12 Twists That Feel So Obvious When You Rewatch Those Movies

Summary

• Films with successful plot twists drop hints subtly to subvert viewer expectations.
• Movies like “The Sixth Sense” and “Shutter Island” concealed twists throughout the film.
• Despite some twists being predictable upon rewatch, the success lies in the execution.

Not every movie with a plot twist manages to conceal the twist ahead of the big reveal. Films are comprised of three primary acts, also known as the beginning, middle, and end. In order to make a story as compelling as possible, a surprise twist can be employed to subvert the viewers’ expectations, and create a satisfying ending.

However, pulling off a twist that drops hints along the way can be extremely difficult. The twist should subvert expectations, but also make sense in context. If done right, the viewer can’t help but watch the film and notice hints throughout. However, if the hints are too heavy-handed, it will reveal the ending too soon.

12 The Sixth Sense

Some movies manage to navigate this fine balance with relative ease. Carefully dropping in plenty of hints, that then becomes incredibly obvious on a second viewing. A great example of this can be seen in the movie, The Sixth Sense. This late 90s gem is widely praised, and also parodied for the major twist ending.

Throughout the movie, a young boy, played by Haley Joel Osment, is shown to have a unique gift for seeing and communicating with ghosts. Joining him on the journey, Bruce Willis plays an older man who forms a friendship with the boy, and they have many conversations. This headline alone likely reveals the twist, with Willis’ character being dead, and it’s exactly the same for viewers as the twist is hidden in plain sight.

11 Get Out

The directorial debut of Jordan Peele, Get Out, is widely praised for the storytelling, tension, stylistic choices, and overall quality. However, the twist is mainly hidden because of how shocking and unbelievable it is. Otherwise, anyone who gets 20 minutes into the movie will be able to predict where things are heading.

The movie examines a fictional group of affluent white people in the suburbs of New York. However, there is something odd happening, with Black members of staff and guests behaving unusually. The film eventually reveals that the rich are inserting their minds into the Black victims, in an effort to chase youth and power. While the twist is harrowing, it’s clearly alluded to throughout.

10 Shutter Island

Shutter Island is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The longtime collaborators joined together to create an incredibly tense thriller with a significant twist in its final moments. When Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) is called out to investigate a disappearance, the mystery only deepens as they explore the mysterious and isolated asylum.

However, the movie also drops plenty of hints that things are not exactly as they seem, and the protagonist is not the most trustworthy narrator. As the movie progresses, the reality of Daniels’ true identity as a patient, rather than an on-duty detective, is made clear. Upon rewatching the movie, it’s difficult to see how it could have ever been seen as any different.

9 Malignant

Malignant is another horror film with a twist that can be seen throughout the film. Directed by horror legend James Wan, who also directed Saw with one of the greatest and least expected twists of all time, Malignant is somewhat more overt. Throughout the movie, Madison is plagued by visions and nightmares of violent, bloody murders. But these dreams appear to be reflected in reality as the deaths actually occur.

Again, the reveal is simple to predict on paper, and when going back to the film. Madison was behind all the murders, although she was not technically responsible for them. Instead, her twin, a parasitic twin who resides in her body, is the killer. Although the details are a surprise, the fact that Madison was at the center of the mayhem was not so clearly concealed.

8 Frozen

Horror and thriller movies are not the only films that incorporate significant twists to thicken the plot, however, as can be seen in Disney’s Frozen. The movie is about a young princess with ice powers, and the community that she lives in fear of. However, when she is to ascend to the throne of her kingdom, she decides to open the gates to her and her younger sisters’ home for a coronation party.

This is also the moment her young sister finds true love, with a total stranger. Hans is suspicious from the start, and as the story progresses, it rewards the audience with the reveal of Hans’ true nefarious nature. The twist is important to the narrative, and effectively utilized in the family film, but it can’t be unseen in future replays.

7 Scream

Scream is an incredibly popular horror mystery series of movies that parodies the slasher genre, but the first film struggled to thoroughly conceal the true killers. From early on, Billy Loomis is a clear lead as the killer, but the surprise comes from the fact that there were two killers all along. Later films did improve on hiding the identity of the killer with new twists and tricks, but the original appears to expose itself early on.

While the twist can be easily gleaned, however, the film is still immensely popular and entertaining from start to finish. The movie sparked an entire franchise that continues to release new films, and provided a fun meta commentary on slasher horrors. Incredibly entertaining and many people’s favorite horror franchise, but not the best at hiding its secrets early on.

6 Zootopia

Zootopia is another family film that hides the big bad of the story behind a clever twist reveal. However, anybody paying close enough attention and thinking about the mission of the bad guys to turn carnivores into uncivil, primitive beasts can be easily figured out from the start. The villain has to have something against carnivores, and has enough power and influence to spread their virus covertly.

So, when the movie finally reveals that Dawn Bellwether, the assistant mayor, is behind everything, it makes perfect sense. Bellwether was desperate to take over the top position in the city. In addition, she served under the ginormous and loud Mayor Lionheart. Finally, the movie was also desperate to work in a wolf in sheep’s clothing bit to the story, which ultimately was met with lukewarm reviews.

5 Now You See Me

Now You See Me is a spectacular movie about magicians and heists. Featuring an ensemble cast of outstanding actors, the film was generally well received. Through mysterious invites, a small number of gifted magicians and illusionists come together to prove their worth to a secret society of magicians.

However, the tests they must undergo are less than legal, and ultimately result in the group being chased by special agents. The group perform spectacular shows, while outrunning the police that are following them in all directions. And in the last moments of the film, it’s revealed that the man who invited them was none other than the overzealous detective. This twist is satisfying, and gives weight to the story, but it also received mixed reviews for the predictability of the story and confusing lines between real and false magic.

4 Midsommar

Midsommar is a very different tone from the above entries, with the horror being combined with a distinctly folky element. A group of young friends visit a festival which celebrates nature and life, and they are invited. The film then immediately begins to reshift the focus to the harrowing reality of the group, and their unusual beliefs.

While the movie does a great job at diving into the mentality and mindset of the leading woman, played by Florence Pugh, the ending is extremely disturbing and shocking nonetheless. Shocking, but not surprising. When the character chooses to join up with the cult and participate in their unusual rituals, the reality sets in of how the story ends, but more heavily, the transition within the character remains much longer.

3 Coco

Again, lightening the tone, Coco is another family film, created for Disney Pixar. The movie explores what life after death looks like according to Mexican stories and traditions. When a young 12-year-old boy is shown a way to reach the land of the dead, he runs toward it, and is reunited with many deceased family members. However, the boy is also on a search to find his musically minded ancestor to help support his dream.

The movie is touching and emotional, but it also drops a lot of hints about the mysterious ancestor. For one, the traveling man who Coco meets at the start of his journey is, in fact, his missing ancestor. While it may not be the most clever or innovative twist, it gets the job done effectively and its worth watching, especially a second time when the hints stand out even more.

2 Don’t Worry Darling

Once again, Florench Pugh stars in another twisted mystery film with a huge plot twist. Don’t Worry Darling sees Pugh starring opposite former One Direction singer, Harry Styles, in an ominous psychological thriller. The pair lives in an idyllic community known as Victory, which appears to be a part of some secret government testing.

However, the fact that everything is a little too perfect, and things are strange is immediately apparent. The movie goes on to reveal that they are living inside a virtual reality, with Harry’s character caring for his partner’s physical body while she is perpetually plugged in. However, the twist does appear obvious when watching it back.

1 Incredibles 2

Finally, finishing on a lighter note with another family-friendly action movie, Incredibles 2 has one of the most fun, but least secretive twists in film. The long-awaited sequel to the 2004 film sees the super family do all they can to repair the supers’ public image within the community. However, they have numerous obstacles which block their efforts, coming from a mysterious villain.

Meanwhile, a new character joins the cast, Evelyn Deavor. Evelyn appears to be helpful and engaged in the efforts to restore the positive public image of the heroes, but her true intentions are soon revealed. While the movie manages to avoid using her full name directly early on, anyone who deciphers the code of Evelyn Deavor/evil endeavor will quickly uncover her villainous nature, and thus the movie’s big twist reveal.