Jacobs Ladder (1990)
The Ending: We are told that the entire film has been Jacob’s dying dream as he lies on a Vietnam battlefield. It comes out of nowhere.
If It Had Made More Sense: We would have been treated to an ending that didn’t feel as though it had been written by a teenager struggling to end a creative writing exam.
Back To The Future pt. 3 (1990)
The Ending: The Doc manages to construct another time machine out of a steam train, but as we know, time travel require plutonium. And back in the Old West, the Doc doesn’t have any.
If It Had Made More Sense: Somehow, the Doc would have spirited some spare plutonium back to the Old West in case of just such an eventuality. Perhaps that’s what happened, and we just weren’t told…
Django Unchained (2012)
The Ending: Spoilers here obviously, so if you haven’t seen it, don’t read it. Right, for those of you who have, you’ll know that the film is set in 1858. You’ll also know that Django blows up Candieland with a whole heap of dynamite. But what you might not know, is that the explosive wouldn’t be invented until 1867…
If It Had Made More Sense: Django would have settled for just shooting everyone in the house as opposed to destroying the building itself.
Source Code (2011)
The Ending: Having carefully created a complex system of internal logic, the film suddenly moves the goalposts when Jake Gyllenhaal’s character realises he can live on in the alternative timeline created by the source code. Happy ending ahoy!
If It Had Made Sense: We’d do away with the final twist and finish the film with the touching kiss aboard the train carriage.
The Hitcher (2007)
The Ending: The film takes a turn for the ridiculous as Sean Bean’s hitcher manages to slip off a pair of handcuffs and kill his entire police escort. Just like that.
If It Had Made Sense: We’d have liked to have seen Sophia Bush’s character unable to restrain herself from killing the hitcher, and then being taken into custody herself. It’d require less of a leap of faith!
Valentine (2001)
The Ending: David Boreanaz is very clearly the killer, only for another figure to appear wearing the Valentine mask, who Boreanaz then shoots. So it wasn’t him all along! Except it was, because the telltale nosebleed gives him away just moments later.
If It Had Made Sense: Boreanaz would have been revealed as the killer without having to strap a mask onto somebody else for the sake of stringing things out for an extra couple of minutes.
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005)
The Ending: Voldemort lures Harry into the graveyard at Little Hangleton by making the Triwizard Cup a portkey. Now, most portkeys are one-way jobs, but this most important of portkeys is two-way, allowing Harry to escape back to Hogwarts. Why?
If It Had Made Sense: Harry would have been stuck in the cemetery. Although that might have brought things to a premature close…
The Game (1997)
The Ending: All the chaos that has been enveloping Michael Douglas’ character was actually all part of an elaborate birthday party prank. Incredibly, he shakes off a wealth of broken glass and gets on with the fun.
If It Had Made Sense: He’d have been furious and probably would have stormed out. Probably while losing a lot of blood after that crash through the skylight.
Superman 2 (1980)
The Ending: Supes is revealed to be able to wipe Lois’ memory simply by kissing her. Nothing wrong with that, in that its Superman, and he can do pretty much anything. But if he possesses the power of mind control, why have we never seen it before? And why is he bothering to conceal his identity from people if he can just kiss it away again?
If It Had Made Sense: Maybe he could have knocked her over the head? Not quite as romantic, we suppose.
Batman Begins (2005)
The Ending: Ra’s Al Gul attacks Gotham by vaporising its water supply. Apparently however, his vaporising machine has no effect on the water that makes up 75% of the human body.
If It Had Made Sense: His evil plan would have been achieved without the aid of such an implausible WMD. Maybe a good old fashioned bomb would suffice.
