While most films have pretty succinct endings that leave us satiated, others can cause some confusion. Whether it’s the twisted webs of time travel, a breach from the normal storyline, or the feared “it was all a dream” theory, these six most confusing plot twists will surely bewilder you before the credit scenes. Check out these plot twists below, and explore all the ways a movie can become unclear.
6. Next’s “It was all a dream” Ending
Sixth on our list of most confusing plot twists centers around Next, starring Nicolas Cage and Jessica Biel. Cage plays Cris Johnson, a man who can see into the future, but for just two minutes at a time. He meets Elizabeth Cooper (Biel) through one of his visions, but they soon get plunged into an international threat between the FBI and a group of terrorists. When a bomb detonates and viewers expect destruction, instead, we are brought back to Cris and Elizabeth’s motel room. Nearly the whole sequence was “just a dream” and the last scenes are hardly a proper conclusion, frustrating viewers.
–IMDb score: 6.2
RELATED: 7 Filming Stories Behind Famous Movies That May Shock You
5. Cosmopolis’ Drastic Ending
Ranking fifth on our list of most confusing plot twists is Cosmopolis, directed by David Cronenberg, who is known for producing wild films. The movie takes place during a single day as billionaire Eric tries to travel across Manhattan during riots to get a haircut. While this may seem crazy to begin with, the ending is what stumps viewers the most. Eric meets his potential murderer, accepts his fate, and points a gun to his head. But his fate is unclear, as this is when the movie screen goes black and provides viewers with more questions than answers.
–IMDb score: 5.1
4. Tenet’s Endless Mind-Warping
Next up on our list of most confusing plot twists is Tenet, one of Christopher Nolan’s hit films that requires a keen eye to keep track of the various storylines. Centered around the idea of reversing time, the film is quintessentially hard to follow, and many events do not make complete sense until later in the movie. But nothing’s as confusing as the ending. An inverted soldier takes a bullet for the Protagonist, later revealing it’s a future Neil who dies for him, but Neil also recruited the Protagonist. Finally, the Protagonist realizes he is Tenet’s founder, wrapping the whole film in a never-ending series of confusion.
–IMDb score: 7.3
3. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull’s Alien Archaeologists
Getting into the top three most confusing plot twists is one of the Indiana Jones installments, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. While the installments are full of adventure and peril, the fourth film has a bizarre ending. The plot focused on a mysterious crystal skull, which is revealed to be part of interdimensional alien archaeologists, something completely out of the ordinary for Indiana Jones. While the films have discussed the supernatural, a group of aliens flying away in a ship is confusing for a multitude of reasons.
–IMDb score: 6.2
ALSO READ: 6 Most Shocking Movies Ever Made
2. Remember Me’s 9/11 Death
Second on our list of most confusing plot twists is Remember Me. While the film wasn’t one of the best rom-coms or the worst, the ending revealed more questions than answers. The movie touched on the growing connection between Tyler Hawkins and Ally Craig, as well as their troubled pasts. As the two finally realize their love for one another, it is revealed Tyler died in the 9/11 attack. Along with no setup for this abrupt ending, the film premiered just nine years after the fateful event, leaving a sour taste in many viewers mouths.
–IMDb score: 7.1
1. Predestination’s Time Paradox
Last but not least, on our most confusing plot twists list is the time travel film Predestination. Right from the beginning, the identity of the protagonist is unknown, which is partly why the film gets so confusing. The protagonist, a temporal agent, must go back in time to prevent an attack in New York in 1975, but an enemy returns to stop him. As time paradoxes continue to appear on screen, the biggest confusion comes with the ending, and the realization that the agent has been reproducing himself in time, becoming his own daughter, father, mother, and grandfather. Yikes.
–IMDb score: 7.4
READ NEXT: 6 Worst Sequels of All-Time