A good ending can really make a big difference in a movie. the final note that it leaves audiences with can sometimes be the deciding factor in whether a movie is worthwhile or not. In fact, there are some movies that are perhaps not great for most of the runtime only for those final moments to really elevate the whole thing.
The users at Reddit have highlighted some of those rather average movies that were saved by a memorable conclusion. In some cases, this was the result of an effective twist ending, a crowd-pleasing moment, or just a resolution that helped the `rest of the movie feel more fulfilling as a whole.
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003)
After James Cameron stepped away from the Terminator franchise, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines attempted to keep things going with this story of a T-800 protecting an adult John Connor as he attempts to stop Judgement Day from happening.
The movie was largely seen as a step down for the franchise and missed Cameron's filmmaking talents. However, the ending in which John fails to save the world is memorably bleak. One Redditor appreciated the message of "Doomsday cannot be stopped, you just postponed it."
Primal Fear (1996)
Edward Norton made a stunning movie debut in the legal thriller Primal Fear as a young man with a dissociative identity disorder who is accused of murder. Richard Gere is the lawyer attempting to save this man he sees as a victim unaware of the crime he committed.
Reddit Scottyflamingo described the movie as "such a typical legal thriller" but pointed to Norton's performance and the ending as "epic." After being found not guilty, Norton's character reveals he was lying the whole time and was aware of his cold-blooded crime.
Identity (2003)
The mystery ensemble Identity was an early project from James Mangold and stars the likes of John Cusack and Ray Liotta. It focuses on a group of strangers who find themselves stranded in a motel during a storm. When they each begin being killed off one by one, they must find out which of them is the killer.
The rather controversial twist ending of the movie reveals that the characters are not actually real but the various personalities of one man with the killer personality attempting to gain full control. One Redditor found that many of the characters' baffling decisions "made sense from the twist perspective."
Godzilla (2014)
The Monsterverse kicked off with this remake of Godzilla which found the legendary monster fighting alongside the humans as other ancient creatures rise to take over the world. However, the movie's decision to keep Godzilla hidden for much of the story didn't sit well with all fans.
Some found the build-up to be quite disappointing and took up too much of the overall movie. However, the finale delivered plenty of monster action and Redditor OriginalWerePlatypus described the ending as "everything I bought the ticket for."
Life (2017)
Despite a cast that included the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds, Life was a sci-fi thriller that came and went without much attention. It follows a group of astronauts who discover a life form in space capable of rapid evolution and threatens the extinction of Earth.
Fairly standard sci-fi fare leads to the ending where one of the survivors makes it to Earth in an escape pod only for the pod to open and reveal the alien lifeform has taken over. Along with "a good menacing soundtrack," one Redditor found the unhappy ending made up for the rest.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Rogue One was the first spinoff within the Star Wars universe and told the story of the brave Rebel soldiers who helped steal the plans for the original Death Star. But the movie also saved some big crowd-pleasing moments for the end.
The movie concludes as it leads directly into the events of A New Hope while also delivering an exhilarating scene in which Darth Vader shows his terrifying skills in combat. One Redditor says they were "bored" with the movie until the epic moment when Vader joins the fight.
The Mist (2007)
Based on a Stephen King story, The Mist centers around a thick mist that descends on a small town with deadly monsters lurking within the fog. A group of survivors gather in a local grocery store as tension mounts among them.
The movie's infamous ending finds the main character executing the other heroes to spare them from the monsters only for the military to arrive, thus making their deaths unnecessary. Though monster movie aspects were fine, Redditor JavierLoustaunau concluded "but the ending is magnificent."
Death Proof (2007)
Quentin Tarantino has made some of the most exciting and popular movies of all time, but his movie Death Proof did not strike a chord with everyone. The throwback horror movie stars Kurt Russell as a serial killer who uses his souped-up car to prey on women.
There were some who felt that much of the movie lacked Tarantino's signature energetic style. Redditor Luciferian56 even went so far as to describe it as "pretty dull." However, they also admitted the final car chase sequence made up for that.
Jurassic World (2015)
The return to the Jurassic Park franchise was an exciting prospect for many fans, especially since Jurassic World would explore the park being finally opened to the public. It stars Chris Pratt as the park's raptor trainer who must save the day when the experimental new dinosaur gets loose.
Despite becoming a huge box office hit, many fans felt the movie lacked the magic of the original story. However, though Redditor houinator wasn't impressed with the overall thing, they found the final battle between the Indominus Rex and the original T-Rex "nearly justifies the rest of the movie."
Split (2016)
The horror thriller Split is another movie that deals with a character with a dissociative identity disorder. James McAvoy stars as a man who kidnaps a group of young women as his deadly personality known as The Beast threatens to take over.
What seems like a grounded thriller gradually becomes something bigger until the final moments when it is revealed the movie is actually a sequel to M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable. In response to the ending, Redditor endlightend simply describes it as "pure delight."