There are few things more disappointing than a bad ending in a movie. Then again, very few films are completely perfect, but some cinematic efforts go out of their way to end on a disappointing note. Still, moviegoers are generally able to forgive minor flaws if the overall experience that they have is a positive one. However, leaving the theater with a sour taste in their mouth is a fault that’s hard to shake off.
The science fiction genredemands great endings to maintain the audience’s suspension of disbelief.Many great science fiction films require the audience to learn about the extensive mythology and rules of the universe, which makes any tremendous leaps in logic more difficult to deal with. Unfortunately,these sci-fi movies have some of the most nonsensical endings in history, leaving a terrible impression on otherwise forgiving audiences.
10‘Moonraker’ (1979)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Moonrakeris an absolute anomalywithin the James Bond franchise, which was clearly made only to capitalize on the success ofStar Wars: Episode IV- A New Hopeat the box office only two years prior. Even though the eponymous novel byIan Flemingis one of the most thrilling and darkest installments in the series, the 1979 adaptation from directorLewis Gilbertmade the ridiculous decision to sendRoger Moore’s James Bond into outer space to stop a SPECTRE mission.
The incorporation of science fiction elements into the 007 franchise completely betrayed the intentions of the series. While there’s an element of superficiality to even the best Bond movies,Moonrakertrades out any sense of realism for a strange battle with space lasers. To make matters worse, the ending is not even exciting enough to warrant its existence, makingMoonrakerone of the worst installments in the franchise’s proud history.
9‘The Matrix Revolutions’ (2003)
Directed by Lana and Lily Wachowski
BothThe Matrix ReloadedandThe Matrix Revolutionswere very controversial among fans of the first film, asLanaandLily Wachowskichose to go in deeper with the philosophical and religious undertones of the story. WhileThe Matrix Reloadedintroduced interesting ideas about the Architect and his role in maintaining the balance between mankind and machines,The Matrix Revolutions' infamous endingkilled off almost all the main characters.
Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie Anne-Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) all lay down their lives to defeat Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). The ending ofThe Matrix Revolutionswasso confusing and unearned that it was essentially erasedin the subsequent film,The Matrix Resurrections. The 2021 sequel revealed that Neo and Trinity survived in a different iteration of the Matrix, albeit with their memories erased.
The Matrix Revolutions
8‘War of the Worlds’ (2005)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
War of the Worldswould have been one of the greatest science fiction films of all time if it wasn’t for its baffling final five minutes.Unlike previous adaptations of the beloved novel of the same name byH.W. Wells,Steven Spielberg’s 2005 remake ofWar of the Worldswas a direct parallel to domestic terrorism, a threat that felt all the more urgent in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.
However,War of the Worldsends with the aliens miraculously defeated with no explanationother than an expository voiceover byMorgan Freemanthat tries to tie up all the loose ends. In addition to contracting the more realistic tone that Spielberg had established, the ending’s overly saccharine approachmarks a sharp tonal contrast with what had been one of the revered director’s darker films.
War of The Worlds
7‘Southland Tales’ (2007)
Directed by Richard Kelly
Southland Talest required a tremendous amount of imagination on the part of writer/directorRichard Kelly, who cashed in on the success ofDonnie Darkoto create an absurd, hilarious, and occasionally brilliant science fiction satire of the Bush era. Although it contains perhapsthe greatest performance ofDwayne Johnson’s career,Southland Talesdefies logic in its final act when it attempts to explain its intersecting timelines.
Southland Taleswas unfortunately rushed to completionto make its debut at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, resulting in a project that felt largely unfinished. Thankfully, Kelly expanded on the different timelines in his prequel comic book series and the extended edition included in the film’s Blu-Ray release. Unfortunately, the legacy ofSouthland Tales’ disastrous reception may have landed it with the unfortunate reputation of being one of Hollywood’s biggest bombs ever.
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6‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (2008)
Some fans may think that consideringIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulla science fiction film is completely illogical. While the previous three installments in Steven Spielberg’s adventure series were homages to the film serials of the 1930s,Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullopts to be a tribute to 1950s B-movies, complete with aliens and Cold War influences.
AlthoughKingdom of the Crystal Skullhas many more redeeming momentsthan it’s often given credit for, it remains a puzzling entry in the series.Crystal Skullends by introducing extraterrestrial creatures from another dimension.An explanation for what these creatures are doing next is never offered; in fact, the subsequent film,Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, outright pretended that it didn’t exist and ignored the alien storyline altogether.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
5‘Total Recall’ (2012)
Directed by Len Wiseman
The originalTotal Recallfrom directorPaul Verhoevenis one of the best science fiction films of the 1990s andfeatured an interesting ambiguous endingsimilar to whatChristopher Nolandid withInception.Unfortunately, the 2012 remake ofTotal Recallby directorLen Wisemanfails to make a compelling case for either of its different interpretations.
The story ends with Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) waking up in an ambulance andwondering if everything that he experienced in the film was a dream. Quaid would obviously know if the entire revolution he started was a false memory, but there are too many coincidences to make it feel authentic in reality. The failure of theTotal Recallremake just goes to show how illogical it is to try and remake something that was already perfect to begin with.
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4‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ (2013)
Directed by J.J. Abrams
2009’sStar Trekintroduced an alternate “Kelvin Timeline” where the new versions of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) could go on new adventures without contradicting the events of the original series. However,Star Trek Into Darknessmade the baffling decision to cheat deathby establishing that the blood of Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) could be used to bring back Kirk from death.
This questionable choice opens a can of worms, as there’s no reason to believe that Khan’s blood couldn’t be used to subsequently save everyone’s life in theStar Trekuniverse. Alas, that convenience isn’t mentioned at all by any of the characters.Pine may have been a great version of Kirk, but he deserved better than the lazy writing ofStar Trek Into Darkness,which pulled way too willingly fromStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khaninstead of treading a unique path like its predecessor.
Star Trek Into Darkness
3‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerwas an absurd disaster that completely betrayed all the themes set up in the previous eight entries in theStar Warssaga.Star Wars: The Last Jedirevealed that Rey (Daisy Ridley) was born to “nobodies,” a daring and narratively intriguing choice that opened all kinds of questions about the Force. However, the final installment in the sequel trilogy retconned it by saying she was actually the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who had somehow revived himself in a clone body after his presumed death at the end ofStar Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi.
The film never takes the time to explain Palpatine’s cloning process, nor does itdelve into Palpatine’s wife and family. It also felt entirely unrealistic for Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) to easily take down the Knights of Ren, who had helped him seize Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) Jedi Academy in the first place.The ending feels lazy at best and nonsensical at worst, a true insult to long-time fans.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
2‘Wonder Woman 1984’ (2020)
Directed by Patty Jenkins
Wonder Woman 1984made the baffling decision to introduce the idea of “magical wishes” into the DC Universe, which created more contrivances and plot holes than anything else. At the end of the film, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) saves the world after millions choose to give up their wish at the same time, thus putting the reign of Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) to an end. Even in a film that is obviously very tongue-in-cheek,this sort of logical leap was too much to justify.
If this illogical fantasy element was not enough,Wonder Woman 1984does not do enough toexplain the resurrection of Steve Trevor, whose relationship with Wonder Woman is more creepy than it is romantic. Considering how drastically worseWonder Woman 1984was in quality compared to its predecessor, it’s not surprising that Gadot andPatty Jenkinswon’t be returning to make a third entry in the trilogy inJames Gunn’s upcoming reboot of the DC franchise.
Wonder Woman 1984
1‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' (2023)
Directed by Peyton Reed
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniais often cited as the film that kicked off the largerbacklash against the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s easy to see why. The film essentially focused almost its entire running time on introducing the new villain Kang (Jonathan Majors), who planned to conquer the Multiverse with his evil army. However, Kang is easily defeated by Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family after they destroy him using the multiversal power core.
It didn’t make sense for a fearsome villain like Kang to be defeated so easily,especially after the more intimidating version of the character was introduced in the Disney+ seriesLoki. It’s still unknown if the Kang storyline will continue, as drama in front of and behind the camera has complicated the character’s reputation among fans. Thus, the events ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaare almost completely superfluous.
