20 Most Idiotic Film Twists Of All Time

17. Sandman Actually Killed Uncle Ben - Spider-Man 3

Sandman Thomas Haden Church
Sony Pictures

The Twist: Mid-way through the movie, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) learns that the carjacker he dealt with in the first movie wasn't Uncle Ben's (Cliff Robertson) murderer. It's revealed that Flint Marko aka Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) was the one who actually shot Ben, though at the end of the movie, Peter also learns that Marko only shot him by accident when startled by the original carjacker, and the two make peace.

Why It's Stupid: It's an incredibly cheap ret-con just to increase the dramatic power of Sandman's role in the film, and to make the twist even more silly, it's pretty much undone by the end when the truth about the shooting is finally revealed.

Given how iconic the moment of Uncle Ben's death originally was, playing fast and loose with the facts only undermines what was a brilliant scene in the original movie.

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Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.