14 Movies With Ruinous Endings That Never Should’ve Left the Writer’s Room

'Collateral' is one honorable mention.

Mustafa Gatollari - Author
By

Published Aug. 26 2024, 1:07 p.m. ET

Movies With Endings That Ruined Them
Source: Overture Films

Movies With Endings That Ruined Them

Movies With Endings That Ruined Them
Source: Dreamworks

Just like a relationship that starts off great only to end up with disgusting arguments rife with accusations and insults about one another's worst insecurities, movies with terrible finales can really leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.

Here are some otherwise fantastic movies that just couldn't stick the landing.

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'The Circle'

the circle bad movie ending
Source: STXFilms

It seems that there were a lot of people who felt the flick's ending threw audiences for a loop. At the onset of the film, they thought they were watching a movie with a staunch anti-surveillance and pro-privacy message. But the "complete 180" ending made it feel like all of the set up earlier in the flick was for naught. Watch: Netflix.

'Downsizing'

downsizing
Source: Paramount Pictures

The Matt Damon-led sci-fi flick featured an intriguing premise. And anyone struggling with high costs of living can sympathize with the idea of shrinking yourself to afford a better life. But some thought that the movie's love story was "forced," mucking up the script and not fully realizing the movie's potential off the interesting concept. Watch: YouTube (Paid).

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'How It Ends'

how it ends
Source: Netflix

The end-of-the-world flick is a heartrending concept: a man and his father in law travel across the country during a cataclysmic event so he can return to his pregnant wife. Some viewers though it was ironic that a movie called How it Ends has an open-ending finale. Watch: Netflix.

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'I Am Legend'

i am legend terrible ending
Source: Warner Bros.

The ending of the film eviscerates the title of the flick, which is based on a groundbreaking 1954 book. Production's decision to listen to test audience and shirk the flick's original ending is considered one of the biggest blockbuster blunders in Hollywood. Watch: Vix.

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'My Sister's Keeper'

my sisters keeper movie ending
Source: Warner Bros.

Fans of the book thought that its ending was earned, poignant, and wrapped the narrative up in a satisfying way. But some who watched the movie thought that it ended "like approximately 700 other Lifetime movies." Watch: Max.

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'1408'

Embedded Image
Source: The Weinstein Company

Depending on which version of the movie fans saw, they got a different ending. There are apparently four different endings of the flick, but the ones fans seemed to like the most is when Mike manages to evacuate the hotel and his wife hears the recording of their daughter on a cassette recording that survived the fire. Apparently, this was the original theatrical ending of the movie, which was changed for DVD/Blu Ray release. Watch: Hulu (Premium Subscription).

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'The Secret Village'

secret village
Source: SD Digital Creation

The 2013 film provides a lot of twists and turns for a reporter investigating ergot, a fungus that keeps poisoning folks in the town. Throughout the flick, they unravel more and more secrets in the village, including a strange possible paranormal occurrence. But then, the ending seems to just throw all of that in the trash. Watch: Roku.

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'Passengers'

passengers
Source: Sony Pictures

The 2016 film starred Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, who were both some of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. While it's certainly not considered a bad film and the two actually bust out some great performances, this re-cut of the movie makes it so much better. Watch: Amazon Prime Video.

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'Hancock'

hancock
Source: Sony Pictures

The biggest criticism folks seem to have with the Will Smith superhero flick is that it feels like two separate flicks stitched together. The film's love story angle simply feels tacked on. Watch: Prime Video (Paid).

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'A Simple Favor'

a simple favor
Source: Lionsgate

Another film that users said had an incongruous third act — one Reddit user said that the majority of the movie felt like it was the flick Gone Girl. Then, the last bit felt like all of the characters' motivations changed completely, leaving viewers with a straight-to-DVD comedy vibe. Watch: Netflix.

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'City of Angels'

city of angels
Source: Warner Bros.

One Reddit user was so miffed at the movie's ending that they wanted to throw their TV set out of a window. SPOILER alert: Nicolas Cage is an angel who gives up being an angel so he can be human and live with Meg Ryan. Then she dies. Watch: Amazon (paid).

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'Pay it Forward'

pay it forward
Source: Warner Bros.

The "out of the blue" tearjerker ending was a gut punch for viewers. If you haven't seen the film, Haley Joel Osment's character is brutally stabbed and killed after trying to protect his friend from getting bullied. Watch: Amazon (paid).

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'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'

jurassic fallen kingdom
Source: Universal Pictures

While there are probably a lot of folks who will argue that the movies should've just stopped after Jurassic Park, there was still a chance for the second Chris Pratt-led Jurassic franchise to have a fantastic ending. One Redditor thought if the girl didn't set the dinos free at the end to send a strong message that we can't expect to save everything, as Mother Nature doesn't make mistakes, it would've been better than her pressing that button. Watch: Amazon Prime.

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'Law Abiding Citizen'

law abiding citizen
Source: Overture Films

The most gratifying part of the flick is Gerard Butler's character is three steps ahead of everyone as he systematically dismantles the United States justice system while highlighting how flawed it is. Fans of the film certainly wanted to see Butler's character win, forcing everyone to actually make change in the way criminal prosecutions are conducted. Watch: Hulu (paid).

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