Plot twists can make or break a movie. The good ones stand out for their ability to catch the audience off guard, but the bad ones simply leave an audience feeling robbed of their precious time. A decent twist warrants repeat viewings to try and seek out the subtle warning signs, whereas a bad plot twist causes a justifiable amount of resentment, forever tainting the memory and legacy of the movie.
To get through an entire movie only to find out that nothing was at it seemed can be a real treat when done right, but when a twist fails to pay off, it can feel like a slap in the face. Taking a look at the ones that tried but failed, here are 10 of the worst movie plot twists of the past decade.
And, needless to say, spoilers ahead!
Remember Me (2010)
The irony of the movie’s title isn't lost on us, because unfortunately, this isn't a movie that stands out in our memories. The movie revolves around a lovestruck couple played by Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin. Their rollercoaster relationship takes many twists and turns, but ultimately none of it matters because of what is revealed at the end of the movie.
Pattinson turns up at his father’s office, which just so happens to be in the World Trade Center, and it also happens to be 9/11. So after the entire dramatic love story, Pattinson simply dies.
Now You See Me (2013)
In Now You See Me, the audience is led to believe that the premise of this movie is that Mark Ruffalo’s character is the FBI agent trying to track down a group of thieving magicians.
However, the plot twist reveals that he’s actually the one orchestrating the whole thing. The entertainment value of this movie is high, but the plot twist here really opens up more holes in the plot than it adds to the quality of the movie.
Brave (2012)
Brave is one of the better Disney movies of the decade, which follows the Scottish princess Merida, an aspiring archer who defies her family’s customs. The twist of the movie comes when her unsuspecting mother gets magically turned into a bear. This turn of events really steals attention away from the charm and originality at the heart of Brave's story.
Glass (2019)
We loved Unbreakable, and then we loved Split. So surely bringing these two worlds together could only be a recipe for an incredible movie? Unfortunately not. Despite the stellar cast of Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sarah Paulson, not even M. Night Shyamalan’s brilliance could save this movie. Shyamalan is the king of the plot twist, but he sadly missed the mark with this one. In fact, there wasn’t just one twist, there were many, and viewers didn’t need any of them.
First, the audience finds out that David Dunn and Kevin Wendell Crumb's father were on the same train. Then it is revealed that Glass put them both on the train. Following that, it’s revealed that Sarah Paulson’s character, Dr. Ellie Staple, is part of an evil organization that has spent years killing and destroying evidence of superhumans. Too many twists and not enough payoff.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight was always going to be hard to follow, and Christopher Nolan made great strides here. However, the movie as a whole was overambitious and slightly manic. Far too much happens in this third installment–there are too many new faces, and too many twists.
The revelation first comes that Miranda Tate (played by Marion Cotillard) is actually the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul (Liam Neeson). Following that, fans find out that Bruce Wayne is alive and doing well with Selina, after being led to believe he was dead. It was frankly all too much for viewers to handle.
Savages (2012)
Fans of the book were not pleased with this movie, which revolves around drug dealers Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and the woman they both love (Blake Lively). Basically, nothing that actually happens in this movie matters, as it’s revealed that it was all played out in Blake Lively's character’s head. The film then presents an ending where everyone lives happily ever after, and who wants that as an end result?
Splice (2009)
In this sci-fi horror, Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody play genetic engineers who create a murderous hybrid creature. The twists come when we find out that the creature’s DNA came from Polley, and there’s also an unexpected pregnancy following a horrific rape scene. While it’s clear the movie was meant to shock its viewers, it felt like they tried too hard for very little reward.
Terminal (2018)
It’s hard to recall seeing Margot Robbie in a bad film, but it's safe to say that Terminal is not a career-defining role for the Oscar nominee. The weak storyline of the movie is only made worse by its plot twist, in which we discover that Margot Robbie’s character is actually twins.
The reason for this twist? The pair have been sharing an identity to get revenge on Mike Myers’ crime boss. This big reveal not only makes zero sense but also changes nothing.
Serenity (2019)
Audiences had high hopes for Serenity, considering the magic that’s previously been created between Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. The story follows a fisherman named Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) whose life is disrupted by his ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) when they hook up again and he negotiates a $10 million offer to kill her abusive husband. In the midst of this, the movie shoots sporadically to Dill’s son who is tapping away at his computer in his bedroom, with his violent stepfather trying to get in.
In one of the most insane twists ever, it turns out that the events of the movie are all happening inside a computer, as part of the video game design by Dill’s son to escape his abusive stepfather. We cannot say that we saw that one coming, nor that we wanted to.
Mother!
Few movies will have you screaming “What?!!” at your screen quite like Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! We’ll skip the synopsis of this movie as it’s pretty irrelevant once you’ve seen the ending. Essentially, the entire story is a retelling of the Bible and in a nutshell, Jennifer Lawrence plays Mother Nature, Javier Bardem’s character is God, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer are Adam and Eve.
There are some points to be gained here for originality, but if you sat through the movie to the end, you’ll be wishing for those two hours of your life back.