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11 Great Films Ruined By Terrible Plot Twists

Terrible plot twists are the ultimate in awful movie-watching experiences. Sadly, that doesn't mean they're uncommon. And unfortunately, I've seen more than my share of good films destroyed by ridiculous, strange, unjustified or just plain dumb twists. What this feature will not do is examine head-scratching endings/twists in decidedly awful movies, so, despite such efforts as The Happening, The Village and Devil, M. Night Shyamalan only gets one title on this list (because, easy though it would be, we can't let him take every slot, can we?). You also won't see Tim Burton's godawful Planet of the Apes remake, which redefined big-budget stupidity with its Ape-raham Lincoln drivel, possibly the worst twist of all time attached to one of the worst remakes of all time.

8) Brave (2012)

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Brave - Pixar film

The Story: In the wilds of Scotland, a feisty young princess named Merida (voiced by Kelly MacDonald) defies her traditional parents by proclaiming that she has no desire to be betrothed to a prince from another clan. A free spirit who would rather practice her archery skills than learn the finer elements of womanhood, Merida turns to a witch in order to help alter her fate. However, when Merida’s wish has unintentionally catastrophic consequences, she must rely on her wits to save her kingdom.

The Twist: When Merida asks a local witch to help her change her mother’s mind about Merida’s future as a bride to a loutish clansman, the witch tells her to feed her mother an enchanted cake. When Merida does so, the cake magically transforms the queen into a giant black bear. Determined to reverse the curse before two sunrises have passed and the queen remains a bear forever, Merida sets out on a quest into her land’s rich, mysterious past.

Why It Sucks: Marketed as a lushly animated adventure about the adventures of an endearingly spunky young princess, Brave takes a bizarre left-field turn by shifting the focus from Merida to her transformed mother. Unfortunately, that plot-line is neither interesting nor original enough to command the audience’s attention, and Brave falls unexpectedly flat as a result. Though the film’s animation is gorgeous and the humor is enjoyable, taking the “magical transformation” route prevents Brave from engaging its audience. As Pixar’s first female-centric movie, Brave could have succeeded if it kept the spotlight on Merida. Instead, it’s forgettable and formulaic.