Top 28 WORST Movie Plot Twists of All Time

Top 28 WORST Movie Plot Twists of All Time

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re reluctantly looking at the plot twists that didn’t surprise us in a good way, and instead failed to deliver the results they hoped for. There will be major spoilers ahead… but don’t have your expectations set too high.

#28: The Aliens’ Undoing

“War of the Worlds” (2005)

Thanks to its heart-racing action and eerie commentary on post-9/11 America, Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds” could’ve been a future classic. Unfortunately, the movie’s loyalty to H.G. Wells’ novel turns out to be its biggest weakness, and that’s especially true of the confounding ending. After nearly two hours of aliens wreaking havoc, they’re ultimately defeated, but not by a human resurgence. Nope, the only thing these invaders didn’t count on was…the bacteria that’s lived within the Earth for millions of years? On top of being extremely anticlimactic, this is the kind of twist that can’t help but raise more questions. You’re telling us these hyper-intelligent beings could trek through the cosmos, but they couldn’t survive the common cold?

#27: Assange Denounces the Movie

“The Fifth Estate” (2013)

This 2013 bio-thriller tells the story of WikiLeaks and the dysfunctional partnership between Julian Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg.... sort of. The real-life Assange HATED this biopic, criticizing its reportedly inaccurate portrayal of him and the site. Near the end of the film, Assange is being interviewed, and he publicly denounces two upcoming movies about his website. He states that they are factually inaccurate. Was that the writer’s attempt at being meta by pointing out that this film may not be accurate itself? If so, it’s too little, too late. All this twist did was confirm the real Assange’s criticisms and make the rest of the film feel like a waste of time.

#26: The Real Killer

“Scream 3” (2000)

Wes Craven’s “Scream” films are still remembered fondly for their meta-commentary on the slasher genre. Then, everything changed when “Scream 3” hit the screens. It tried to act as a closer for the original trilogy, but had massive production issues that greatly affected the story. Arguably, the biggest sin of all was the plot twist; it expects us to believe that Roman Bridger –Sidney's half-brother and the fifth Ghostface killer- was the true mastermind behind the whole trilogy. While it sounds promising on paper, the sloppy execution damaged the first film’s legacy. It was no better than the slashers it skewered, and made the series’ timeline a convoluted roadmap.

#25: The Real Joker

“Joker: Folie a Deux” (2024)

The first “Joker” film shook us to the core as we watched Arthur Fleck tragically devolve into the clown prince of crime. The sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” did not get such acclaim. Along with being a mediocre jukebox musical, the film ends with Arthur renouncing his Joker persona, claiming it was all an act. Then, in the final scene, an inmate fatally stabs Arthur before carving a smile on his own face, cementing himself as the REAL Joker. Was this supposed to be the origin story for Heath Ledger’s Joker? If so, it was a disappointing take, especially at the cost of one of the most tragic and realistic portrayals of Batman’s archnemesis.

#24: Zurg’s Identity

“Lightyear” (2022)

Remember in “Toy Story 2” where they spoofed the iconic “Empire Strikes Back” twist by having Evil Emperor Zurg reveal himself as Buzz Lightyear’s father? It was hilarious, and it ended up being a better twist than the one we got years later in the spin-off film, “Lightyear”. It turns out that this version of Zurg is actually Buzz from 50 years in the future, having travelled through time and becoming obsessed with finishing the original mission no matter the cost. He adopted the name “Zurg” after his Zyclop minions kept mispronouncing his name. It’s a unique take on the “You’re your own worst enemy” trope, but it’s a pretty weak take on an established character.

#23: James Bond’s Brother

“Spectre” (2015)

Remember when the James Bond movies were self-contained and didn’t need to overcomplicate things with some multi-film connection? Apparently, “Spectre” forgot this when they included this convoluted twist. It turns out that the events of the rebooted series were all orchestrated by SPECTRE, with longtime foe Ernst Stavro Blofeld acting as the mastermind behind the recent catastrophes in Bond’s life. Not only that, but Blofeld is also revealed to be Bond’s half-brother. Even with the forced continuity with the previous films, the sudden familial connection added nothing to the narrative except to give Blofeld a reason to hate Bond. Seriously, was having them just be rivals not exciting enough? It worked just fine in the previous continuity.

#22: Martin’s Fantasy

“The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)” (2011)

Remember seeing the first “Human Centipede” and being rightfully disgusted by the excessive body horror? Don’t worry, because the sequel reminds us that it was just a movie.... a movie that inspires Martin Lomax to try his own experiment. For nearly 100 minutes, we’re forced to watch as this disturbed individual fulfills his twisted fantasy in the most disgusting ways possible. At the very end, it turns out it really was just a fantasy; the entire film was seemingly just one of Martin’s fantasies after rewatching the first movie. Should we be terrified at the idea that Martin might actually enact this horrific ploy, or annoyed that we endured all that for a “It was all a dream” cliche? Maybe both.

#21: What’s REALLY Beyond the Woods

“The Village” (2004)

For a time, M. Night Shyamalan seemed like the king of plot twists. “The Village” had a promising start, with the titular 19th-century village living in fear of the terrors that live beyond the forest. But in the final act, the plot completely disappears when it's revealed that the village is actually a traditionalist cult living in modern times. Their home is actually a facade to protect the townsfolk from the terrors of modern society, and the “monsters” are just people in costumes preventing them from leaving their fake community. So, instead of letting us have a fun period thriller, Shyamalan gave us a convoluted mess that only weakened his artistic credibility.

#20: Killer Ex

“The Girl on the Train” (2016)

Marketed as the next “Gone Girl”, “The Girl on the Train” was a whodunit thriller masquerading as a psychological drama, but unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype generated by the novel it was based on. It is a story about substance use disorder, obsession, and an untrustworthy narrator mixed up with a murder mystery. While that worked great on the page, the film adaptation does woefully little with these juicy themes. What it DID do however, was fail to make the telegraphed big reveal of the killer’s identity either surprising or satisfying for viewers. The only shocking twist was a literal one involving a corkscrew.

#19: The Good Guy Is the Bad Guy

“A Good Day to Die Hard” (2013)

Die Hard films are always good for a twist, usually in the villain’s plans. A solid twist is a surprise that you savor, something that adds to the plot. It should NOT however, leave you feeling duped - which is surely what both cinemagoers AND John McClane felt when it came time for this big reveal. Apparently the Russian whistleblower that he and his CIA agent son have been trying to protect is in fact the bad guy. It’s a convoluted plot, in which everyone seems to be corrupt, so it lacks any real weight to it. You can’t help but feel frustrated that McClane has been wasting his time, and by extension, so have you.

#18: Ghost Wife

“Safe Haven” (2013)

When Katie arrives in North Carolina, it seems she has big secrets. As she starts to fall for a widower named Alex and becomes friends with her neighbor Jo, we learn more and more about her, even suspecting that Katie is a murderer. But it turns out that she isn’t and her abusive drunk husband is just claiming that so he can have an excuse to look for her. So, is that this romance movie’s twist? NOPE. The twist is that Jo is actually the ghost of Alex’s dead wife and she has been making sure Katie is right for Alex throughout the whole film.

#17: It Was… Aliens?

“The Forgotten” (2004)

“The Forgotten” is a bizarre little sci-fi psychological thriller about a woman who is accused of making up her memories about her deceased son. She’s told she’s delusional, but ends up finding another victim whose memories of his daughter were erased. Learning that this is part of an experiment conducted by a mysterious group known only as “them”, they rush to escape mysterious agents, lights in the sky that blow roofs off, and imagery that is clearly UFO-related. We are dying to find out who is responsible, and the big twist is that this was an experiment to see if a parent-child bond can be broken. But by WHOM exactly and WHY? “Them”. Just… “Them”. The mystery is left unanswered and audiences... underwhelmed.

#16: Mandarin / Trevor Slattery

“Iron Man 3” (2013)

After he sanctions several terrorist attacks and blows up Iron Man’s house, audiences were really excited to see the Mandarin in the flesh. Until they actually did. You see, it turns out the evil Mandarin is just a drunk British actor named Trevor Slattery. And this actor is as surprised to find out about his terrorist persona as audiences were; since he had no idea such things were occurring in his name. As is later revealed, the Mandarin was a lie invented by Aldrich Killian to cover up the fact that his disability cure was kinda…blowing up veterans...and that he was the real terrorist.

#15: Ravings of a Castaway

“Life of Pi” (2012)

“Life of Pi” has another somewhat open-ended twist ending that had a better execution in novel-form than on screen. After his rescue, Pi recounts his unbelievable story of survival, which includes spending many months on a boat with a tiger and other exotic animals. He then hints that he may have invented all the fantastical elements and animals because the truth was too gruesome and depressing. We get the theme about storytelling and trusting your narrator, but after sitting through a beautiful visual spectacle, no one wants to be told it might’ve been imaginary.

#13: Just a Vision

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2” (2012)

After four arguably dismal movies, plenty of people were more than ready to see all the characters in “Twilight” brutally murdered. And that’s exactly what they got. Jasper, Jane, Caius, Marcus, Aro and others all get the chop in the final instalment of this romantic fantasy saga. Except, gotcha! Because the battle sequence was just a vision being shown to Aro of what would have happened if there was an epic and awesome battle. Since Aro decides not to wage war, the coolest scene in the franchise is made irrelevant.

#12: Doris Ain’t So Innocent

“Ouija” (2014)

Not to be confused with it’s infinitely superior prequel, “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” this 2014 film is pretty weak, even by modern horror standards - and the indifferent twist ending does not help. Trying to solve the mystery surrounding her house’s past, which involves a Ouija board, our heroine Laine attempts to free the spirit of a girl and stop the madness. Only at the end of the film however, after Laine has succeeded. Do we find out that the seemingly friendly ghost, Doris, was in fact the demonic one, and that the terrifying mother was trying to warn them. Okay… but substituting one creepy spirit for another doesn’t exactly make for a memorable ending.

#11: Mark Ruffalo’s Scheming

“Now You See Me” (2013)

For a film about tricks, this caper thriller sure didn’t know how to pull one off. A group of magicians is assembled by a secret leader. The plan? To rob insurance magnate Arthur Tressler. The only man who can stop them is FBI agent Dylan Rhodes, played by Mark Ruffalo. You know, the less angry half of the Hulk. Luckily for the magicians, though, he’s a bit of a moron. Except in reality, Dylan doesn’t want to stop the Four Horsemen. Why? Because he’s the guy that brought them together! So, we’re supposed to believe that this guy has been able to make his way up the FBI, all while acting like a moron?

#10: Mary Saves the Day

“Hancock” (2008)

While it starts out as an entertaining riff on the superhero genre, showing the consequences of the destruction so often left behind by caped crusaders, this film devolves into a weird origin story after the reveal that Mary is also a superhero. A twist that nobody really asked for, the audience is expected to believe that the wife of the random person Hancock saved and invited into his home is not only another superhero, but the only other remaining immortal of Hancock’s species. Oh, and she also used to be Hancock’s wife before he lost his memory. Talk about convenient storytelling.

#9: David Frames Himself

“The Life of David Gale” (2003)

David Gale, a former philosophy professor, has hit rock bottom in life and is on death row for assaulting and murdering a colleague. Journalist Bitsey Bloom looks into the case and realizes there’s a greater conspiracy at play. The victim and the supposed murderer had worked together to frame David for her murder to prove how ineffective the death penalty was. However, in one last head-scratching twist, it’s revealed that David was the true mastermind behind the scheme – orchestrating his own demise to abolish the death penalty. Instead of being a convincing argument against capital punishment, it’s a confusing goose chase that discredits everything that David and the victim fought to prove.

#8: A Member of The Eye

“Now You See Me 2” (2016)

Although a hit at the box office, moviegoers were not too pleased with the ridiculous twist at the end of the first film in this series. Planning to top its predecessor, “Now You See Me 2” reveals at the end that Morgan Freeman, among numerous other characters, was also a part of the secret magicians’ organization, The Eye, all along. Not only does this feel like a rehash of the surprise twist from the previous film, it also complicates Mark Ruffalo’s plans, as another surprise member of The Eye, to frame Freeman and put him in jail. Doesn’t this organization know who their members are? If they did, it’d probably be easier to avoid all that wrongful imprisonment.

#7: Just a Fear

“Savages” (2012)

After 90 minutes of gritty realism, it looked like this crime thriller’s climax would be realistic. After their shared girlfriend is kidnapped by a cartel, pot dealers Ben and Chon capture the cartel leader’s daughter. An exchange is organized but a shootout erupts. Several characters die. Ben is wounded and he, Chon and the girlfriend Ophelia all overdose to die together. Except that all this was just Ophelia’s fearful thoughts of what might happen. In actuality, the good guys live happily ever after. And for some reason, so does Lado… despite all the horrible things the cartel enforcer's done.

#6: The Origin of the Skulls

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008)

Fans were eagerly awaiting the return of the great adventurer Indiana Jones for years, but sadly, some felt that his comeback fell flat. The film was a huge box office hit, but many audience members and longtime fans balked at the twist ending. Although the Indiana Jones series never shied away from supernatural elements, the reveal that the mysterious psychic skull belonged to inter-dimensional alien archeologists left audiences more bemused than thrilled. Were aliens and UFOs too much for Indy? Or was everyone just annoyed at the atomic fridge sequence?

#5: Plant Attack

“The Happening” (2008)

This list wouldn’t be complete without some more M. Night Shyamalan Although meant to be a purposefully over-the-top B-movie idea, the explanation behind “The Happening” was still beyond laughable. After Mark Wahlberg hams it up as a science teacher, we are introduced to a world where people are taking their own lives in truly shocking ways. This is Shyamalan we’re talking about, so a twist was to be expected, but the bizarre and ultra-violent set pieces did not prepare us for this odd reveal: the Earth’s plants are rebelling against man and making us go crazy. Thanks a lot, Global Warming.

#4: Double Identity

“High Tension” (2005)

The aforementioned trend of split-personality twist-endings was nearing its end by 2005 and had overstayed its welcome. Great for thrillers when used properly, it’s not quite as effective in a slasher setting. Praised for its acting, design, and relentless pace, “High Tension” was beloved by many, however most audiences flipped out over the final reveal - and not in a good way. We are meant to believe that the big brutal hulking killer chasing little frail Marie is….Marie herself? Raising more questions than it answers, this confusing twist requires way too much suspension of disbelief to accept.

#3: Water, Water Everywhere

“Signs” (2002)

Here, we return to the king of the god-awful twist. In “Signs”, Mel Gibson and his family slowly realize aliens have landed. The tension is slowly, and masterfully, built up until one weakness is found. Water. Yes, water. You know, that thing that’s spattered all over the planet. That liquid that comes out of taps in everyone’s house. That naturally existing phenomenon that literally falls out of the sky. Are you kidding us? The aliens are supposed to have superior intelligence, right? Guess not…

#2: Tyler’s Fate

“Remember Me” (2010)

“Remember Me” is a film that, ironically, will be forgotten by history. It was billed as a romantic drama, which is partially why its twist ending felt so wrong. Near the very end of the movie, we find out Robert Pattinson’s character Tyler was actually the victim of a terrorist attack. In a ridiculous exposition shot, we see the character standing inside an office building shortly before it becomes the scene of an attack. Yes, apparently if you’re stuck trying to end a romance film, throwing in an international tragedy will do. Lazy writing at its most emotionally manipulative peak.

#1: Ape-raham Lincoln

“Planet of the Apes” (2001)

The original “Planet of the Apes” flick is considered a classic and one of the greatest films of the late ‘60s. So when Tim Burton took the reins for a reboot, he already had the foundation of a great film ready for him to slap his name on. Instead, the director took out what’s arguably the greatest twist in movie history and replaced it with… this. Needless to say, it pissed off fans, critics and pretty much everyone with eyes. If this is the best twist humanity can think of, we deserve to be overrun by apes. Seriously, how does this make any sense?

Which plot twist made you roll your eyes? Let us know in the comments.