10 Recent Films That Totally Blew The Ending

Ben Wheatley's re-adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's legendary 1938 gothic mystery novel - previously adapted by Alfred Hitchcock to Best Picture-winning success in 1940 - was already fighting an uphill struggle to prove its "necessity," a fight its iffy ending categorically ensured it lost.

Though in many respects Wheatley's film is actually more faithful to du Maurier's text - such as revealing that Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer) shot his titular wife, rather than dying accidentally as she did in Hitchcock's film - Wheatley nevertheless closes things out on a frustrating whimper.

Despite Maxim's new wife (Lily James) being complicit in covering up his murderous past, and housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas) curtly warning her that she'll "never know happiness" by standing by her man, Mrs. de Winter ends the film by staying with Maxim and recalling a flowery, optimistic monologue about the power of love. Barf.

Though Wheatley certainly isn't blind to the complexities of the source material, and the ending can be interpreted as a commentary on the corrupting nature of love, it's nevertheless extremely underwhelming to the point of frustration, especially compared to the more operatic finale of the Hitchcock film.

Wheatley deserves credit for not merely rehashing Hitch's work and actually trying to capture the darker energy of the novel, yet ultimately couldn't bring much logic or satisfaction to this groan-inducing ending.