Unexpected plot twists are a major reason many people enjoy movies. A well-executed surprise – one that feels both shocking and logical within the story – can make a film truly unforgettable. In some cases, a movie wouldn’t be nearly as good without its signature twist.
Movies built around surprise endings often lose their impact after a single viewing. Once you know the twist, the experience isn’t the same. The more shocking the twist, the less enjoyable the movie becomes on subsequent viewings, as the surprise is lost.
Most movies benefit from rewatching, offering new insights each time. But these 7 films are different. Because they rely so heavily on mystery and surprise, knowing the twists beforehand makes a second viewing much less enjoyable.
7) The Sixth Sense
The film The Sixth Sense launched Haley Joel Osment to stardom in the early 2000s and made M. Night Shyamalan a well-known director. It’s particularly famous for its surprising twist: Bruce Willis’s character discovers he’s been a ghost the whole time.
The surprise ending of The Sixth Sense was incredibly shocking when the film first came out and has been widely referenced and parodied ever since, influencing countless other movies and TV shows. However, it’s a movie best seen only once. Knowing the twist ruins the experience, as the subtle hints about the main character being a ghost become very obvious on a second viewing.
6) Arrival
Like the twist in The Sixth Sense, the surprise reveal in Arrival makes it less enjoyable to watch again. This sci-fi drama, directed by Denis Villeneuve, centers on a woman determined to communicate with aliens after the apparent death of her daughter. Throughout the film, Amy Adams’ character, Louise, experiences what seem like memories of time with her daughter, before her death.
Ultimately, the film shows that Louise, the linguist, doesn’t experience time linearly. What seems like remembering her daughter’s life is actually experiencing events that will happen in the future, as her daughter hasn’t been born yet. This shifts her understanding of time itself.
Understanding the full story of Arrival dramatically shifts how the film feels. Initially, it appears to be a deeply sad tale of a scientist grappling with the loss of her daughter, and the ending is bittersweet – a mix of relief that the tragedy hasn’t happened yet, and sorrow knowing it’s unavoidable. For Louise, this knowledge creates a difficult choice: embrace a brief, joyful motherhood, or avoid the pain that all lives eventually experience.
Seeing the movie a second time, with the knowledge that the visions show what will happen, significantly alters how it feels. While viewers can still feel sad about the child’s death, understanding that these events haven’t occurred yet lessens the emotional punch. The surprise ending also doesn’t have the same impact on those who are aware of it beforehand.
5) The Village
M. Night Shyamalan’s 2004 film, The Village, was intended to be a scary horror movie, following the success of his film The Sixth Sense. Unfortunately, the surprise ending makes the movie less enjoyable when you watch it again. The story centers on a secluded community living in fear of dangerous creatures said to inhabit the surrounding woods. Throughout the film, several villagers must bravely venture into those woods to get medicine for those who are sick or hurt.
The movie is initially frightening, but the ending explains that the monsters aren’t real. It turns out the town’s founder brought together people struggling with grief and convinced them to abandon modern life for a simpler, earlier time. The older residents dressed up as monsters to scare anyone away from leaving. Knowing this makes the movie much less effective the second time around, as the fear is gone once you realize the monsters are just people in disguise.
4) City of Angels
Okay, so City of Angels starts out as this quirky, unusual romance, and honestly, it lulls you into a bit of a dreamlike state. It centers around Nicholas Cage as an angel who’s completely heartbroken because he can’t be with Meg Ryan’s character, a doctor. You spend the whole movie feeling his longing, and then… well, then it takes a really unexpected turn. Just when he finally does manage to become human to be with her, tragedy strikes – she’s killed in a bicycle accident. It’s a genuinely shocking moment that completely reframes the whole film, turning it into a devastatingly sad love story. I definitely wasn’t prepared for that ending!
Initially, the film’s twist is deeply moving, particularly because Cage’s character gave up everything to be with the woman he loves, only for her to be lost. But knowing how the story ends makes rewatching feel drawn-out, as all the emotional heartache seems pointless.
3) The Usual Suspects
As a big movie fan, I’ve noticed that mysteries and thrillers don’t always hold up on a second viewing, and it’s usually because the fun is in figuring things out with the characters. A perfect example is The Usual Suspects. Knowing the twist – that the person telling the story is actually the villain – totally changes how you experience it the first time around, and it makes rewatching a bit less exciting.
The initial reveal of this plot twist is truly shocking, as the audience has grown to care about the main character, only to discover he’s been deceiving everyone. But once you know the ending, the movie loses its impact. A second viewing removes all the suspense, making it feel long and tedious as you wait for a reveal that you already know.
2) Planet of The Apes
The original 1968 film, Planet of the Apes, famously ends with the main character discovering the ruins of the Statue of Liberty, revealing he was on Earth after a global catastrophe. While a brilliantly shot and shocking moment for first-time viewers, its impact diminishes with subsequent viewings.
Knowing how the movie ends ruins the experience. The conflict between the humans and apes loses its excitement because the audience realizes it’s not about a battle against aliens. Instead of being invested in the story, viewers just want to get to the ending they already anticipate, making the journey feel unnecessary.
1) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Because the big reveal in The Empire Strikes Back is so well-known, it’s lost its impact for first-time viewers. The scene where Luke Skywalker discovers Darth Vader is his father was meant to be a shocking moment, making him doubt everything he believed about his identity and the conflict he’s involved in.
Even dedicated Star Wars fans find that The Empire Strikes Back isn’t quite as captivating with each rewatch. The emotional impact of Luke seeking revenge on Darth Vader for his father’s death is lessened once viewers know the truth about their relationship.
What movie has a twist ending that makes it less enjoyable to watch again? Share your thoughts and discuss it in the ComicBook Forum!
https://comicbook.com/movies/news/10-horror-movie-twists-that-still-dont-make-sense/embed/#
Read More
- Best Season 10 PvE Build in New World: Aeternum
- Gold Rate Forecast
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- 10 Most Badass Moments From Arrow
- Silver Rate Forecast
- DC’s Canceled Batgirl Movie Gets a Surprisingly Hopeful Update, 3 Years After Warner Bros Pulled The Plug
- BTC AUD PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- Spider-Man 4: Kirsten Dunst Reveals if She’d Return as Mary Jane Watson
- Valheim coming to PS5 in 2026
- I’m Living For George Clooney Admitting To The Internet He Got Wildly Drunk At The Tonys
2025-10-24 03:14