The first reviews for this dropped a couple weeks ago, as it makes the festival rounds, and they're through the roof so far (currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes). Numerous critics are saying it's the most tense movie of the year, if not the best as well. The full trailer dropped today and I cannot wait. From Kathryn Bigelow, the director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty...

A House of Dynamite
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32376165/
October 10, 2025 = Theatrical
October 24, 2025 = Netflix

A House of Dynamite has a runtime of 1h 52m.

A runtime that absolutely flies by, as you're on the edge of your seat for the vast majority. To the point where, for 1h 51m and 59s, I was totally buying into the hype and thought it was easily one of the best movies of the year.

That is, until the ending - or should I say lack there of - when the end credits came up, and I literally said "What?!" aloud in the theater. Something I never do, but I wasn't the only one, as multiple other people either said the exact same thing or groaned and sighed.

I'm just so confused right now. Because after all the glowing fall festival reactions, the 81% RT score, the social media awards talk, and the movie now having been in limited theatrical release for a weekend, I legitimately don't understand how such a terrible, copout ending hasn't been discussed ad nauseam. Not a single peep. Yet the majority of the audience I saw the movie with tonight - in Netflix's flagship Hollywood theater (the Egyptian), no less - clearly hated the ending just as much as I did, and audibly so.

Like, it seriously might be one of the worst endings I've ever seen, one that retroactively ruins everything that came before it (in fact, I kind of can't stand the unique structure of the movie now, as the ending only serves to highlight how repetitive it all was in hindsight, and how there's not a single character arc to be found). Don't get me wrong, I understand what the movie is trying to say, but that's the problem… it exists to make a point, not to tell a complete story. I mean, I seriously thought there was an entire final act coming. But no, it just… ends without any resolution whatsoever. And I'm sorry if that's a spoiler, but I feel a genuine obligation to warn people. At least most of you will be watching it for "free" on Netflix. I spent $15 on a ticket, $15 on concessions, and over an hour in the car getting to and from the theater.

****ing hell, what a let down.

Then again, I kind of want more people to see it just so we can all hate on it together.

Oh, and for the record I absolutely love The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. While nothing in this movie is quite as good as either, imagine roughly the same quality/vibe (though, again, a step down), except if Bigelow removed the final acts from both.

"There weren't too many people in the theater with me watching this, but every single one of us proclaimed 'What!?' when the credits rolled."

Ha, I feel so seen.

Literally my exact same experience.

But yeah, after sleeping on it, I somehow dislike this movie even more now than I did last night. Which sucks because it's actually good! It just has no ending!

How anyone signed off on that is beyond me.

Honestly, that would have been a better ending than what we got. If only because that would have at least been an answer/conclusion, as opposed to the no answer/conclusion we got.

I can see where you find it frustrating but was still a great film.

It's not that the ending is bad.

It's that there's no ending at all.

It's a good movie (though I keep going back and forth on even that), but one that simply just... ends... without an ending.

Based on the audible reactions in the theater when the end credits came up, along with conversations I heard afterward, damn near everyone in my showing was expecting at least another 20 minutes of movie, if not more.

In other words, the issue wasn't something that couldn't have been "fixed" after the fact, unless Netflix was willing to spend millions more to force an Oscar-winning director to basically add an entire final act.

That said, I don't think Netflix tests their original movies (though I could be wrong), and they knew what they were getting into with the script.

Ha, Faustus was convincing. I can't make everyone happy.

Just watched it. If you want to see the better version with a real ending check out By Dawn's Early Light with Powers Booth and James Earl Jones. Basically the same movie.

And im guessing the President went with the well done option. Everyone was going in the mountain and there were contrails in the sky.

81% RT feels about right. I enjoyed about 80% of this movie. First two acts were solid, gripping, well made. Third act just repetitive.

I agree with TCTTS though, the ending is just such a bizarre choice. Would have preferred a Sopranos style ending vs what was shown.

Won't watch again.

That was the How I Met Your Mother of movies. 90% of the movie was awesome only to completely **** the bed. At least they only stole 90 minutes of my life.

That was the worst ending for a movie I have ever witnessed. I feel so betrayed after all the hype. I even watched the credits yearning for closure. Nope. Ridiculous.

****ing terrible ending

Just watched. Disappointed when credits appeared on screen. Wife is out of country on a business trip and will not have time to watch it until she gets home later this weekend. I think I will tell her "WOW, just wait for the ending, you won't believe it".