Writing a screenplay that will work from the start to finish isn’t always easy. And it doesn’t matter if the writer is working with an already established universe or creating an entirely new world. In both cases, it’s possible to make a mistake and come up with a plot twist that doesn’t quite work, or at least not as well as its creator would have liked it to work.
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While some movies are bad right from the start to the finish, others can be great, but it’s the underwhelming twist that ultimately brings their quality down. Though they can still be enjoyable for the audience in many cases, these films are not as great as they could have been.
10Grease (1978)
The 1978 musical Grease is now one of the classics, and for a good reason. It features some great, catchy songs, and is the ultimate summer love story flick. However, its ending takes away a part of the enjoyment. While the movie isn’t the most realistic story in the world, it still keeps in the realm of the real world — until the final scene in which Sandy and Danny fly away in a car.
The scene feels like something cut off from a different movie, and feels out of place. While it’s nice for the fans of the couple to see them get their happy ending, the movie could have showcased this in a more realistic way.
9Cabin In The Woods (2012)
Cabin In The Woods’final twist comes as a surprise, but it can also make the viewers angry. They’ve been cheering on the heroes for a while by the time the ending rolls around, and have wished for them to survive in the face of all adversity.
Just when it finally looks like everything could be alright, the heroes give up and the Earth is presumably destroyed. The message of the movie could therefore be taken to be that it doesn’t matter how hard people try, they’re going to lose in the end anyway.
8The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
While not as captivating asThe Dark Knight(2008) with Heath Ledger’s Joker, the final Batman movie in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy is still enjoyable and intelligent. The only plot twist that ruins the impression a little is the revelation that the so-called Miranda Tate, played by Marion Cotillard, is none other than Talia al Ghul who wants to avenge her father and is controlling Bane.
Talia’s character is very different in the movie from the comics, and she doesn’t come across anywhere near as dangerous or cunning as she does in the source material. What’s more, it’s easy to guess almost from the start that there’s more to “Miranda” than meets the eye, cheapening the twist.
7Brave (2012)
It seems that 2012 was a year of not-so-amazing plot twists in movies.Bravespends the better part of its runtime focusing on princess Merida and her fight for freedom. It later switches tracks and orients on Merida’s mother instead who has been transformed into a bear, and now Merida has to help her.
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The plot seems like something taken out of another story. As a result, the movie isn’t quite as coherent as it could have been had the curse twist never happened.
6Now You See Me (2013)
Some movies build such an intricate plot that they get lost in it in the end.Now You See Meis a fun flick about a group of magicians-slash-thieves and an FBI agent who’s trying to capture them. The movie keeps the audience hooked, because it’s intriguing to see what the team will come up with next. What’s more the actors all give excellent performances.
It later turns out, though, that the man who’s supposedly investigating the team has orchestrated everything they’re doing. This shocking plot twist raises more questions than it can answer, and leads to some obvious plot holes that are never addressed.
5It Follows (2014)
It Followsis another horror movie with a somewhat underwhelming plot twist, which suffers from the fact that the heroes don’t solve anything. Protagonist Jay is pursued by a mysterious walking entity that remains equally mysterious for the entire movie.
Even though it looks like Jay has managed to escape at the end, the final scene suggests that’s not the case and she will have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. Some horror movies take the time to establish more information about the monster, butIt Followsremains confusing to the end.
4Incredibles 2 (2017)
Incredibles 2is overall a fun superhero movie with some great moments, and a great follow-up to the original. Superhero Mr. Incredible tries to take care of his children and be a good dad, which is something he struggles with. By far the most amusing storyline is the one with baby Jack-Jack and his developing powers.
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Unfortunately, where the movie doesn’t score is the villain reveal. It has very few new characters, so it’s quite easy to guess at the identity of the person responsible for all the bad things. And their motivation isn’t anything surprising or creative either.
3Last Christmas (2019)
Emilia Clarke is still best-known for playing DaenerysTargaryen inGame of Thrones,but she has appeared in movies of various genres. Her foray into a Christmas romantic comedy left the audience divided on of the final twist. Throughout the whole movie, there’s never a single hint that it’s a fantasy story as it poses as a real-life rom-com.
Yet at the end, it’s revealed that Tom (Henry Golding), the young man Clarke’s heroine Kate fell for, is in fact, a ghost, and Kate can only see him because she received his heart as a transplant. This twist comes seemingly out of nowhere and it’s cringe-worthy when the viewers realize that the writers took the songLast Christmasand its lyrics way too literally.
2Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
Despite all its strengths, such as the amazing action scenes and interesting characters, the lastStar Warsmovie leaves a bitter taste in the viewers' mouths when it ends. The reason for this is simple. It takes almost three whole movies for the series to establish thatKylo Ren, or Ben Solo, really, isn’t beyond redemption.
Yet when Ben finally turns things around and he and Rey find their way to each other so that they wouldn’t have to be alone, Ben dies after sharing just one kiss with Rey. That seems like a wasted ending for the Skywalker family line.
1Black Widow (2021)
Black Widow’s solo movie finally came in 2021 — which was a few years too late,judging by its low box office gross. Despite that, the movie is an enjoyable, albeit forgettable story about Natasha bonding with her sister Yelena and saving other Black Widows from General Dreykov and the Red Room. In the end, Natasha has the chance to escape with her family but instead, she chooses to leave them behind and face secretary Ross who’s been trying to capture her.
While this might seem like a noble gesture, Natasha in fact has plenty of time to get away and doesn’t have to get captured in the first place, which spoils the twist a little. While it connects the movie to previous MCU stories, chronology-wise, there are other ways Black Widow could have concluded the story and still gotten Natasha where she needed to be.
