorized."

—0102FIFO

"Voldemort was supposed to die like a 'normal' man; that was the entire point of destroying the Horcruxes (you know, pretty much the entire plot of the last book?). The flaking/fading effect was not at all what should have happened, and I remember being really disappointed when I saw it in theaters."

—salveteomnes

19. In Gone Girl, when Amy returned and told Nick she was pregnant.

Amy walks toward Nick and they hug
20th Century Fox

"Someone should have died or just left — anything other than just being pregnant and staying together in fear of each other."

—Taradactyl8

20. In Split, when the Beast was revealed.

The Beast behind bars
Universal Pictures

"The ending of Split was a letdown. The whole movie had such a buildup, and then they just turn him into a cannibal monster? It was a letdown and felt like a cop-out and a stretch. So disappointing, especially since the rest of the movie was so good!"

—sugaaaaa

21. In Remember Me, when it was revealed to be Sept. 11 and that Tyler was at the Twin Towers.

A teacher writes "Tuesday September 11, 2001" on the blackboard, and Teddy stares out the window, revealing he's at the World Trade Center
Summit Entertainment

"I legit walked out of the theater when they pulled back and showed the towers. It was an unnecessary use of a national tragedy that still had (and HAS) thousands of living victims. To use it as the 'twist' in a crappy rom-drama was, frankly, disgusting."

—Draco

22. In The Goonies, when Rosalita discovered Mikey's marble bag filled with gems, meaning the Goonies didn't have to move.

The kids look at the jewels, and Mikey tells his dad they don't have to leave the boondocks
Warner Bros. Pictures

"All they did was break a real estate development that would’ve netted their parents out more than their homes were worth. If they scored that rich stuff, they all would’ve moved anyway!"

—Bradley Albert

23. And finally, in Hide and Seek, when David finds out he's Charlie:

David, now completely Charlie, tells Emily "Daddy's gone now"
20th Century Fox

"Twenty minutes in, I knew exactly how it was going to play out. Robert De Niro had a 'split personality' he wasn't aware of, who ended up being a psychopath. It was dull, dreary, and predictable."

—Thomas Lloyd

"Personally, I had a problem with the 'split personality' thing because of how such plots misinform people about dissociative identity disorder."

—rooftopstorage

What other movie twists and climaxes just fell flat for you? Let us know in the comments!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.