A successful plot twist can elevate a good movie to something great. A bad one, however, can do the opposite.
Don’t get me wrong; I love plot twists. They make subsequent viewings of a movie that much more enjoyable when I try to pick up all the hints the story left for me. A bad one, however, ruins even the most intriguing movies.
The Village
When it comes to movie twists, the first name that comes to mind is arguably M. Night Shyamalan. The Sixth Sense remains an incredible thriller to this day, thanks in part to its twist ending.
However, not every Shyamalan film has a successful twist, and many point to The Village, which isn’t taking place in the 19th century but instead in an isolated, closed off village during the present day, as the twist that tested everyone’s patience.
Hancock
The idea of a superhero movie featuring a reckless superhero hated by his city enticed viewers to the box office in the summer of 2008.
However, Hancock takes a sharp left turn in its story after the plot twist reveals that Hancock, along with Charlize Theron’s character, is actually a member of an ancient culture known as gods, throwing out any goodwill the movie had.
I Am Legend
Speaking of Will Smith movies, I Am Legend takes a sharp turn from its source material.
The original graphic novel reveals that the protagonist is the real monster, with the infected vampire-like creatures coming off as sympathetic in the end. The film, however, makes Smith’s character’s sacrifices when fighting in the infected is the “legend” of the story as an attempt to save humanity. This Hollywood ending throws the original story’s message out like trash.
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Iron Man 3
Motion Pictures.
Following the anticipated release of the original Avengers movie, Iron Man 3 had some pretty big shoes to fill. The inclusion of The Mandarin as the potential villain was a good start.
Only…Ben Kingsley’s character isn’t The Mandarin. It’s just some random twist to deflect viewers away from the real antagonists of the film.
Remember Me
I can’t tell you the plot premise for Remember Me, but I do know that it has nothing to do with September 11.
Then why is Robert Pattison’s character revealed to be at the World Trade Center on 9/11? I feel like the only reason this twist exists is to add shock value to the movie’s ending.
Passengers
This one has more to do with the movie’s marketing campaign than the actual twist because the idea isn’t that bad.
On the surface, Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence seem to have an innocent enough love story based on the unfortunate circumstances that have them alone traveling through space. In reality, though, Pratt’s character is a monster, and the film has more in common with a horror movie than anything else. It’s a shame no one came in expecting that.
Spectre
Throughout Spectre‘s entire development and marketing cycle, we were told countless times that Christoph Waltz is not playing Blofield.
Only, surprise: he’s been Blofield the entire time! It’s a case of studios trying to impress audiences with a plot twist that didn’t need to happen. They should have just said Waltz was Blofield from the start; the movie was called Spectre!
And then you make him Bond’s brother? What were we doing here?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Is it really a twist if the “twist” happens before the movie begins? It’s my list, so I say yes.
The storyline through the Star Wars sequel trilogy is interconnected, so I’d argue that the return of Palpatine is indeed a plot twist, but it’s an incredibly lame one that ruined Rose of Skywalker before it even began.
Now You See Me
You can deliver an entertaining heist flick where magicians are the thieves without having to add on anything else.
That didn’t stop 2013’s Now You See Me from tacking on a major twist at the end. It turns out that the FBI agent investigating the magicians is the mastermind behind the robberies!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise isn’t a terrible movie for most of its runtime; it’s good, mindless popcorn action, and I’ll stand by that.
Its ending, though, featuring aliens of all things, is where you lose me.
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