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.
Now that I’m in a bad mood about how some intriguing movies have been ruined, here are some of the worst plot twists in movie history.
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 Pattinson’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 Blofeld.
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 Trek Into Darkness
Just like we were told that Waltz is totally not playing Blofeld, the lead-up to Star Trek Into Darkness kept reminding us that Benedict Cumberbatch is totally not playing Khan.
Then comes the movie’s big twist/reveal where John Harrison, Cumberbatch’s character, is actually…Kahn! Wow!
It’s not like the best Star Trek movie is literally called Wrath of Kahn. Oh wait, it is. Kahn is such an important character to the franchise; why make his appearance in film a big mystery?
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 Rise 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.
The Forgotten
Speaking of aliens, can we agree that having them be the big twist in a thriller movie feels, well, cheap?
Picture this: you’re on the edge of your seat in 2004 as you’re watching Julianne Moore trying to figure out why no one remembers the existence of her son. There are so many plausible theories and explanations, but nope, it’s just aliens and mind erasure.
Ocean’s Twelve
If you’re looking for a smart, clever film series, look no further than the Ocean’s movies. Ocean’s Eleven is an excellent remake that’s a blast from start to finish, and Ocean’s Thirteen is far better than it has any right to be.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for Ocean’s Twelve, and one of the biggest reasons is the reveal that the planned heist had already happened (seems familiar), and there’s a lot of handwaving to avoid the gang from all having to go to prison.
Lightyear
I still don’t know why we needed the Lightyear movie to be a thing, nor did we need it presented as the inspiration behind the toy. The entire premise, especially with someone besides Tim Allen playing Buzz, feels weird.
It’s an average film (that likely had the iconic theme placed on it in an attempt to salvage the movie) that is made worse by so many poor decisions, such as the idea of making Zurg an older Buzz Lightyear. He’s supposed to be his dad; remember the “twist” from Toy Story 2?
The Happening
It’s M. Night Shyamalan, so you already know there’s a big twist coming.
I remember the marketing hype for this film touting it as Shyamalan’s “first rated-R movie.” If that’s how you’re selling me on it, then I already know it’s doomed. Sure enough, it was a critical failure. Let’s talk about the twist quickly:
Plants are fighting back against humans through an airborne toxin that makes people kill themselves. Don’t worry, though, because the outbreak will end as quickly as it began.
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