This article contains major spoilers for multiple movies.
A movie's end should bring a sense of closure, and leave audiences feeling satisfied. While a good ending shouldn't be entirely predictable (some of the best movies have had surprising conclusions), it should certainly match what came before it. Sometimes, however, an ending will miss the mark. It might try to be too clever or come as such a huge surprise that it doesn't provide any satisfaction for the audience, or leaves them wanting more.
A great movie will make sure that the audience gets attached to its characters. As such, the ending should fit their journey, but they may surprise viewers in an unpleasant way. These bad endings sometimes sacrifice previously established goodwill in favor of an unearned surprise. Others go too far and shatter the audience's suspension of disbelief.
Updated by Fawzia Khan on March 12th, 2024: Watching a movie requires interest, patience, and investment from the audience, which is why it can be jarring when a movie can't stick its landing. There are plenty of movies that captivated viewers with a fantastic story and engrossing characters, but had endings that just didn't match the story. This list has been updated with new formatting and information about the same.
10 Movie Trilogies That Actually Stick The Landing
Creating a satisfying ending to a story can be hard. Creating a great ending to a trilogy is nearly impossible. These movies pulled it off.25 Grease Suddenly Had Surreal Elements At the End
Grease
Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
- Director
- Randal Kleiser
- Release Date
- June 16, 1978
- Cast
- Olivia Newton-John , John Travolta , Stockard Channing , Jeff Conaway
- Runtime
- 1 hour 50 minutes
- Main Genre
- Musical
IMDb Rating |
7.2 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
66% |
Metacritic Score |
70 |
The summer romance between exchange student Sandy and roguish greaser Danny is iconic for many reasons, but many elements were questionable especially Sandy's transformation at the end of Grease. After spending the entire movie as a demure good girl, it was quite unexpected to see her suddenly flip and become a provocative greaser herself.
Many viewers found this makeover demeaning, but the clincher was the final sequence. The end saw Danny and Sandy getting into a car, which literally flew into the sunset, after which the movie ended. Since there had been no hints of surrealism in the movie beforehand, this was a weird touch. This rushed and nonsensical ending has left audiences scratching their heads to date.
24 Remember Me Went From Love Story to 9/11 Movie
Remember Me
A romantic drama centered on two new lovers: Tyler, whose parents have split in the wake of his brother's suicide, and Ally, who lives each day to the fullest since witnessing her mother's murder.
- Director
- Allen Coulter
- Release Date
- March 1, 2010
- Cast
- Robert Pattinson , Emilie de Ravin , Chris Cooper , Lena Olin
- Runtime
- 1 hour 53 minutes
- Main Genre
- Romance
IMDb Rating |
7.1 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
26% |
Metacritic Score |
40 |
Largely a coming-of-age movie, Remember Me was sweet and relatable, but only up till its end. Tyler and Ally's budding relationship and Caroline's bullying problems were elements of an evocative young adult movie, and their story was building up in a tender direction before the writers blew it up for shock value.
The movie strayed in the wrong direction in the final moments when Caroline's teacher wrote out the date -- Tuesday, September 11, 2001 -- on the blackboard, and Tyler was seen sitting in his father's office in the World Trade Center. This sudden change in course threw audiences off greatly, for many reasons. Using a national tragedy as a plot twist didn't sit well with many viewers and critics, and they felt misled by what the movie had promised to be. The earlier buildup was also totally wasted.
23 The Grey Didn't Commit To A Conclusion
The Grey
After their plane crashes in Alaska, six oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.
- Director
- Joe Carnahan
- Release Date
- January 27, 2012
- Cast
- Liam Neeson , Dermot Mulroney , Frank Grillo
- Writers
- Joe Carnahan , Ian Mackenzie Jeffers
- Runtime
- 1 Hour 57 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Action
- Production Company
- Open Road Films (II), Inferno Distribution, LD Entertainment
IMDb Rating |
6.7 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
80% |
Metacritic Score |
64 |
10 Most Underrated 00s Movie Heroes
Lisbeth Salander of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Enid Coleslaw are just two of the great, underrated heroes of 2000s cinema.Liam Neeson's John Ottway led The Grey, a survivalist movie that enthralled audiences with its premise, but had little payoff in the finale. After a plane crash, Ottway, a known survivalist and expert on grey wolves, leads the group of victims away from the lethal animals so thst they don't get attacked.
Towards the end, a shocking plot twist emerges — Ottway has led the survivors right into the mouth of the wolves, instead of the opposite direction. This made little sense since the protagonist was supposed to be an expert. Even so, audiences were prepared for a tense and action-filled fight between Ottway and the wolves, but it ended rather anticlimactically with the animal and human lunging at each other, which faded to black. The post-credits scene added even more confusion, as it showed both the Alpha wolf and Ottway in the aftermath of the battle, alive but only barely.
22 Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (2001)
In 2029, an Air Force astronaut crash-lands on a mysterious planet where evolved, talking apes dominate a race of primitive humans.
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Release Date
- July 27, 2001
- Cast
- Mark Wahlberg , Helena Bonham Carter , Tim Roth
- Writers
- Pierre Boulle , William Broyles Jr. , Lawrence Konner
- Runtime
- 2 Hours
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Production Company
- Twentieth Century Fox, The Zanuck Company, Tim Burton Productions
IMDb Rating |
5.7 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
44% |
Metacritic Score |
50 |
Tim Burton’s remake of Planet of the Apes was a visually beautiful movie, and his apes were compelling with their unique personalities. Unfortunately, the ambiguous ending of the movie detracted from the rest of the good parts. After escaping Ashlar and traveling through time again, Leo ended up back on Earth, except everything was not as it seemed.
Instead of the Lincoln Memorial as Leo had expected, stood a statue of General Thade, the commander of the ape forces. The connection between the crashing of Oberon on another planet and Earth becoming ape-dominated was not established clearly making for a confusing ending. Thade had already been defeated in the future, so him ruling Earth in the past didn't make sense, and no real explanation was provided in the movie.
21 Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Was Not Faithful to the Book
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two
Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.
- Director
- David Yates
- Release Date
- July 15, 2011
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Ralph Fiennes , Helena Bonham Carter , Jason Isaacs , Alan Rickman , Maggie Smith , Tom Felton , Warwick Davis , Julie Walters , Robbie Coltrane
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Main Genre
- Adventure
- prequel(s)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
IMDb Rating |
8.1 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
96% |
Metacritic Score |
85 |
The final installment of the Harry Potter series was highly anticipated, especially to see how Voldemort and Harry's saga ended. With rich source material, it was expected to be a faithful recreation. However, for the sake of visual excitement and drama, there were some changes made to the final scenes.
Voldemort disintegrated into ash instead of being a normal dead body, which was the entire point of his death -- that he was just a mere mortal like everyone else. Harry broke the Elder Wand and threw it into nothingness, which went against what happened in the book, too. Moreover, the convoluted flying fight scene between Voldemort and Harry before the final fight only served to disappoint fans. These took away from the meaningfulness of the conclusion of the series, cheapening it with gimmicks.
20 Law Abiding Citizen Should Have Let Clyde Win
IMDb Rating |
7.4 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
26% |
Metacritic Score |
34 |
Law Abiding Citizen 2 Could Become the Next Saw
A sequel for Law Abiding Citizen could create a revenge-driven, thought-provoking and sociopolitical franchise, making it the next Saw.Law Abiding Citizen isn't a bad film, but it holds itself back by refusing to let Clyde win. Clyde's journey toward revenge for his family's death is compelling. He's interesting even before he meets Nick Rice, who tries to reason with Clyde. Understandably, Clyde finds it difficult to take advice from the man who has caused most of his problems.
Law Abiding Citizen is a rare film that needs a dark ending. Everything it does sets up Clyde's ultimate victory and his achieving his revenge at all costs. Instead, the ending sees Clyde fall for an obvious trap laid by Rice, which made little sense. It's not satisfying, not an effective twist, and not a good way to handle either character.
19 No Country For Old Men Ended With a Disjointed Monologue
No Country for Old Men
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
- Director
- Ethan Coen , Joel Coen
- Release Date
- November 9, 2007
- Studio
- Miramax Films
- Cast
- Tommy Lee Jones , Javier Bardem , Josh Brolin
- Writers
- Joel Coen , Ethan Coen , Cormac McCarthy
- Runtime
- 122 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
IMDb Rating |
8.2 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
93% |
Metacritic Score |
92 |
The tale of the hunter who chances upon money from a drug deal, and the killer who chases him makes for a compelling watch, but No Country for Old Men loses its touch by the end. Many viewers consider the film a great watch until its closing monologue. For most of its runtime, the film closely follows Chigurh and Llewelyn's story. They're both compelling; Anton Chigurh is mesmerizing and Llewelyn is resourceful and likable. The film invites the viewer to connect with its characters.
However, near No Country's end, Chigurh kills Llewelyn entirely off-screen. The story then wraps up Anton Chigurh's narrative with a random car crash and closes out with a monologue. Despite a solid setup packed with chills and thrills, the film sort of peters out. Nothing feels resolved in this ending, which was sad because the rest of the movie was so good.
18 Thor: Ragnarok Sacrificed Its Ending For Continuity in the MCU
Thor: Ragnarok
Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
- Director
- Taika Waititi
- Release Date
- November 3, 2017
- Studio
- Marvel Studios
- Cast
- Chris Hemsworth , Tessa Thompson , Tom Hiddleston , Mark Ruffalo , Jeff Goldblum , Cate Blanchett , Idris Elba , Karl Urban
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Franchise
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
IMDb Rating |
7.9 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
93% |
Metacritic Score |
74 |
The unique nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe allows it to change its films' endings. Most MCU movies lead into at least one other film, but few do so as directly as Thor: Ragnarok. The final scene of the film sees the defeat of Hela, but also the destruction of Asgard as they knew it.
It leads directly into the opening of Avengers: Infinity War. Unfortunately, it does so at its own expense.Thor: Ragnarok shows Thor, Loki, and their allies struggling to protect the people of Asgard. At great cost, they manage to evacuate the population. It's a hard-fought, heroic, and satisfying victory. To lead into Infinity War, the film has to end with Thanos' attack. Ultimately, the protagonists achieve little, and the Asgardians get decimated anyway.
17 La La Land Separated the Main Couple
La La Land
While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.
IMDb Rating |
8 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
91% |
Metacritic Score |
94 |
La La Land & Other Movies & TV Shows to Watch on Hulu/Prime Video This Weekend
As winter and the holidays rapidly approach, here are all the biggest and best movies to stream on Prime Video and Hulu to keep warm this weekend.La La Land is a beautiful musical romance, and the chemistry between Sebastien and Mia is electrifying. However, its ending disappoints many viewers, especially romantics. The central couple decides to go their own ways and pursue their careers rather than the relationship. This is not necessarily terrible, but it simply doesn't meet the expectations the film establishes. From the start, Sebastian and Mia are dreamers who support one another while pursuing their goals.
The two break up by La La Land's end, and it's unclear whether this was the correct choice. La La Land almost manages to have its cake and eat it by showing a montage of them fantasizing about their life together. However, things still feel too bittersweet to match the rest of the film.
16 Bullet Train Became Too Absurd At The End
Bullet Train
Five assassins aboard a swiftly-moving bullet train find out that their missions have something in common.
- Director
- David Leitch
- Release Date
- August 5, 2022
- Cast
- Brad Pitt , Joey King , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Brian Tyree Henry , Hiroyuki Sanada , Andrew Koji , Michael Shannon , Bad Bunny , Sandra Bullock
- Writers
- Zak Olkewicz
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
- Tagline
- The End of the Line Is Just the Beginning
- Main Genre
- Action
- Where to watch
- Netflix
- Studio(s)
- 87North Productions , Columbia Pictures
IMDb Rating |
7.3 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
54% |
Metacritic Score |
74 |
Bullet Train is an unexpected delight of an action film. It's funny, stylish, original, and stuffed with great action scenes. A large part of its unique tone comes from its ruthless self-indulgence. Bullet Train delights in coincidences, happenstance, and unbelievable action scenes. These work for most of the film.
Bullet Train's ending tips it over the edge into absurdity, however. A water bottle gets a backstory flashback. Ladybug's flight through the train is stopped by a mascot's costume. Lemon survives certain death to kill the Prince. Ryan Reynolds appears in a distracting cameo. It just goes too far and upsets the audience's suspension of disbelief. It was too scattered to be believed.
15 Source Code's Ending Went Against In-Universe Laws
IMDb Rating |
7.5 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
92% |
Metacritic Score |
74 |
A good ending should catch the audience off-guard, but it shouldn't have to lie to do so. Source Code repeatedly states that the film's plot device isn't time travel or a new world: It's a simulation made from the last memories of bombing victims. Every time protagonist Colter Stevens goes into the Source Code, he only has a limited time -- up until the ending.
Source Code builds toward a grim climax. Stevens accepts his death in the real world and asks for his life support to be switched off. He only asks to go back into the Source Code once more. When he does, he manages to hijack another man's body and live a full life inside the Code. It breaks the film's rules with little justification. The results are more baffling than profound.
14 The Shape Of Water Lost Its Message in its Ending
The Shape of Water
At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
- Release Date
- December 22, 2017
- Studio
- TSG Entertainment, Double Dare You
- Cast
- Sally Hawkins , Octavia Spencer , Michael Shannon , Richard Jenkins , Doug Jones , Michael Stuhlbarg
- Writers
- Guillermo del Toro , Vanessa Taylor
- Runtime
- 123 minutes
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
IMDb Rating |
7.3 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
92% |
Metacritic Score |
87% |
The Shape of Water Plagiarism Lawsuit Dismissed as Unfounded
A three-year-long case accusing the 2017 film The Shape of Water of plagiarizing the 1969 play Let Me Hear You Whisper has been dropped.The Shape of Water is a visual masterpiece that deserves numerous awards. The movie's story is beautiful, and the audience can truly feel the love between Elisa and the amphibious man. Their fundamental incompatibility forms the foundations of this story. The ending, however, does not live up to the rest of the film's greatness.
The Shape Of Water runs the risk of being cliché with its ending. There's tension throughout the film about the sheer incompatibility of the two characters. However, The Shape of Water ends with Elisa sprouting gills and joining her lover in the water, which was an odd choice for a movie that aimed to be profound. For such a serious film, its ending still made it feel like an inverted version of Disney's The Little Mermaid.
13 The Wolverine Had A Jarring Antagonist at The End
The Wolverine
- Director
- James Mangold
- Release Date
- July 26, 2013
- Cast
- Hugh Jackman , Tao Okamoto , Will Yun Lee , Rila Fukushima
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
- Main Genre
- Superhero
IMDb Rating |
6.7 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
71% |
Metacritic Score |
61 |
The Wolverine is one of the more divisive entries in the uneven X-Men film franchise. Fans like it and many others overlook it. Nonetheless, it's a well-made film for most of its runtime. It has plenty of scenes of relatively grounded action, but the film's focus is squarely on Wolverine's trauma and the consequences of his long life.
The Wolverine is a surprisingly sober, respectful, and serious film. In its climax, Ichirō Yashida reveals himself to be the film's villain and attacks in a robotic Silver Samurai suit. This strange comic book villain is completely at odds with the rest of the film and its tone, and it cheapens the audience's entire experience.
12 West Side Story Had a Hollow Ending
West Side Story
In 1957 New York City, two rival gangs, the white Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, clash over territorial boundaries and cultural differences. Tony, a former Jet yearning for a better life, falls in love with Maria, the sister of the Sharks' leader, Bernardo. Their forbidden love story unfolds amidst escalating tensions and violence, highlighting the destructive nature of prejudice and the power of hope in the face of adversity.
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Release Date
- December 10, 2021
- Studio
- 20th Century Studios, Amblin Entertainment
- Cast
- Ansel Elgort , Rachel Zegler , Ariana DeBose , David Alvarez , Mike Faist , Josh Andrés Rivera
- Runtime
- 2h:36min
- Main Genre
- Musical
IMDb Rating |
7.1 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
92% |
Metacritic Score |
85 |
West Side Story adapts Romeo and Juliet's narratives with some significant changes. It takes place in 1950s New York City and focuses on warring gangs made up of white and Puerto Rican youths. It also tweaks the ending significantly. Maria lives where Juliet dies, and Tony is murdered instead of taking his own life.
West Side Story's ending shows the gang feud, which resembles a Shakespearean plot, ending with Tony's murder and Maria's tearful monologue to both gangs. It's a powerful moment. However, it's undercut by the Jets' earlier actions. The film indicates that they've found peace and can move on with their lives. It doesn't address their attempted sexual assault of Anita in an earlier scene. This can make the ending ring hollow and incomplete.
11 Lucy's Climax Defeated The Point of the Movie
IMDb Rating |
6.4 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
66% |
Metacritic Score |
62 |
Scarlett Johansson Sets Feature Directorial Debut Film, Plot and Cast Members Revealed
June Squibb, Chiwetel Ejiofor and more are joining Scarlett Johansson’s forthcoming feature directorial debut film.Lucy was an all-around great film up until its finale, detailing the journey of the titular charater who ends up with miraculous abilities after being a part of a drug deal. Sadly, it lands on a rather odd note. Instead of following the same logic as the rest of the film, the end runs in a different direction, leaving many viewers in disbelief. By the movie's end, Lucy is using 100% of her brain.
She becomes the equivalent of a supercomputer and is overtaken by a black substance. The movie closes as Lucy seemingly disappears, leaving nothing but her knowledge behind. Lucy spends most of its runtime upholding the suspension of disbelief despite its unlikely premise. The ending pushes things too far and comes off as ridiculous.
10 I Am Legend Had To Have an Alternate Ending
I Am Legend
Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.
- Director
- Francis Lawrence
- Release Date
- December 14, 2007
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
- Cast
- Will Smith
- Runtime
- 1 hour 41 minutes
- Main Genre
- Survival
IMDb Rating |
7.2 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
68% |
Metacritic Score |
65 |
I Am Legend details the dystopian world where Robert Neville is the lone survivor after a deadly virus outbreak. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold up all that well in the current day. It was once considered a good movie once, but one that was marred by a terrible ending. Many viewers walk away unsatisfied with an over-the-top sacrifice that doesn't really make anything better.
Shortly after I Am Legend's release, however, the filmmakers released an alternate ending. Here, Will Smith's character, Neville, realizes he unwittingly caused much of the chaos. His capturing of the vampires' leader kicked off the film's events. The alternate ending is better, even if neither lives up to the original novel's denouement.
9 Inception's Ending Didn't Pay Off
Inception
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Release Date
- July 8, 2010
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
- Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Marion Cotillard , Cillian Murphy , elliot page , Michael Caine , Tom Hardy
- Runtime
- 2 hours 28 minutes
- Main Genre
- Science Fiction
IMDb Rating |
8.8 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
87% |
Metacritic Score |
84 |
Inception is easily one of the greatest movies of all time, with complex layers of reality and dreams within dreams. The premise allows fans to apply themselves intellectually and look for the right answers to all of its questions. The effects are amazing, and the story is compelling despite its constant exposition.
However, its infamous twist ending eclipses everything about the rest of the film. Its characters, concepts, and daring heist plot haven't made a fraction of the impact its final shot has. In Inception's ending, Cobb spins his totem, a top. The film cuts away before he can find out if the top spins forever or not. This ending casts the entire film in a new light but makes much of the movie irrelevant. Furthermore, either possibility contradicts the rest of the film. Overall, this ending is too clever and doesn't pay off.
8 Enemy Toed The Line Between Symbolism and Reality
IMDb Rating |
6.9 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
71% |
Metacritic Score |
61 |
REPORT: Jake Gyllenhaal's Indie Film Fell Apart After Alleged 'Erratic' Behavior on Set
The indie film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby didn't happen because of the actor's reported behavior.Enemy is everything a psychological drama should be. Adam Bell's obsession with his doppelganger Anthony Claire makes for thrilling material. Its plot deals with the interplay between the two men and the detrimental effects on themselves and their wives. Enemy matches its bizarre motifs and events with profound themes. However, this balance falls apart in its ending.
Enemy uses spiders as a symbol of corruption and the treatment of women. However, it restricts this to real-life spiders and elements in dreams. In its final scene, Adam looks back at Anthony's wife Helen and sees her transformed into a giant tarantula. It abandons the film's mostly believable moments to overindulge in motifs and symbols. It's also a nasty shock for those who have a strong fear of spiders.
7 Soul's Ending Was Too Low Stakes
Soul
After landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife.
- Director
- Pete Docter , Kemp Powers
- Release Date
- December 25, 2020
- Studio
- Disney/Pixar
- Cast
- Jamie Foxx , Tina Fey , Graham Norton , Rachel House , Alice Braga , Richard Ayoade , Phylicia Rashad
- Writers
- Pete Docter , Mike Jones , Kemp Powers
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Main Genre
- Animation
IMDb Rating |
8 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
95% |
Metacritic Score |
83 |
Soul is one of Pixar's most charming and profound films of recent years. Protagonist Joe Gardner attempts to return himself to life while accompanying the spirit 22. 22 struggles with a lack of passion that prevents her from becoming a person in her own right. 22 begins to develop a personality and proper spirit through her time in the real world in Joe's body.
The ending sees Joe give up his second chance at life so 22 can become a proper spirit and start her own life on Earth. It's a moving sacrifice that pays off a movie's worth of character development. At the last second, another spirit offers to resurrect Joe for helping 22. Soul ends up with a last-minute happy ending that takes away much of its stakes and poignancy.
6 Shutter Island Had An Unreliable Narrator
Shutter Island
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- February 19, 2010
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
- Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio , Emily Mortimer , Mark Ruffalo
- Runtime
- 2 hours 18 minutes
- Main Genre
- Thriller
IMDb Rating |
8.2 |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
69% |
Metacritic Score |
63 |
Shutter Island twists and turns to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The movie has a great build-up until it reaches its climax, where all is lost. Throughout the movie, the audience follows Teddy Daniels: He's a US Marshall exploring the titular institution after a patient goes missing.
Shutter Island's end reveals that this isn't the case at all. Everything the audience watched throughout the film was a lie, and Teddy himself was the cause of most of the problems. Shutter Island makes use of a common plot twist and unveils its unreliable narrator at the end. However, this twist seems to come out of nowhere and leaves the film feeling hollow. Its ambiguous ending needs more substance.