Science fiction movies offer audiences an escape from reality by pushing the boundaries of our imagination. Yet, some of these cinematic journeys take the concept of suspension of belief to an extreme. So many fantastic sci-fi movies have ventured far beyond anything the human brain can comprehend, and still managed to provide a satisfying conclusion to their stories. Yet sometimes, there are some sci-fi films that try a bit too hard to stick out from the bunch and introduce something new, but aren’t really sure what to do with it. The result is some pretty terrible endings in otherwise gripping films, with these 10 being the absolute worst.
War of the Worlds (2005)
War of The Worlds
- Release Date
- June 28, 2005
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Cast
- Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins, Rick Gonzalez
- Rating
- PG-13
- Main Genre
- Adventure
War of the Worlds has two quite significant things wrong with its ending. First and foremost, its plot is centered on a worldwide extraterrestrial invasion, in which loving father, Ray, finds himself in the middle of. Ray is tasked with the seemingly impossible – reuniting his children with their mother amid all the chaos. With the aliens murdering millions of people, it seems unlikely that Ray will manage to bring his family together again, and yet, he does exactly that at the end of the film.
If Ray’s family’s unlikely survival wasn’t ridiculous enough, the actual defeat of the aliens is a kick in the teeth. It’s heavily implied throughout that the aliens are extremely intelligent, with various technologies that far surpass anything on Earth. Yet despite all of their intelligence, they didn’t think to check whether Earth would actually be hospitable or not. After an epic invasion, they are stupidly killed off by Earth’s microbes. Stephen Spielberg has even admitted that he doesn’t believe the film has a good ending, as he struggled finding a way to satisfyingly bring it to a close.
Stream on Paramount+
Hulk (2003)
Hulk
- Release Date
- June 19, 2003
- Director
- Ang Lee
- Cast
- Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte, Paul Kersey
- Rating
- PG-13
- Main Genre
- Action
Luckily, Hulk isn’t a part of the ever-growing MCU’s canon. It was released at a time before the superhero craze, and it was evidently clear that studios had no clue where to clearly direct the character. However, in some respects, it was clear that director Ang Lee understood that Hulk is ultimately a tragic character, but it feels as though he wasn’t allowed to completely explore this darker side of him.
The result of this is some out-of-place humorous moments, that are made worse by the fact that they seem unintentional. It completely explores Bruce Banner’s twisted relationship with his father, David, who is also a genetic research scientist. Throughout its runtime, it attempts to be gritty, but this is completely ruined by the end. While facing off against a commander during his exile in the Amazon, Bruce tells him, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,” as he, and his frog friend, slowly turn green as the camera pans out. It was clearly supposed to feel like a legendary moment, but instead felt like it was straight out of a B-movie.
Rent on Apple TV
Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic World
- Release Date
- June 6, 2015
- Director
- Colin Trevorrow
- Cast
- Chris Pratt2, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Irrfan Khan, Nick Robinson
- Rating
- PG-13
- Main Genre
- Action
Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, it seemed as though Jurassic World would be a breath of fresh air for the franchise. For the most part, it was. Most notably, Jurassic World was significantly more action-packed than any of its predecessors, but also leaned more into the horror elements prevalent in the novels. Additionally, it also introduced the first genetic hybrid seen in the films, the Indominus Rex, changing the trajectory of the franchise’s core underlying themes.
However, it chucked all this away in its weak ending. After the Indominus Rex is defeated, the survivors are evacuated from the island in a helicopter. As they fly away, a T. Rex roars in the distance as the island and its dinosaurs are abandoned. If you think you’ve heard this story before, it’s because you have. It’s quite literally the ending of Jurassic Park, albeit an updated setting. Considering it was supposed to add more to the franchise, it felt as though most of what they had built felt like a waste until the eventual sequel.
Stream on Peacock
Passengers (2016)
Passengers
- Release Date
- December 21, 2016
- Director
- Morten Tyldum
- Cast
- Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt2
- Rating
- PG-13
- Main Genre
- Romance
Passengers takes place on the Avalon, a spacecraft headed to a new world for humans to inhabit as Earth has fallen victim to ecocide. After an asteroid hits the ship, it causes its system to fail, and one of the inhabitants, Jim, wakes up 90 years early. Feeling alone and miserable, he decides to wake up another inhabitant, Aurora, whom he has been creepily staring at in her hibernation pod.
The pair eventually fall in love, but of course, Aurora discovers the truth. This is when the film possibly could have benefited from a more sinister twist, perhaps with Aurora having to navigate her unfortunate fate alongside an unstable Jim. However, the pair end up together and live out their days on the ship, building a cabin and a farm. It’s an incredibly insulting and stupid ending, as the man still gets the girl despite ripping away her autonomy.
Stream on Starz
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Planet of the Apes
- Release Date
- July 25, 2001
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Cast
- Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Estella Warren
- Rating
- PG-13
- Main Genre
- Action
The original Planet of the Apes movie is known for its fantastic plot twist, which didn’t need to audibly explain anything to its audience to be effective. After spending the entirety of the film on what appears to be a faraway planet, it’s revealed at the end that they’re on Earth, as the main character, George, finds a half-buried Statue of Liberty. The 2001 remake attempts to end on a similar note, but instead looks like a cheap mimic.
Attempting to twist the original’s ending, the 2001 remake takes place on a separate planet, known as Ashlar. As in the original, apes rule this planet, and the main character, Leo, must escape back to Earth. However, Ashlar isn’t revealed to be Earth at any point, and Leo successfully returns home. After landing on Earth, he discovers that the Lincoln Memorial is now a statue of an ape, even though there’s no logical explanation for as to how the apes managed to take over Earth in the first place.
Stream on Starz
I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend
- Release Date
- December 12, 2007
- Director
- Francis Lawrence
- Cast
- Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, willow smith, Darrell Foster
- Rating
- PG-13
- Main Genre
- Drama
What makes the ending of I Am Legend even worse is the fact that there’s an alternate one that exists and is even better. Its story is loosely based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, and likely would have benefited from following its source material more. Dr. Robert Neville is immune to a virus that has turned the rest of humanity into bloodthirsty mutants, and he uses his spare time to develop a cure by experimenting on one of the infected. He encounters survivors Anna and Ethan, who are also immune to the virus. The pair is traveling to a survivor’s camp, but Neville is keen to develop his cure first.
It’s revealed that the mutant that Neville captured is actually the Alpha female, and the group wants her back. The trio locks themselves in the labs’ basement, but they are quickly surrounded. Learning that the cure works, Neville sends Anna and Ethan away with it before blowing up the lab, killing himself and the mutants in the process. Throughout the film, Neville is shown to crave humanity once more, which makes his sacrifice feel out of character. Instead, the alternate ending where he frees the Alpha female and decides to not pursue a cure is a more satisfying end, as he embraces his new world and finds a new way to feel like a human again.
Rent on Apple TV
The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is arguably the franchise’s most debated installment yet, and for good reason. While the new trilogy certainly has moments that fans will love, it never really felt as though it knew where it was going. After spending the previous two films building up the reveal of Rey’s heritage, it is finally revealed that she is the granddaughter of Palpatine. It doesn’t entirely add anything new to the plot, and results in an odd ending scene where Rey introduces herself as Rey Skywalker instead of owning her lineage.
First and foremost, calling herself a Skywalker doesn’t really make sense given her fractious relationship with Luke. It actually would have made more sense for her to own her Palpatine last name, which is as ridiculous as it sounds. Ultimately, Rey being a Palpatine was a completely stupid move to connect the franchise together, which in the end led to her basically becoming a nobody rather than someone who just saved the galaxy.
Stream on Disney+
A.I.: Artificial intelligence
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
- Release Date
- June 29, 2001
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Cast
- Haley Joel Osment, Frances O’Connor, Sam Robards, jake thomas, Jude Law, William Hurt
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 146
- Main Genre
- Adventure
Steven Spielberg’s weakest film, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, is set in a world where humanoid robots have been created to bring the world’s population back up. A prototype named David is placed with a family whose son has been placed in suspended animation, and he is able to give them the love that they need. However, David struggles with his parents not loving him back, and is desperate to become a living boy so that they don’t treat him differently.
As the film nears its end, it feels as though the credits could roll at numerous points. At one point, it seems as though the film is going to end on a darker note, with David desperately begging to become real despite as his power source runs out. This would have resulted in a heavy-hitting message about A.I. and robots, but instead it drags out even more, ending on a more sentimental note with David getting the love he has desperately craved. This goes against the story that Stanley Kubrick wanted to tell when he acquired the rights prior to his death, with its lack of bleakness feeling completely unoriginal and uninspired.
Stream on Fubo TV, MGM+ and Paramount+
Alien: Covenant (2017)
alien covenant
- Release Date
- May 9, 2017
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Cast
- Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
Following the release of films such as Alien vs. Predator, it never seemed as though the Alien franchise would ever be restored to its former glory. That’s why, when Ridley Scott’s Prometheus revealed itself as a prequel to the original films, fans were obviously keen to see what the direction the franchise would take. Initially, Alien: Covenant seemed like a dream come true, bringing back the horror of what made Alien so great, all while promising to tie itself directly to it.
Right when it seems as though the origin of the Xenomorph has been explained, it is made even more confusing by the film’s end. After successfully taking down David’s Praetomoprh, the survivors settle back into their stasis, and it’s revealed that David has assumed the identity of their android, Walter. Not only that, but he has two facehugger embryos with him headed for Origai-6. Of course, that means it now has to be explained how an engineer ended up with embryos on LV-426 in another sequel that won’t happen, all because it pined a little bit too hard to try and get one.
Stream on DIRECT TV
Lucy (2014)
Lucy
- Release Date
- July 25, 2014
- Director
- Luc Besson
- Cast
- Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi, Amr Waked, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pilou Asbæk
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Action
Based on the myth that humans only use 10% of their brains, Lucy follows a woman who gains psychokinetic abilities after absorbing a psychedelic drug. It’s definitely a unique film, and it’s cool to see how Lucy’s abilities evolve as she unlocks more of her brain. For example, she can extract information from other people’s minds, and also change her physical appearance at will. All of it feels a little too ridiculous, but it genuinely takes a turn for the worse at the end of the film.
Reaching 100% capacity, Lucy mentally embarks on a space-time journey, going all the way back to the beginning of time and The Big Bang. Once she’s done, she simply vanishes into thin air, transcending into a flash drive. It completely forgets its own logic that it has been working with the entire time, giving it one of the most anti-climatic endings in cinematic history.
Stream on HBO Max
