Everyone knows that feeling of watching a movie only for one scene to come along and totally ruin everything. While the rest of a given film might be artfully constructed, all it takes is a single moment–or series of moments–to bring the rest of the delicate edifice crashing down. No matter how good a movie might be, a poorly-written scene can leave a bad taste in the mouth of even the most generous viewer.
Thus, it’s not surprising that the users of Reddit have helpfully identified a number of scenes that have left them fuming and, in some cases, ruined the viewing experience.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Stream On Disney+
The X-Men are some of the most celebrated and famous superheroes, and they have appeared in a number of highly-regarded movies and TV series. However, even the most popular of these have been known to include scenes that have infuriated fans. Sauce07 was particularly outraged at the movie’s choice to kill off Cyclops, one of its best characters.
They state: “Killing Cyclops off screen in X-Men: The Last Stand, it absolutely ruined the rest of the dog s**t that followed.” Clearly, this particular scene did a great deal to mar the movie, souring what could have been a strong cinematic display.
Lincoln (2012)
Stream On Amazon Prime
2012's Lincoln takes its place as one of the better biopics, and much of that is due to both Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance and Steven Spielberg’s direction. It manages to highlight the most important moments in one of America’s most significant and well-respected presidents.
However, as EricthePooh states, the film errs in not ending the scene in which Lincoln departs for the theater. “It really should have cut to credits there,” they write. “Instead, we see the whole play scene, which while interesting, is not nearly as good of an ending. We all know what followed in real life. We shouldn't need to be spoonfed what happens.” It’s a reminder of how important it is for movies to know when to end.
I Care A Lot (2020)
Stream On Netflix
The figure of the antihero is one that has appeared frequently in various movies and TV shows, and one particularly disturbing example is I Care A Lot, in which Rosamund Pike’s Marla Grayson takes advantage of the elderly.
When she perishes at the end, the movie clearly intends for the viewer to see this is a bad thing. CountJohn12 takes issue with this strategy, writing: “It was legit played like I was supposed to be sad when she got shot at the end, I think she had it coming.” A lot of reviews of the film online seem to feel this way too, stating that the ending isn't sad at all.
The King’s Man (2021)
Stream On Hulu & HBO Max
From its first installment, the Kingsman franchise has shown that it has its own unique sensibility, able to breathe new life into the spy thriller genre. The most recent installment, The King’s Man, provides a valuable backstory to the organization, and it features notable performances from some of the finest British actors, including Ralph Fiennes.
However, it also features a particularly bizarre credits sequence, in which the viewer meets Adolf Hitler, who killed the Romanovs. God-Emperor-Ethan put their response this way: “ust the fact that they treat f***ing Adolf Hitler like he's Thanos or something was so unbelievably dumb but at the same time so funny to me.” It’s a reminder that not all movies need such a sequence.
I Am Legend (2007)
Stream On HBO Max
2007's I Am Legend is, despite some of its shortcomings, one of Will Smith’s best movies. He imbues his character with a great deal of gravitas and charisma, and the movie immerses the viewer in a perilous post-apocalyptic world. However, the ending is particularly controversial, as it ends with his character killing many of the vampires rather than making peace with them.
This was particularly galling to Lupinthe8th, who states: “I was so disappointed that they took the morally complex tale Richard Matheson wrote (the endings are different, but the original is still on theme with the book) and dumbed it down so much.” As is so often the case, what could have been a compelling ending was compromised by Hollywood’s crowd-pleasing attitude.
Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close (2011)
Stream On HBO Max
There’s no doubt that 9/11 was one of the most traumatic moments in American history, leaving a scar on the collective consciousness that many still struggle with. It is also the centerpiece of the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which follows a boy’s attempts to find closure regarding his father’s death in the attacks.
Many users took issue with the movie’s sentimental ending, with DrMathochist writing: “I was livid at the end of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. If you're going to make a naked attempt to turn a profit on people's traumatic grief, at least don't be so insipidly maudlin about it.”
The Big Short (2015)
Rent On Vudu
For the most part, Adam McKay is one of the most incisive directors working in Hollywood, and his movies often take an unflinching look at the mendacity of American society and politics. In The Big Short, he examines the causes of the financial crisis of the mid-2000s, and it paints its financiers as charismatic yet reprehensible villains.
The ending, in particular, is designed to leave the viewer feeling infuriated, as it shows how little action was taken to prevent another crisis. As RyzenRaider puts it: “To be clear, that's what the film was going for. I was not angry at the film, but angry alongside the film.”
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: The Crimes Of Grindelwald (2018)
Stream On HBO Max
The Harry Potter franchise is one of the most profitable in Hollywood, accruing enormous amounts of money and prestige. While Fantastic Beasts has struggled to attain quite the level of success as its predecessors. In part, this stems from some strange writing choices, with the ending in particular coming in for criticism.
Redditor Feryl12 thought it strained credulity that Credence was a secret Dumbledore, writing: “With everything we know about the Dumbledore family it's just not possible. And even if it was just a bluff it made me lose all interest in the Fantastic Beast movies.” It’s an idea that clearly worked better in theory than in execution.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
Stream On Disney+
The Star Wars movies are some of the most iconic in the history of Hollywood, and it was inevitable that the sequel trilogy would have a heavy lift to uphold the established legacy. While Rise of Skywalker hit some of the right notes, there were some key missteps and moments of retconning, as many Redditors picked up on. In particular, TimelessFool was perplexed by the scene in which Rey comes face-to-face with Palpatine.
They write: “Yet for some reason when the showed the large audience of Sith cultists when Rey confronted Palpatine, I nearly shouted in the theater, “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS!?” This moment shows how dangerous it can be to leave too much narrative information unexplained.
Godzilla (2014)
Rent On Apple TV
Godzilla is, of course, one of the most well-known monsters to have appeared in the movies, and his reappearance in the movie of the same name was, for the most part, well-regarded. However, Godzilla had its fair share of critics, particularly for the scene in which Bryan Cranston’s character Joe perishes.
UpYours3265 remarks: “Godzilla 2014 when they bait and switched Bryan Cranston as lead only to kill him if 5 minutes in.” It is, to be sure, an odd choice to use someone of Cranston's obvious stature and fame, only to barely use him in the movie.