Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
There is nothing worse than a bad or unsatisfactory ending to a movie... and we have a hell of a lot over the years.
The only thing that could make matters even worse, is when the ending ruins a perfectly good or promising film.
We take a look at the movies that had some questionable and downright rubbish endings. BEWARE SPOILERS.
- Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I am a huge Indiana Jones fan and I was excited to see Harrison Ford put on his fedora once again back in 2008.
Indiana Jones has always been packed with ancient artifacts and stories as well as bad guys on the hunt because they think it will allow them to rule the world or live forever - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull follows in those footsteps.
This is until we got to the end. How was events in the movie explained... aliens!!!! Yes aliens.
Now I am all for artifacts such as the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant having strange and unknown powers, but the artifact being the missing head of an alien is just ridiculous.
As if that wasn't enough, the aliens then all left in their big and shiny spaceship. What a disappointment.
- X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men has always been a franchise that has been action packed as well as a lot of fun since it hit the big screen in 2000.
X-Men: The Last Stand was the third film in the series and saw Brett Ratner take over the director's chair.
Sadly, from start to finish this is a movie that is a little all over the place and does not live up to the fantastic X2.
The movie ends with the X-Men going head to head with Mangeto's forces... and it is a massacre. We have major characters dead while others have been stripped of their powers... in short it is a right royal mess.
However, Bryan Singer has hinted that he may put some of this right with new film X-Men: Days of Future Past, hooray!!!!
- Signs
It was back in 2002 that M. Night Shyamalan returned to the director's chair with Signs: a movie that saw him work with Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix.
The movie follows the Hess family as they find a series of crop circles in their cornfield. It soon becomes clear that this is not a local practical joke, and there is something more sinister at work.
Signs is a movie that does explore themes of faith and family, but in the end, it is about repelling an alien invasion.
And what is the solution to the problem? Water. The aliens are defeated by a glass of water. Could they not have come up with something a little more exciting and dramatic than that?
In one swoop, Shyamalan destroys all of the tension, and you are left feeling a little cheated.
- Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi was the final film in the original trilogy, and hit the big screen back in 1983.
The movie is the climax to the trilogy as the Rebels face off against the Death Star and her forces one last time. Luke Skywalker also has the task of defeating The Emperor and bringing his father back from the dark side.
First and foremost, to end a movie with a group of partying Ewoks is somewhat disappointing - it all just gets a little soppy for my taste.
However, the recent change to the end that I have the most problem with. Originally, Luke sees the spirits of ObiWan, Yoda and his aged father.
For some utterly bizarre reason it is now Hayden Christensen's Anakin that appears at the end - a version of the man that Luke neither knows or has ever met. Odd!!!!
- War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds was released back in 2005, as Steve Spielberg but his spin on the 1953 classic.
I have to say, the 1953 classic is a bit of an anti-climax when the alien invasion fails because of the viruses and bacteria on Earth.
Anyway, the end to this film is even more frustrating. The earth has been taking a pummelling and people have been being killed and dropping down dead left, right and centre.
When Ray (Tom Cruise) reaches the house of his stepparents, everyone is just fine and dandy. Not only is the whole clan alive and perfectly well, they all look like they have been sunning themselves in the back garden rather being than caught up in an alien invasion.
Even Ray's son Robbie is alive - he ran into an alien firefight. This light and rather upbeat end does really go against the darker tone throughout the rest of the film.
- The Cabin In The Woods
I am not a big horror movie fan; I think they are all a waste of time that never really live up to their promise.
However, The Cabin In The Woods was being touted one of the best horror flicks in many a year, so thought I would check it out.
The first hour of the film is quite tense as the teenagers are being picked off one by one, while they are creepily being watched from some mystery control room.
All is fine up to this point. It all turns out that every year these 'rituals' commence to appease the 'Ancient Ones' that are living beneath the earth.
As if that was bizarre and ridiculous enough, Sigourney Weaver strangely pops up to explain all this.
It is almost as if the team behind the film didn't know how to end this movie, so they came up with the most ridiculous thing possible.
- Titanic
Titanic is one of the most successful films to have ever been released; it is just one of two films to gross over $2 billion at the global box office.
The movie made mega stars of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as they play Jack & Rose: strangers who meet and fall in love on Titanic's fateful maiden voyage.
I do like Titanic, but it really should have ended with the elderly Rose dying in her sleep - although Cameron does state on the DVD that he leaves the end up to individual interpretation.
Anyway, that is where it should have ended: Rose telling her story before returning the Heart of the Ocean jewel back to the sea.
Instead, we have to suffer that sickly reunion between Jack and Rose in front of all those that died on the ship that fateful night.
Other movie endings that leave a lot to be desired include I Am Legend - nothing like the book - The Village, The Forgotten and Knowing.