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Home / Entertainment

The worst movie endings of all time

By Duncan Lay
news.com.au·
17 Nov, 2017 09:48 PM5 mins to read

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Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the ending that died. Photo / Getty Images

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the ending that died. Photo / Getty Images

So what is the worst movie ending of all time?

By this, we aren't talking about the truly bad movies, where just getting to the end is a blessed relief.

No, the criteria here is for good movies, where you were enjoying the action right up to the moment when a huge dog egg in the final few minutes ruined your enjoyment, reports News.com.au.

Tell us what you think. Vote in our online poll and also suggest what movie most left you disappointed at its hideous ending in our comments section below.

No country for old men

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Don't you just hate it when the movie is brilliant but then the ending completely spoils it for you? And what the hell was going on with this ending?

Josh Brolin's character Moss gets killed off-screen, his wife gets killed off screen, Javier Bardem's brilliant killer gets hit by a car and then Tommy Lee Jones gives us some weird philosophising over coffee. It's like enjoying a delicious apple, only to discover half a worm in the last bite.

Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men. A brilliant movie but bizarre ending. Photo / Supplied
Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men. A brilliant movie but bizarre ending. Photo / Supplied

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

The actual ending with Frodo going into the West was perfectly done but why the hell did they write out the Scouring Of The Shire?

'Lord of the Rings: Return of the King'. Photo / Supplied
'Lord of the Rings: Return of the King'. Photo / Supplied

The hobbits return to find everything as it was and nobody even cares about their suffering? That sequence was a brilliant coda to the battles, showing that nobody and nowhere is unaffected by war. It was just disappointing.

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Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull

What can we say about this ending? Incredulity is piled on top of ridiculousness to give us 13 aliens who are revived by the said crystal skull.

Cate Blanchett and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Photo / Supplied
Cate Blanchett and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Photo / Supplied

When Cate Blanchett, rocking a shocking haircut, demands they give her all the knowledge she needs to rule the world, they somehow turn into one giant alien, melt her mind and disappear into some sort of inter-dimensional rift, taking with them all the credibility poor Indiana Jones had amassed.

War of the worlds

Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins hide from the hideousness of the ending. Photo / News Corp Australia
Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins hide from the hideousness of the ending. Photo / News Corp Australia

Another really good movie let down by a strange ending. The downfall of the aliens due to the microbes and germs in our air is fair enough and straight out of the book.

But how did Tom Cruise's son make it out of that battle and back to Boston ahead of him?

And how come a major city was left intact when the aliens were destroying even small towns?

Up until then, we had seen the aliens sucking up humans and using them as fertiliser. This ending was a load of fertiliser and it sucked.

Hulk

Eric Bana was a great Hulk. The ending was a steaming bulk. Photo / Getty Images
Eric Bana was a great Hulk. The ending was a steaming bulk. Photo / Getty Images

This almost failed to make the cut, because huge parts of this movie are a drag. Yet it was a huge hit and Eric Bana was brilliant in it. So it could have gone either way.

You were hoping for a great finish to redeem it and make it all worthwhile. Instead, the mixed-up ending was so bizarre, you went home wishing giant attack poodles would attack and out you out of your misery.

To be fair, Bana's last line: "You wouldn't want to see me angry", is a great homage to the original TV series. But it's too little, way too late.

Matrix revolutions

Keanu Reeves in Warner Bros. Pictures' 'The Matrix Revolutions'. Photo / Supplied
Keanu Reeves in Warner Bros. Pictures' 'The Matrix Revolutions'. Photo / Supplied

The first movie was brilliant, with a stunning ending. The second movie had a strange cliffhanger ending - but the third movie's ending was just bizarre. So Trinity and Neo die but some strange little girl who's really a piece of computer coding gets to live in the Matrix?

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Is that supposed to make us happy?

And the machines effectively win, as another form of the Matrix gets to be created. I wish I'd taken the other pill and forgotten all about movies two and three.

Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Photo / Supplied
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Photo / Supplied

There is so much to love about this movie but why, oh why do we have to end on dancing Ewoks? This was supposed to be the culmination of a battle between good and evil, that affected the lives of billions of people across the galaxy.

And we get fat teddy bears drumming on Stormtrooper helmets and dancing like the awkward uncle at a hideous family reunion.

George Lucas tried to add some gravitas in later DVD editions - and then ruined that by photoshopping Hayden Christensen in as Anakin Skywalker.

X-Men: The last stand

The concept of Wolverine being forced to kill the woman he loves - Jean Grey - to save the world was a great one. But the ending was all wonky. First it goes from day to night in the blink of an eye and then the battle is just ridiculous.

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And don't get me started on Magneto losing his power and then regaining it. Like a powerless Magneto, this ending sank like a lead balloon.

Star Trek: Into darkness

Alice Eve is Carol and Chris Pine is Kirk. The ending is missing. Photo / Supplied
Alice Eve is Carol and Chris Pine is Kirk. The ending is missing. Photo / Supplied

The original Khan movie had Spock sacrificing himself to save his friends but being resurrected in another movie, thanks to the genesis program that Khan wanted to get his grubby paws on.

This one decided to kill Captain Kirk instead - what a twist! - but then brought him back to life with an injection of Khan's blood. So it managed to cheapen the gesture and remove all tension. Beam me up another ending, Scotty!

Titanic

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the ending that died. Photo / Getty Images
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the ending that died. Photo / Getty Images

Leaving aside the fact that Kate Winslet admitted there was room for Jack on their makeshift raft and he didn't need to die, why on earth did she throw the priceless necklace into the ocean?

For love? Only a filthy rich person could appreciate that. She could have found Jack's (presumably numerous) poor relations and saved them all from poverty with that kind of cash. That sunk me.

Originally published as The worst movie endings of all time

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