10 Great Sci-Fi Films Ruined By Terrible Endings

6. Knowing - Alien Saviours And The End Of The World

Nicolas Cage starred in this mysterious sci-fi about a list of numbers unearthed from a fifty-year-old time capsule, detailing the dates, locations and number of casualties of global disasters in perfect sequence. With upcoming dates, the plot thickens with whispers, child-snatchers and Nic Cage being relatively subdued for once.

There are elements of convenience sprinkled throughout, but the loopy and conspiracy ladled list kept intrigue levels high and led to some brilliantly chaotic carnage from derailed subways to crashed planes. Yet as the list is discovered to have originated from aliens, things get weird. It is revealed that aliens are collecting the worlds’ children to save them from the impending doom of a solar flare, so that humanity may live on.

John (Cage) returns to his family, after leaving his son with the aliens, as the streets are filled with panicking citizens. The family get together for one last group hug, as the world is decimated in a wall of fire. While it certainly leaves an impression, the inevitable ending of the world meant that the entangling mystery had little to no bearing on the story’s finish, rendering all that came before it pointless.