Endings that ruin a good movie

[IamtheRock3]

was watching the mist and lets say I was disapointed in the ending

and got me thinking, what are some good movies that were awesome, up untill the ending

High Tensio ticked me off, to many plot holes

[rick]

The Mist really did have a stupid ending didn't it?

[DWEarhart]

Talented Mr. Ripley.
Should've ended when he got busted on the boat.

[Justin D.]

I'm fine with The Mist's ending. The story originally ended when the group of people drive away to see the "trunk-like" legs walking all around them. I don't mind them carrying the story on for another beat. I wish they would've stopped with David Drayton screaming "Come get me" to the monsters in the mist or maybe a quick shot of him still saying it to himself the next day. I don't mind how incredibly depressing the movie became with each step after they leave the diner, but I much preferred the open-ended style of the original story to the "army comes to the rescue people from their own screw-up" ending the movie had.

[laylamiller]

Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen, the book ends without her ever proving she met the famous rock star showing her that as long as she knows the truth, thats all thats important. the movie changed that and had the guy show up at her cast party to give her back her dry cleaning. that said i was irrated with both endings i was irratated with the book because she was seen as a liar in the end, and the movie because it ruined the point of the book

[Christopher Cross Is God]

Perfume......Fantastic movie until the ridiculous ending. Perhaps the ending went off better via text (Original novelization), but via film it was inane.

[Legato]

I'm fine with The Mist's ending. The story originally ended when the group of people drive away to see the "trunk-like" legs walking all around them. I don't mind them carrying the story on for another beat. I wish they would've stopped with David Drayton screaming "Come get me" to the monsters in the mist or maybe a quick shot of him still saying it to himself the next day. I don't mind how incredibly depressing the movie became with each step after they leave the diner, but I much preferred the open-ended style of the original story to the "army comes to the rescue people from their own screw-up" ending the movie had.

That what basically ruined even the ending of the movie itself. Now if the movie ended with David shooting his family then on the verge of allowing himself to be eaten by the monsters then that would be a good ending.

It would leave that the monsters werent defeated and it left you to wonder can the Mist actually be stopped. Having the government come in was nothing but a copout by Hollywoods part IMO.

Sure that scenario worked just fine in Shaun of The Dead but it didn't work for me in The Mist.

[1WEBHEAD]

The Departed was great but the ending was kinda a slap in the face.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

fracture

and

the breakup (i hated the lip service ending that had them randomly encountering each other.)

[Jamal]

I don't want spoil anything but like I said in another thread,
No Country for Old Men had the biggest WTF last 15 minutes in a movie all year and not in a good way. What made it worst was that it was so good up to that point and would have lived up to hype but that ending ruined it. In less they are a fan of the book 9 out of 10 people are going to want to throw something at the screen at the end of this movie. So I warn you now save your money, you can alway netflix it later.

[meethraa]

Minority Report.

I was actually enjoying this film up to the point when a perfectly good ending was ruined by Spielberg's Hollywood feel-good sensibilities.

I haven't read the original story yet, but my guess is that it has a slightly better ending...

[Atom_basher]

I liked the Mist's ending

[the goddamn batman]

The Original release of Blade Runner.

Rambo. See the book, or the alternate ending. It ended that way for a reason.

A Clockwork Orange. I won't be the guy who says it flat out ruins the film, but it negates the entire point of the story... the book ended that way for a reason.

Click. In the hands of anyone else, and as a drama or something, this could have been a pretty cool movie. But even this film, if they ended it at his daughters wedding; with Christopher Walken mouthing his key line... and black. Roll Credits. Such a better movie.

[Thorlief]

Batman begins. Talk about a phoned, anticlimatic, boring, cheap final showdown. the very last scene was cool anyways

Face Off. I'm all about happy endings but meh, that was visually horrid and 100% forced by the producers

Signs. The movie was terrible, but the twist was like a sack of bricks in the brain. Namaste mr Shyamalan, you were supposed to be a smart director

[IamtheRock3]

The Original release of Blade Runner.

Rambo. See the book, or the alternate ending. It ended that way for a reason.

A Clockwork Orange. I won't be the guy who says it flat out ruins the film, but it negates the entire point of the story... the book ended that way for a reason.

Click. In the hands of anyone else, and as a drama or something, this could have been a pretty cool movie. But even this film, if they ended it at his daughters wedding; with Christopher Walken mouthing his key line... and black. Roll Credits. Such a better movie.


What did the the rambo book end like

[mistervader]

The Departed was great but the ending was kinda a slap in the face.

Which part? Other than a specific character's fate, I think the flow of the story mostly followed the original Hong Kong version of the film...

[Jmacq1]

What did the the rambo book end like

Rambo committed suicide.

[metalhead_dave743]

Monty Python and the Hold Grail. They get ARRESTED and the screen goes black for 5 minutes? Then again I don't think it RUINED the movie, but it sure did suck.

[Mac Danny]

AI: had about 4 endings, eiher of which would have worked. The fact that it kept going on was what ruined it.

Minority Report: had a great anti Hollywood ending that really made you think about the character and his life. Then we got another 30 min of movie.

War of the Worlds: The Cold Kills Martians wasn't what did it. it was that Becon street in Boston apparently survived n entire week of alien invasion unscathed. I guess Martians only like making trees from working class folk. Southy must have been in shambles.

Episode 3: Just put the guy on fire with no limbs out of his misery if you are his "friend" That you let him suffer Obi-Wan makes you a bigger dick than Vader

[HomerJay]

No Country for Old Men had the biggest WTF last 15 minutes in a movie all year and not in a good way... In less they are a fan of the book 9 out of 10 people are going to want to throw something at the screen at the end of this movie. So I warn you now save your money, you can alway netflix it later.
Worst advice I've heard in long time.
This movie had some of the best performances of the year and the most chilling villain since Hannibal Lecter.

The reason NCFOM ended the way it did is because the movie was Sheriff Ed's, NOT Llewellen's despite being shown from Llewelen's perspective for much of the movie. The theme of the film was how times are changing and people are changing for the worse, NOT the better, and how increasingly difficult it was for Sheriff Ed to clean up after these horrible men.
Would I have liked to see a huge stand-off with Chigur, Moss & the Sheriff? Of course. But it wasn't that kind of movie.

It would leave that the monsters werent defeated and it left you to wonder can the Mist actually be stopped. Having the government come in was nothing but a copout by Hollywoods part IMO.
Having him kill his 10 yr-old son and his other companions only to be saved was a "cop-out" how exactly? At least King's original ending was vaguely hopeful.
Darabont wanted a NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD ending which is what he delivered. A cruel, sucker-punch of an ending that I thought worked well. And was consistent with the rest of the film.

[Agent Helix]

The Mist's ending wasn't so much a cop-out as it was so ridiculously over the top somber that it goes right around the curve and becomes humorous. The only way it could've been better is if Jane dropped to his knees and yelled "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" melodramatically towards a cold and impassive sky.

[Loren]

With all this talk about Stephen King:

Apt Pupil

The ending to King's short story was perfect. So naturally, the movie wussed out, dropped it entirely, and did something totally different.

I was tempted to say the TV-movie version of "Brave New World," which continued WELL past the end of Huxley's book and gave it a happy ending. But it wasn't a good movie to start with, so it doesn't fit this thread.

[Bradley]

I'll pile on Stephen King movies too, I suppose.

1408 was by no means a good movie, but it was as entertaining as a decent Twilight Zone episode, until you realized about 30 minutes from the ending that they had no idea how to conclude. I counted at least three moments where I thought, "Okay. This has got to wind down now." But then something else would happen, drawing the damn thing out and wearing away at my patience.

[Kaiju]

Smoking Aces. The ending sucks the life out of an enjoyable but brutal crime drama.


What did the the rambo book end like?
Rambo committed suicide.

I thought that in the book Trautman basically puts him down like a wounded animal.

I think the ending you're referring to is the alternate movie ending.

[NDHorse]

Ocean's 12

He danced through the lasers??????????? WTF!!!!!

[Loren]

I'll pile on Stephen King movies too, I suppose.

1408 was by no means a good movie, but it was as entertaining as a decent Twilight Zone episode, until you realized about 30 minutes from the ending that they had no idea how to conclude.

This is supported by the fact that the Director's cut DVD has an alternate ending (the one the movie originally screened with), and the Blockbuster-exclusive DVD has two MORE alternate endings.

This struck me as odd at the time, considering they were adapting a written story that presumably already had an ending.

[Agent Helix]

The only movie that deserves that many alternate endings is CLUE, dammit.

[Bradley]

This is supported by the fact that the Director's cut DVD has an alternate ending (the one the movie originally screened with), and the Blockbuster-exclusive DVD has two MORE alternate endings.

This struck me as odd at the time, considering they were adapting a written story that presumably already had an ending.

Man, then I have no idea what ending I saw... I'm pretty sure it was the Director's Cut DVD, because it was unrated (as I recall).

[Dreadstar]

I'm on a bit of a roll. The last two movies I've seen had endings that just made me want to ask for my money back; No Country for Old Men and The Mist. Ruined what were up until the last 10 minutes (less in the Mist's case) excellent movies.

But as a friend said about the former movie: "It was a Coen Brothers movie. They're so very in love with the "real life" endings."

We then spent 30 minutes coming up with alternate endings that far surpassed the actual ending. It was easy. We just shut off half our brain.

The Mist, though... their intention was to go for massively downbeat. In which case they missed it by slipping over the line into pathetic hyperbole. But it's OK, I guess. They only missed it by a mile or so.

I figure I'll be 3 for the last 3 when I see I am Legend next week.

[jesse_custer]

I'm watching No Country for Old Men tonight, so we'll see about that ending. I have a feeling this movie is going to kick me in the nuts in the best way possible.

[mattx110]

This is supported by the fact that the Director's cut DVD has an alternate ending (the one the movie originally screened with), and the Blockbuster-exclusive DVD has two MORE alternate endings.

This struck me as odd at the time, considering they were adapting a written story that presumably already had an ending.
Maybe Stallone was negotiating a sequel or the director realized he had extra money stashed away...

[Rattlehead]

I'll pile on Stephen King movies too, I suppose.

1408 was by no means a good movie, but it was as entertaining as a decent Twilight Zone episode, until you realized about 30 minutes from the ending that they had no idea how to conclude. I counted at least three moments where I thought, "Okay. This has got to wind down now." But then something else would happen, drawing the damn thing out and wearing away at my patience.

That's part of the problem with adapting Stephen King stories to film. His stories very rarely have the cliche "happy ending" that Hollywood loves so much. More often than not, things end worse than when they started.

[Athena Bast]

AI: had about 4 endings, eiher of which would have worked. The fact that it kept going on was what ruined it.



I don't know how many people walked out after the Blue Fairy. I started to and then the movie kept going. Blue Fairy was probably the best place to end it.

[Legato]

Smoking Aces. The ending sucks the life out of an enjoyable but brutal crime drama.




I thought that in the book Trautman basically puts him down like a wounded animal.

I think the ending you're referring to is the alternate movie ending.

I had doubts about Smoking Aces when I first heard about it but I saw it on DVD and from the beginning to the big shootout scene in the middle the movie was pretty good.

I dont see any need for them to put that 'plot twist ending' in the last minutes of the film.

[Jamal]

Worst advice I've heard in long time.
This movie had some of the best performances of the year and the most chilling villain since Hannibal Lecter.

The reason NCFOM ended the way it did is because the movie was Sheriff Ed's, NOT Llewellen's despite being shown from Llewelen's perspective for much of the movie. The theme of the film was how times are changing and people are changing for the worse, NOT the better, and how increasingly difficult it was for Sheriff Ed to clean up after these horrible men.
Would I have liked to see a huge stand-off with Chigur, Moss & the Sheriff? Of course. But it wasn't that kind of movie.

Maybe you didn't read the part were I said the movie was great up till that point and was about to live up to the hype. I agree the performances were great and the tension build was some of the best in years but that is what makes what they did worse. IMO the Coen's built up all this tension but didn't deliver and having the movie from Llewelen's perspective ( Who wasn't a horrible man, shown in the movie by most of his actions ) made the wtf moment that much harder to take because of the way the Coen's presented it.

Sheriff Ed wasn't pulled into the story far enough for him to be any kind of clean up man but when they started that wtf moment in the film most thought he would be and at least do more ( Didn't have to be a big shot out ). They even went so far as to build more tension towards the end and still don't deliver :rolleyes: ( and I don't mean the stuff with Llewelen wife that was acceptable ).

To say anymore will ruin the movie completely and even saying that much I'm sure will let people know that something weird is going to happen in the last 15 minutes, so I apology now for giving anybody a slanted view of the film or the slight spoilers but if you decide to watch it tell me if you thought I was right or wrong. I personally don't like to talk bad about movies but I didn't want anybody to have that kicked in the nuts feeling I had when I left this flim.

Plus I didn't want people to think I'm just blowing smoke.

[Jared H.]

A Clockwork Orange. I won't be the guy who says it flat out ruins the film, but it negates the entire point of the story... the book ended that way for a reason.



Actually, the American version of the book(and what the film followed) was not the true ending of the novel. The original version ends with him considering settling down and having a family a few years later.

[stealthwise]

Matchstick Men, The Game... basically any stupid movie where they try to convince you that the entire movie was structured in a way as to bamboozle both the main character and the audience. Upon rewatching the flick, it doesn't work at all, and ruins the entire experience.

If the directors want to know how to do it properly, they need to watch Fight Club or The Usual Suspects.

[choptop]

No Country for Old Men

and

Matchstick Men.

[laylamiller]

Matchstick Men, The Game... basically any stupid movie where they try to convince you that the entire movie was structured in a way as to bamboozle both the main character and the audience. Upon rewatching the flick, it doesn't work at all, and ruins the entire experience.

If the directors want to know how to do it properly, they need to watch Fight Club or The Usual Suspects.

curious did u read the book for match stick men, the book ended the same way pretty much except that he sees her again with her bf trying to live a normal life

[kalorama]

Monty Python and the Hold Grail. They get ARRESTED and the screen goes black for 5 minutes? Then again I don't think it RUINED the movie, but it sure did suck.

Not really. Granted, it made no f****ing sense, but that was kind of the point (and well withing keeping with the tone of the film overall).

Matchstick Men.

I thought the ending of Matchstick Men was great and worked perfectly well with the rest of the film.

[laylamiller]

a movie a lot of people bitch about the ending to is the villiage which i personally love. most people are upset because a. there is no real monster, and b. the setting is a ruse

[the goddamn batman]

I thought that in the book Trautman basically puts him down like a wounded animal.

I think the ending you're referring to is the alternate movie ending.

Correct. In the film's alternate ending? I dont' remember, but I'm sure it's on youtube.

In the book, yeah, Trautman does it. Great book by the way.

[the goddamn batman]

Actually, the American version of the book(and what the film followed) was not the true ending of the novel. The original version ends with him considering settling down and having a family a few years later.

That's the ending I was talking about. Where he runs into Pete and realizes that he's just to old for this shit.

Didn't the American printing of the book cut the last chapter because the movie did? I wasn't alive then, so I'm not sure, but I believe Kubrick cut the last chapter, and the American printing followed suit. And added the glossary of their slang. I have both versions of the book. The original being far superior.

[Jared]

I saw The Mist with a girl, and she was so distraught by the ending that she had go home by herself. So yeah, Fuck you, Frank Darabont!

That aside, I have to give the filmakers credit for having the balls to go through with that ending. It was like the darkest Twilight Zone twist ever.


The ending of The Game was so absurd that I just couldn't believe it, I thought for sure there'd have to be one last scene coming up to explain it all. How could everything have been planned out so exactly by the company, right down to the spot where Michael Douglas would decide to jump off the roof? And what kind of screwed up present is that?! "My brother is a rich jerk, so the only way to make him happy and better as a person is to seemingly destroy his life with paranoia to the point where he becomes suicidal."

[the goddamn batman]

28 Days Later.

Not the actual end so much as from when they meet the soldiers on. Complete change in tone. I dunno, it didn't ruin it, but it got a lot less interesting... suddenly Jim is the action movie bad ass that's able to take down soldiers? I dunno.

I remember on the DVD there were four endings... the best one was the one that never got past story boards. If I recall correctly.

[Jared]

28 Days Later.
I remember on the DVD there were four endings... the best one was the one that never got past story boards. If I recall correctly.


If you mean the one where they find they can cure Rage with a total blood swap, I couldn't get past the silliness of the premise. There's no reason to be putting infected blood back into the uninfected donor.

[Willminus2]

I have to say "IT" is the one that springs to mind for me. I mean my goodness that was just silly at the end.

[DHX]

kissing jessica stein

damn that movie ended crap.

all the comedy of errors all that effort for what?

oh look she's not gay, all she needed was for the guy who ignored her for most of the time they've known each other to sniff at her skirt hem for her to decide she's not gay, oh and he's her true love.

BAH.

[the goddamn batman]

If you mean the one where they find they can cure Rage with a total blood swap, I couldn't get past the silliness of the premise. There's no reason to be putting infected blood back into the uninfected donor.

No idea which one it was... it's been many years since I've seen the special features, and I only saw them once... but I remember Jim died, maybe?

I dunno... I remember liking the least finished ending the most. it was only story boards cut together in a sort of animatics fashion. maybe now I'd think it was shit. Who knows.

[Sean Whitmore]

Red Dragon. It was especially funny that the movie chose not to go with the bleaker ending of the book, but still included the scene where Hannibal Lecter gloats about it.

Even without the happier ending, the movie would still be guilty of serving too much as a Hopkins vehicle, but it would have been better.


SEAN

[Sean Whitmore]

The Departed was great but the ending was kinda a slap in the face.

Are you referring to Leo's death or Marky Mark's death?


Minority Report.

I was actually enjoying this film up to the point when a perfectly good ending was ruined by Spielberg's Hollywood feel-good sensibilities.

I haven't read the original story yet, but my guess is that it has a slightly better ending...

The stories were way too different to effectively compare, but I'll say this: at least the book's ending actually had to do with the moral implications of predicting the future, as opposed to a formulaic "bad guy behind it all" cop-out.


The Original release of Blade Runner.


Honestly, as bad as the tacked-on ending was, it was a lot less annoying than Ford's narration throughout the whole movie. I swear, it was like watching a DVD with the director's commentary on.

Bryant: "If you're not cop, you're little people."
Ford: (v.o.) "You see, what Bryant meant when he said that line was...."


Monty Python and the Hold Grail. They get ARRESTED and the screen goes black for 5 minutes? Then again I don't think it RUINED the movie, but it sure did suck.

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you kidding? I only ask because I'd feel silly defending it if you were, in fact, being sarcastic.


Minority Report: had a great anti Hollywood ending that really made you think about the character and his life. Then we got another 30 min of movie.

Because I haven't seen it in a long time, what point in the movie are you referring to?


SEAN

[nervmeister]

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto seemed a little weak in the ending to me.

[Black Atom]

I saw The Mist with a girl, and she was so distraught by the ending that she had go home by herself. So yeah, Fuck you, Frank Darabont!


Thanks, man, that made me laugh out loud.

[Sabrina_Fried]

Minority Report.

I was actually enjoying this film up to the point when a perfectly good ending was ruined by Spielberg's Hollywood feel-good sensibilities.

I haven't read the original story yet, but my guess is that it has a slightly better ending...

AI for exactly the same reason.

Really, how many endings does one movie need?

Sabrina

[Gilda Dent]

I skipped over all the talk of No Country for Old Men and The Mist. We're seeing the latter in about an hour, so I don't want to spoil it, and haven't seen the other one.

My contribution:

Revenge

Kevin Costner has an affair with his friend's wife. The friend, Anthony Quinn, a powerful Mexican businessman, has the two of them beaten, the wife thrown in a brothel, and the Costner character is left for dead. He manages to battle back to confront the friend.

Quinn asks for Costner to apologize to him. Costner apologizes. The end.

Hated, hated, hated it.

My favorite ending that most people hated: Limbo.

A fisherman, his girlfriend, and her daughter, and his brother are on a trip around the Aleutians. The brother is a drug trafficker, and the group is ambushed by drug smugglers and stranded on an Alaskan island as winter approaches. After a few weeks of surviving on their own, an amphibious plane lands. The pilot is a man who hates the fisherman, blaming him for the death of the pilot's brother in a freak accident years earlier. It's also possible he may be working with drug dealers. There is not room in the plane, but the pilot promises to send word to the proper authorities and leaves. A day or two later, another amphibious plane appears, circles, and comes in for a landing. It's either the authorities come to rescue them, or associates of the drug dealers come to kill them. There is no way of knowing which except by meeting the plane. One by one the three castaways walk out onto the beach, exposing themselves. The plane lands. The screen goes to black, and we never find out whether they're rescued or killed.

I loved it at the time, and love it now. The name of the movie is Limbo, after all, so it isn't like we don't have a clue, and I don't think either alternative ending would work.

[Sean Whitmore]

Revenge

Kevin Costner has an affair with his friend's wife. The friend, Anthony Quinn, a powerful Mexican businessman, has the two of them beaten, the wife thrown in a brothel, and the Costner character is left for dead. He manages to battle back to confront the friend.

Quinn asks for Costner to apologize to him. Costner apologizes. The end.

Hated, hated, hated it.

God, I remember seeing this thing at work earlier this year. Terrible movie all around, really.

Although the ending might have had a better chance of working if Quinn's wife hadn't died quite so slowly and horribly as a result of her time in the brothel.


SEAN

[StoneGold]

Rambo committed suicide.

Not quite. Col. Trautman took his head off with a shotgun.

[StoneGold]

Funny story about No Country For Old Men. As I'm walking out of the theater, I hear some woman complaining that the Coen's should stick to comedy. So I loudly start talking to my friend that morons probably won't like the ending, having been too conditioned to want everything tied up happy in a neat little bow in the end, but what can you do, they're morons.



Not that it has anything to do with anyone here. But goddamn if it wasn't hysterical at the time.

[Corrina]

Why would you take a women to a horror movie for a date and expect her to be cuddly after?

I suppose you could make a case for comfort from fear but....

My least favorite ending is "Chinatown." Great movie until the last five minutes. We've followed Jack around for the whole movie, it's his story, he has to figure out where he stands and.....

The ending has nothing to do with anything that he's done. He's totally passive at the end. I don't care if it ended with everybody dead, you can't just say "oh, he doesn't matter" at the end of a movie.

Also hated the end of AI and Kissing Jessica Stein. Did AI ever end? Damn, that was one long pointless movie.

Signs was also awful at the end but it wasn't very good before that, though.

Oh, and Happy Feet. I hated the ending of Happy Feet. It was sorta semi-entertaining as kid movies go (I took my kids..) and then....the message is "if you're a cute penguin who can dance, we care. Otherwise, nope."

[Frodo-X]

Are you referring to Leo's death or Marky Mark's death?

SEAN

You mean Matt Damon's death? Marky Mark doesn't die.

[Sean Whitmore]

You mean Matt Damon's death? Marky Mark doesn't die.

Whoops! That is what I meant.


SEAN

[Serik]

War of the Worlds: The Cold Kills Martians wasn't what did it. it was that Becon street in Boston apparently survived n entire week of alien invasion unscathed. I guess Martians only like making trees from working class folk. Southy must have been in shambles.

Thanks for sparing me the trouble of writing this! That entire family (was it Cruise's character's parents?) looked like they just got back from brunch at the country club. Seriously, did that street even know the earth was being ravaged by aliens?

[BoosterBronze]

I'll toss my vote in the The Mist.

I just left the theater. My wife made the great comment, "did they just run out of film and have to think of an ending in five minutes?"

What a load of poo.

[Legato]

I'll toss my vote in the The Mist.

I just left the theater. My wife made the great comment, "did they just run out of film and have to think of an ending in five minutes?"

What a load of poo.

I think if any movie needs an alternate ending when it comes out on DVD then it would be The Mist. Although if that would happen it probably would have a much happier ending whare.

The father didn't shoot everyone including his own kid. It would have ended whare before he was about to come up with that decision the military eventually came just before he got ready to load his gun

[The Zapper]

Thank you for Smoking. It didn't have the worst ending, I was actually more disappointed at a scene close to the ending, than the ending itself. I really didn't like that hard left turn they put in there.

[IamtheRock3]

I saw The Mist with a girl, and she was so distraught by the ending that she had go home by herself. So yeah, Fuck you, Frank Darabont!

That aside, I have to give the filmakers credit for having the balls to go through with that ending. It was like the darkest Twilight Zone twist ever.


The ending of The Game was so absurd that I just couldn't believe it, I thought for sure there'd have one last scene coming up to explain it all. How could everything have been planned out so exactly by the company, right down to the spot where Michael Douglas would decide to jump off the roof? And what kind of screwed up present is that?! "My brother is a rich jerk, so the only way to make him happy and better as a person so to seemingly destroy his life with paranoia to the point where he becomes suicidal."


yea I thought after that it should of eneded with douglas beating the S out of his brother for like a HALF AN HOUR STAIGHT

with brutal close ups

[Gavin Higginbotham, BotF]

God, I remember seeing this thing at work earlier this year. Terrible movie all around, really.

Although the ending might have had a better chance of working if Quinn's wife hadn't died quite so slowly and horribly as a result of her time in the brothel.


SEAN

I admit to crying like a little girl when that particular spoiler occured. :(

[OverMaster]

Thanks for sparing me the trouble of writing this! That entire family (was it Cruise's character's parents?) looked like they just got back from brunch at the country club. Seriously, did that street even know the earth was being ravaged by aliens?

Yeah, but the thread's title is 'Endings that ruin a GOOD movie'. Not 'Endings that make a BAD movie even worse'.

I love the original book, BTW.

[GrifterWC]

Heat was a fantastic movie until the last 15 minutes.

[joegottman]

City of Angels, which is proof that a tacked-on tragic ending can be just as annoying as a tacked-on happy ending.

[Thorlief]

Heat was a fantastic movie until the last 15 minutes.

you know what, I might have to agree. I wasn't really expecting Neil to fly away with Edie, but damn, for what the movie was meant to be I was kinda hoping for a different ending

[Kaiju]

you know what, I might have to agree. I wasn't really expecting Neil to fly away with Edie, but damn, for what the movie was meant to be I was kinda hoping for a different ending

The first time I saw it I sort of felt the same way but I definitely understood why he did it. He had one chance to get the man who set the events in motion that destroyed his crew and he took it.

[kalorama]

Heat was a fantastic movie until the last 15 minutes.

I thought the ending was quite fitting for the characters and the tone of the film.

[ultramandingo]

...... batman returns ( as well as the first 2 spiderman and xmen movies) - no mater how good the film starts off - its the comic book formula ending that always bugs me - big fight , bad guy "dies" , the end . but i guess i should expect it based on the subject matter - but just once id like to see something diferent

[the goddamn batman]

Honestly, as bad as the tacked-on ending was, it was a lot less annoying than Ford's narration throughout the whole movie. I swear, it was like watching a DVD with the director's commentary on.

Bryant: "If you're not cop, you're little people."
Ford: (v.o.) "You see, what Bryant meant when he said that line was...."


Yeah, both products of the studio after the audience reaction from test screenings. "it was too depressing" and "I didn't get it". Idiots.

Horrible. But, I will be revisiting that version when the 5 disc DVD set comes out in a few weeks here.

Also, and I'm sure everyone knows this by now, but Ford and Scott were so against the idea that Ford recorded the worst possible voice over he could manage in hopes that the studio wouldn't use it because it was so horrible.

Never underestimate the studio idiots.;)

[kmeyers]

...... batman returns ( as well as the first 2 spiderman and xmen movies) - no mater how good the film starts off - its the comic book formula ending that always bugs me - big fight , bad guy "dies" , the end . but i guess i should expect it based on the subject matter - but just once id like to see something diferent

People would be way too pissed off, sitting through 2-3 hours of movie for a "To Be Continued!"

You just outlined the basic "formula" for ANY story. Intro...Climax...Resolution.

[stealthwise]

Yeah, both products of the studio after the audience reaction from test screenings. "it was too depressing" and "I didn't get it". Idiots.

Horrible. But, I will be revisiting that version when the 5 disc DVD set comes out in a few weeks here.

Also, and I'm sure everyone knows this by now, but Ford and Scott were so against the idea that Ford recorded the worst possible voice over he could manage in hopes that the studio wouldn't use it because it was so horrible.

Never underestimate the studio idiots.;)

Haha, I didn't know that at all, good one on them, especially since now they're apparently profiting from it too.

[ultramandingo]

People would be way too pissed off, sitting through 2-3 hours of movie for a "To Be Continued!"
.
.......it worked for "empire strikes back"

[kmeyers]

.......it worked for "empire strikes back"

There was still the basic story structure there, with somewhat of a resolution, and a HUGE payoff.

Vader is Luke's father, OH SHIT!

[mattx110]

There was still the basic story structure there, with somewhat of a resolution, and a HUGE payoff.

Vader is Luke's father, OH SHIT!
Oh crap, he doesn't know Padme was sleeping around yet?:D

[meethraa]

AI: had about 4 endings, eiher of which would have worked. The fact that it kept going on was what ruined it.

Minority Report: had a great anti Hollywood ending that really made you think about the character and his life. Then we got another 30 min of movie.

War of the Worlds: The Cold Kills Martians wasn't what did it. it was that Becon street in Boston apparently survived n entire week of alien invasion unscathed. I guess Martians only like making trees from working class folk. Southy must have been in shambles.


I see some sort of pattern here...


The stories were way too different to effectively compare, but I'll say this: at least the book's ending actually had to do with the moral implications of predicting the future, as opposed to a formulaic "bad guy behind it all" cop-out.


That's an extra incentive to read it, at least...

Matchstick Men, The Game... basically any stupid movie where they try to convince you that the entire movie was structured in a way as to bamboozle both the main character and the audience. Upon rewatching the flick, it doesn't work at all, and ruins the entire experience.

If the directors want to know how to do it properly, they need to watch Fight Club or The Usual Suspects.

So, no one else thought this was funny?

[stealthwise]

I see some sort of pattern here...



That's an extra incentive to read it, at least...



So, no one else thought this was funny?

Shit, I was honestly expecting the next post after that one to be someone calling me out for that one. Good work. :)

[IamtheRock3]

City of Angels, which is proof that a tacked-on tragic ending can be just as annoying as a tacked-on happy ending.



A fact that some writers should remember

[kalorama]

City of Angels, which is proof that a tacked-on tragic ending can be just as annoying as a tacked-on happy ending.

I thought we were talking about bad endings that ruined good movies.

[blackdragon6]

i like the mist's ending,the only part i was kinda iffy about was the military showing up to save the day.now i can see how thats a cop out.but if you all are referring to the suicide pack then no i disagree.cause i loved that part,in fact it should have ended then and there.

[stealthwise]

i like the mist's ending,the only part i was kinda iffy about was the military showing up to save the day.now i can see how thats a cop out.but if you all are referring to the suicide pack then no i disagree.cause i loved that part,in fact it should have ended then and there.

Jesus, we get through how many pages of people having the courtesy to use spoiler tags until you? Thanks.

[blackdragon6]

Jesus, we get through how many pages of people having the courtesy to use spoiler tags until you? Thanks.well technically thats not a spoiler!!!.......sort of.

[StoneGold]

I hated the ending of Hero. Genocide brings the world closer together. WTF?

[the goddamn batman]

well technically thats not a spoiler!!!.......sort of.

Technically? You are talking about an important part of the end of a film which has only just come out, and if people are still using spoiler tags? Then you should to.

Darth Vader is Luke's father? That one's ok. The ending (even parts of the ending) of a brand new film? Yeah, not so cool. Thank you though, I hate finding out what happens as I watch the actual movie.

[the goddamn batman]

Haha, I didn't know that at all, good one on them, especially since now they're apparently profiting from it too.

Yeah, Harrison tried... I don't know about 'profiting' so much. It's one of five version in a rather cheap (I was quite blown away by it's price on Amazon!) box set. But I suppose to some extent. They are including just about everything you could include. Even the original work print, which I believe was what was shown at the test screenings? OR maybe not. God, I can't remember.

It is kind of interesting that such a noir film wasn't going to have the classic narration most noir films had.

[saintsaucey]

question that sort of goes with this. frailty was on at work today, now i have only seen parts of it and wasn't paying much attention but i remeber there being a twist ending. wasn't the brother telling the story the actual killer. i seem to remember that being the case

[meethraa]

question that sort of goes with this. frailty was on at work today, now i have only seen parts of it and wasn't paying much attention but i remeber there being a twist ending. wasn't the brother telling the story the actual killer. i seem to remember that being the case

The creepy thing about that one is that it's supposedly based on a real story but then it turns out that the guy really was doing god's work and killing actual demons.

Always found that sort of.... odd...

[Jared]

Why would you take a women to a horror movie for a date and expect her to be cuddly after?

I suppose you could make a case for comfort from fear but....


I let her pick the movie (stupid, stupid, I know). And it wasn't the monsters that were the problem, it was the soul-crushing gut-punch of an ending that did it, since she's someone who gets really emotionally invested in movies. She would have been better off with everybody getting eaten than with what happened.

[pariah-1972]

The first one that springs to my mind is Fantastic Four rise of the Silver Surfer.

Surfer just decides to go up to that "cosmic cloud" (i am not going to call that Galactus cause it's insult to him)
and just defeats him with no effort (noones even sure what he did or how he did it) makes you wonder why he just didn't decide to do this in the beginning if he was capable of pwning him so quickly?
the movie could have been semi decent if it wasn't for that.
the ending of Spider-man 2 (and 3 sort of too) was really lame especially compared to the first one.

[TomServoFan]

My least favorite endings:

"Boondock Saints".
"Fight Club".
"Sleepaway Camp".
"Spider-Man 3".

[The Zapper]

Fight Club? I gotta disagree with that. Good call on Spider-man 3.

[TomServoFan]

"Fight Club" had such a cop-out ending, it's just some friggin' Schizophrenic who's been playing and hitting with himself the whole time, i feel like drilling a hole in that character's skull.

Even "Brazil" had such a crappy ending.

[The Zapper]

"Fight Club" had such a cop-out ending, it's just some friggin' Schizophrenic who's been playing and hitting with himself the whole time, i feel like drilling a hole in that character's skull.


Different strokes for different folks. Which Brazil are you talking about?

[TomServoFan]

The Terry Gilliam movie.

[blackdragon6]

Technically? You are talking about an important part of the end of a film which has only just come out, and if people are still using spoiler tags? Then you should to.
.um lets see

but I much preferred the open-ended style of the original story to the "army comes to the rescue people from their own screw-up" ending the movie had.

That what basically ruined even the ending of the movie itself. Now if the movie ended with David shooting his family then on the verge of allowing himself to be eaten by the monsters then that would be a good ending.
.
now...what the hell did i say that these guys didn't already allude to?? =/

[Gilda Dent]

"Fight Club" had such a cop-out ending, it's just some friggin' Schizophrenic who's been playing and hitting with himself the whole time, i feel like drilling a hole in that character's skull.

That reveal happens at about the 3/4 point of the movie; it's not the ending.

I think you have to grant a movie its premise. In some movies, like Fight Club or most M. Night Shyamalan movies, the big twist is built into the entire fabric of the movie, with the story gradually moving towards that reveal. To take away that ending, one would have to remove the entire plot and make a different movie.

This is different from something like, say, Revenge, where the climactic confrontation could be played any of a number of ways.

This isn't to say that you can't criticize Fight Club for this aspect of the plot, but the problem then is with the premise rather than the ending itself.

Now, what they do in the actual ending sequence isn't really very satisfactory, and I can see complaints about that section as I don't really care much for it myself, but you can't get rid of the big twist without dumping the entire rest of the movie that came before with it.

[Toku King]

Good call on Spider-man 3.

How was the ending bad in any way? Venom died well, Harry made a heroic sacrifice, the tension between Spider-Man and Sandman was gone, and PEter and MJ are back together(but I did want them married).
I liked it.

[Sean Whitmore]

How was the ending bad in any way? Venom died well, Harry made a heroic sacrifice, the tension between Spider-Man and Sandman was gone, and PEter and MJ are back together(but I did want them married).
I liked it.

Well, the whole third act had huge, ginormous problems, but that's a different thing than having a bad ending.

What WAS bad about the ending was Spider-Man letting the Sandman go. Forgive him, fine, but after forgiving him, he goes to jail for all the damages he's caused.


SEAN

[pariah-1972]

I never understood what happened to Venom it looked like he just disappeared in the explosion.

[Toku King]

Well, the whole third act had huge, ginormous problems

I didn't see any.

What WAS bad about the ending was Spider-Man letting the Sandman go. Forgive him, fine, but after forgiving him, he goes to jail for all the damages he's caused.

That's true. Spider-Man would never just let Sandman go in the comics.

[Thorlief]

Well, the whole third act had huge, ginormous problems, but that's a different thing than having a bad ending.

What WAS bad about the ending was Spider-Man letting the Sandman go. Forgive him, fine, but after forgiving him, he goes to jail for all the damages he's caused.


SEAN

I second that. Of all the horrid flaws Spiderman 3 got the ending isn't really in my top ten

[the goddamn batman]

We're talking about endings that ruined GOOD movies, so Spiderman 3 doesn't apply.

[Thorlief]

haha true.

[Gilda Dent]

The creepy thing about that one is that it's supposedly based on a real story but then it turns out that the guy really was doing god's work and killing actual demons.

Always found that sort of.... odd...

Only if you accept that the visions he's being sent are accurate and are being sent by God. We don't know either for sure.

If you were a powerful demon or the devil, and wanted a servant to do your dirty work, wouldn't a good way of coverting good people be to come to them claiming to be god and sending them out after "demons"?

Remember, Dad and the killer both make it very clear that they're not killing people, they're "destroying demons". Yet when we see the visions Dad has been having, which are supposed to reveal the demons' true form, they turn out to be ordinary people who, the visions imply, have done bad things.

[Gilda Dent]

question that sort of goes with this. frailty was on at work today, now i have only seen parts of it and wasn't paying much attention but i remeber there being a twist ending. wasn't the brother telling the story the actual killer. i seem to remember that being the case

Yes, the person confessing to the FBI agent is in fact Adam (the younger son) and not Fenton (the older one).

At some point after Dad dies, Adam develops the same ability to see "demons" that dad had and takes up the family business. Fenton, after Dad's death, had continued to track Adam's activities and was trying to prove he was the killer, so he became a "demon" and Adam killed him, framing him for the series of murders Adam had comitted.

It's implied strongly that Dad was initially granted the ability to "see demons" by some supernatural entity, and Fenton was given this same power, intended to be his assistant. Fenton rebelled and tried to stop Dad. Adam believed Dad and wanted to help, but he wasn't actually seeing visions.

After Dad's death, Adam eventually starts a new series of killings. The blurred videotape implies that there is some entity watching out for him. He, like Dad, believes it's an angel.

I, however, think Adam is a classic example of an untrustworthy narrator. He believes what he's saying, but he's also insane. We're supposed to take his POV with a big grain of salt.

[mistervader]

I loved Equilibrium, but the anticlimactic Marty Stu ending just ruined it for me. NO CHALLENGE AT ALL!

[The Zapper]

We're talking about endings that ruined GOOD movies, so Spiderman 3 doesn't apply.

BAM! And there it is.

[glue]

Only if you accept that the visions he's being sent are accurate and are being sent by God. We don't know either for sure.

If you were a powerful demon or the devil, and wanted a servant to do your dirty work, wouldn't a good way of coverting good people be to come to them claiming to be god and sending them out after "demons"?

Remember, Dad and the killer both make it very clear that they're not killing people, they're "destroying demons". Yet when we see the visions Dad has been having, which are supposed to reveal the demons' true form, they turn out to be ordinary people who, the visions imply, have done bad things.

Yes, the person confessing to the FBI agent is in fact Adam (the younger son) and not Fenton (the older one).

At some point after Dad dies, Adam develops the same ability to see "demons" that dad had and takes up the family business. Fenton, after Dad's death, had continued to track Adam's activities and was trying to prove he was the killer, so he became a "demon" and Adam killed him, framing him for the series of murders Adam had comitted.

It's implied strongly that Dad was initially granted the ability to "see demons" by some supernatural entity, and Fenton was given this same power, intended to be his assistant. Fenton rebelled and tried to stop Dad. Adam believed Dad and wanted to help, but he wasn't actually seeing visions.

After Dad's death, Adam eventually starts a new series of killings. The blurred videotape implies that there is some entity watching out for him. He, like Dad, believes it's an angel.

I, however, think Adam is a classic example of an untrustworthy narrator. He believes what he's saying, but he's also insane. We're supposed to take his POV with a big grain of salt.

Right, but

at the end they show that his face is blurred on the camera or he's always out of shot and none of the agents can remember what he looks like. I took that as the writer telling us that God had his back.

[stealthwise]

I loved Equilibrium, but the anticlimactic Marty Stu ending just ruined it for me. NO CHALLENGE AT ALL!

The physical showdown wasn't the true climax of the story though, more like the denouement, as the main character's real challenge is overcoming his own emotional inhibitions bred into him both societally and chemically.

The kickass action is just ice on the cake.

[mistervader]

The physical showdown wasn't the true climax of the story though, more like the denouement, as the main character's real challenge is overcoming his own emotional inhibitions bred into him both societally and chemically.

The kickass action is just ice on the cake.

Well, as an action junkie, I guess I looked to the showdown as the ending, not the aftermath. :P

[Jared]

Yeah, I would have had no problem with Preston quickly owning Taye Diggs, only to face a tough fight with his boss, or vice versa. But having basically nobody really challenge him was wrong. At the very end, was that even his own blood on his cheek? I don't recall him ever getting scratched.

[mistervader]

Yeah, I would have had no problem with Preston quickly owning Taye Diggs, only to face a tough fight with his boss, or vice versa. But having basically nobody really challenged him. At the very end, was that even his own blood on his cheek? I don't recall him ever getting scratched.

That looked like someone else's blood.

It was just too easy for me to care. Sure, the action looked cool, but it was so one-sided, and it's not nearly as fun when the action is that lopsided.

[Pól Rua]

I thought we were talking about bad endings that ruined good movies.

'Wings of Desire' was good.
I hated that they ended it by making a bogawful remake with Nicholas Cage.

[Pól Rua]

Even "Brazil" had such a crappy ending.

Are you talking about the REAL ending, or the American edit which cuts out the last three seconds?
Cause that edit sucks balls.

[DLFerguson]

a movie a lot of people bitch about the ending to is the villiage which i personally love. most people are upset because a. there is no real monster, and b. the setting is a ruse

I bitch about THE VILLAGE because it's nothing but a "Twilight Zone" episode on steroids. I saw the ending coming an hour into the movie. Still, a lot of people seem to prefer THE VILLAGE to "Signs" which I thought was the far better movie

[ultramandingo]

'Wings of Desire' was good.
I hated that they ended it by making a bogawful remake with Nicholas Cage.

..........who played nick cave in the crappy remake ?

[Brad Barton]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Return of the King and it's infamous 14 endings yet.

[Cam63]

Rambo committed suicide.

In the alternate movie ending, it was a kind of suicide when Rambo forces Trautman to shoot him by making out he was about to rush him.

...and the book ends with Trautman basically killing him as a farmer would put a dog down that's been attacking sheep. Brutal, but necessary.

[the goddamn batman]

Empire Strikes Back. Because it didn't ruin just one movie; it ruined three.

[Cam63]

How was the ending bad in any way? Venom died well, Harry made a heroic sacrifice, the tension between Spider-Man and Sandman was gone, and PEter and MJ are back together(but I did want them married).
I liked it.

The whole movie sucked for two thirds of it's running time... That's not good.

[Cam63]

Empire Strikes Back. Because it didn't ruin just one movie; it ruined three.

I know what you mean.

[stealthwise]

The whole movie sucked for two thirds of it's running time... That's not good.

More like 12/18ths.

[mattx110]

..........who played nick cave in the crappy remake ?
Rufus Wainwright.

[DaeJi]

The ending to Anger Management pissed the hell out of me. I mean, for the entire movie Adam Sandler is basically tortured and put through all this crap, and in the end it was all a big plot by his girlfriend and Dr. Crazy to help him deal with his anger. And he okay with it?! It should have ended where his "girlfriend", the doctor, and all the people from the class come to his apartment the next day to find it completely empty, with a note addressed to them that simply says "Fuck You."

[Pól Rua]

I bitch about THE VILLAGE because it's nothing but a "Twilight Zone" episode on steroids. I saw the ending coming an hour into the movie. Still, a lot of people seem to prefer THE VILLAGE to "Signs" which I thought was the far better movie

I bitch about 'The Village' because it's a classic bait-and-switch.
"Do you like horror movies? Do you like monsters? How about period pieces? Then come and see my movie!"

And then, after you've handed over your cash.
"Hahaha! You dumb bastards! Eat shit, it's a lame reworking of 'Witness'! You dumb rubes!"

Sod that noise.

[IamtheRock3]

Are you talking about the REAL ending, or the American edit which cuts out the last three seconds?
Cause that edit sucks balls.

Although can see how people like the dark ending of the directors cut

Think it suffered from the TO MANY endings curse. Like the weird chase was just...wierd

[Agent Helix]

Equilibriium and Anger Management have proven this thread title to be utterly meaningless.

[IamtheRock3]

Equilibriium and Anger Management have proven this thread title to be utterly meaningless.

Hey Equilirum good, it just a required taste

[Darth Joker]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Return of the King and it's infamous 14 endings yet.

I think that this tends to get a bit of a pass since the actual book had even more post-climax activity than the movie based on it did. Basically, as long as the movie's post-climax part was, it was still shorter than that of the book's.

Which, honestly, is one of Tolkien's very few weaknesses as a writer (I found the same to be true of "The Hobbit"). He has a hard time finishing things off with out going into overly great detail.

That being said, Return of the King would have been a bit better if it had, say, 2 fewer endings than the 14 that were shown. ;)

[Thorlief]

Since some of you consider Saving private Ryan a good movie (I think it's a pile of crap) I'm going to say the ending made no sense at all

[Jared]

Since some of you consider Saving private Ryan a good movie (I think it's a pile of crap) I'm going to say the ending made no sense at all

I can understand why you might not care for the way things worked out, I can't think of anything that didn't make sense, either from a character or a plotting standpoint.


ROTK could have simply ended with Aragorn's coronation. He's the king, and now he has returned, thus the title is fufilled and the credits may roll. Everything after that could just as well have been left for the Extended DVD.

[Black Atom]

I can understand why you might not care for the way things worked out, I can't think of anything that didn't make sense, either from a character or a plotting standpoint.


ROTK could have simply ended with Aragorn's coronation. He's the king, and now he has returned, thus the title is fufilled and the credits may roll. Everything after that could just as well have been left for the Extended DVD.

That would've been a suitable ending to that film, but not the whole story, which was as much a growth arc for the hobbits as anything. We needed to square up with them somehow. It would've bookended nicely with a voiceover of Frodo finishing Bilbo's story and a montage of the 8 different end scenes, ending with those two going off to the gray havens. In any case, I don't think it ruined the whole movie.

[Thorlief]

I can understand why you might not care for the way things worked out, I can't think of anything that didn't make sense, either from a character or a plotting standpoint.


I simply love how old Ryan is able to remember things he has never witnessed. Or was it simply one of the cheapest, less meaningful tricks Spielberg has ever performed? We will never know

[Black Atom]

I simply love how old Ryan is able to remember things he has never witnessed. Or was it simply one of the cheapest, less meaningful tricks Spielberg has ever performed? We will never know

You missed the obvious subtext of the movie. Private Ryan was Jesus.

[Sean Whitmore]

I simply love how old Ryan is able to remember things he has never witnessed. Or was it simply one of the cheapest, less meaningful tricks Spielberg has ever performed? We will never know

Was the movie supposed to be Ryan's flashback? It's been a while since I've seen it, but I don't remember thinking of it that way. I thought the scene shift from past Ryan to present Ryan was just that.


SEAN

[kalorama]

Was the movie supposed to be Ryan's flashback? It's been a while since I've seen it, but I don't remember thinking of it that way. I thought the scene shift from past Ryan to present Ryan was just that.

Same here. It was a recounting of his experience but not a direct recollection on his part.

[jesse_custer]

Since some of you consider Saving private Ryan a good movie (I think it's a pile of crap) I'm going to say the ending made no sense at all

The WWII veterans I've talked to also consider it a powerful film.

In short, movies are primarily a visual medium, and "Private Ryan" revolutionized visuals, both in terms of realism and camerawork (and one can tell that Spielberg's work in "Ryan" has had quite the influence on the extremely talented Alfonso Cuaron). You could make a similar argument for sound.

[wingsofdamnation]

spiderman 2. it should of ended with harry finding his fathers secret lair. the whole MJ running from the wedding ruined it for me

[BoosterBronze]

I simply love how old Ryan is able to remember things he has never witnessed. Or was it simply one of the cheapest, less meaningful tricks Spielberg has ever performed? We will never know

I'll just chime in with the 'I never thought it was a flashback" crowd and say I thought the movie's ending made perfect sense.

[jessecuster3]

My contribution:

Revenge

Kevin Costner has an affair with his friend's wife. The friend, Anthony Quinn, a powerful Mexican businessman, has the two of them beaten, the wife thrown in a brothel, and the Costner character is left for dead. He manages to battle back to confront the friend.

Hated, hated, hated it.




This one and not No Way Out? That one is on my list for one of the worst, tacked on endings of all time.

[Thorlief]

The WWII veterans I've talked to also consider it a powerful film.

In short, movies are primarily a visual medium, and "Private Ryan" revolutionized visuals, both in terms of realism and camerawork (and one can tell that Spielberg's work in "Ryan" has had quite the influence on the extremely talented Alfonso Cuaron). You could make a similar argument for sound.

hail to the veterans, still the movie was a piece of crap for many reasons in my opinion. And if they're going to say the Germans were stupid enough to drive a panzer through a alley which basically screams "TRAP" the war wouldve ended in two months, and this is just an example


Clerks 2 had a terrible ending. Where did all this sugar coated bs come out? This is clerks guys, not Love Actually! (which is a pretty good movie, but you get the point)

[The Zapper]

hail to the veterans, still the movie was a piece of crap for many reasons in my opinion. And if they're going to say the Germans were stupid enough to drive a panzer through a alley which basically screams "TRAP" the war wouldve ended in two months, and this is just an example

I'm right there with you.

[jesse_custer]

hail to the veterans, still the movie was a piece of crap for many reasons in my opinion. And if they're going to say the Germans were stupid enough to drive a panzer through a alley which basically screams "TRAP" the war wouldve ended in two months, and this is just an example

But what about the advancements of visuals and sound within the movie?

Also, poor war decisions are made everyday, and there's no reason to believe that there weren't dumb decisions made during World War II. Especially in isolated incidents.

Lastly, the only reason I mention WWII veterans is because if they say the movie is the most realistic and/or accurate war film ever made, then I think it's wise to trust their first-hand experience over people who weren't there at all. Sure, maybe not all details are accounted for. It would be impossible to do so. But if you can catch the spirit of war, then that's admirable.

[The Zapper]

But what about the advancements of visuals and sound within the movie?

I also agree with you on these points.


EDIT: I would suggest Band of Brothers to anyone who watched SPR. It takes those advancements and masters them and tells a much much better story.

[Thorlief]

But what about the advancements of visuals and sound within the movie?

Also, poor war decisions are made everyday, and there's no reason to believe that there weren't dumb decisions made during World War II. Especially in isolated incidents.

Lastly, the only reason I mention WWII veterans is because if they say the movie is the most realistic and/or accurate war film ever made, then I think it's wise to trust their first-hand experience over people who weren't there at all. Sure, maybe not all details are accounted for. It would be impossible to do so. But if you can catch the spirit of war, then that's admirable.

I never said Spielberg did a bad job at directing it. In fact I think the movie was superbly produced, edited and directed

accurate? Spielberg himself said he opted to replace military tactics for dramatic effects. So what did he want exactly? A drama or a realistic movie? I could mention 10000 things that were wrong in this movie, but this is not the right place to do so

[The Batman]

A movie that doesn't get all the little details right but is still able to effectively communicate the visceral emotional reality of the experience.

I thought in many ways he did that.

[stealthwise]

Clerks 2 had a terrible ending. Where did all this sugar coated bs come out? This is clerks guys, not Love Actually! (which is a pretty good movie, but you get the point)

Clerks 2 was mildly entertaining in a grossout way, but the ending made it a good movie. Seriously, why deny those guys actual happiness? It ended the only way you could end it without pissing off your audience, and it makes perfect sense in terms of the characters.

[Thorlief]

Clerks 2 was mildly entertaining in a grossout way, but the ending made it a good movie. Seriously, why deny those guys actual happiness? It ended the only way you could end it without pissing off your audience, and it makes perfect sense in terms of the characters.

it felt too Hollywoodish for my tastes, but the movie itself was disappointing.

A movie that doesn't get all the little details right but is still able to effectively communicate the visceral emotional reality of the experience.

I thought in many ways he did that.

yes but then again, why call it realistic? It's a decent war movie in my opinion, and just to make an example, The iron cross was ten times better

[The Batman]

Um, probably for the same reasons all those veterans were called it that?

Because it was a realistic portrayal of the experience. Realism isn't just about getting the number of rivets on a tiger tank right; realism is more than just technical accuracy.

[the goddamn batman]

accurate? Spielberg himself said he opted to replace military tactics for dramatic effects. So what did he want exactly? A drama or a realistic movie? I could mention 10000 things that were wrong in this movie, but this is not the right place to do so

Dude, you answer your own question right there.

"Spielberg himself said he opted to replace military tactics for dramatic effects. So what did he want exactly?"

Obviously, he wanted dramatic effect. It's far more important in a move than accuracy.

"I could mention 10000 things that were wrong in this movie"

Why bother? Spielberg obviously decided to leave those things out on favor of dramatic effect.

And, in the end, just because you didn't like the movie, or it wasn't 100% accurate, doesn't make it a bad movie. Jsut because, say, I liked it, or veterans liked it, doesn't make it a good movie. It's all opinions, and argueing about them won't get us anywhere.

[Deathstroke]

Kissing Jessica Stein.

Everything that was great about the movie got ruined in the last 10-15 minutes.

[Thorlief]

Dude, you answer your own question right there.

"Spielberg himself said he opted to replace military tactics for dramatic effects. So what did he want exactly?"

Obviously, he wanted dramatic effect. It's far more important in a move than accuracy.

"I could mention 10000 things that were wrong in this movie"

Why bother? Spielberg obviously decided to leave those things out on favor of dramatic effect.

And, in the end, just because you didn't like the movie, or it wasn't 100% accurate, doesn't make it a bad movie. Jsut because, say, I liked it, or veterans liked it, doesn't make it a good movie. It's all opinions, and argueing about them won't get us anywhere.


really? That's why I repeatedly stated IN MY OPINION in my posts

[BoosterBronze]

I think "Starship Troopers" had one of the worst endings ever. Not that I didn't like the final seens, I was just sad that it ever had to end.

[Agent Helix]

really? That's why I repeatedly stated IN MY OPINION in my posts

Saying something is "your opinion" doesn't make it immune to rebuttal. Opinions can be wrong.

[Ramiel]

EDIT: Nevermind

[Thorlief]

Saying something is "your opinion" doesn't make it immune to rebuttal. Opinions can be wrong.

sure, and I accept it. What does it make you think otherwise?

[KenK]

I think "Starship Troopers" had one of the worst endings ever. Not that I didn't like the final seens, I was just sad that it ever had to end.

That truly is a beautiful film.

[Mac Danny]

I think "Starship Troopers" had one of the worst endings ever. Not that I didn't like the final seens, I was just sad that it ever had to end.

For me, I would have loved if Starship troopers ended with Rico getting the news about his old bitch GF, shrug his shoulders and continue with his original mission.

She had no strategic info, she was a bitch, she has fun dip sticks for teeth. I say, Let her die!

[mlcm]

My least favorite ending is "Chinatown." Great movie until the last five minutes. We've followed Jack around for the whole movie, it's his story, he has to figure out where he stands and.....

The ending has nothing to do with anything that he's done. He's totally passive at the end. I don't care if it ended with everybody dead, you can't just say "oh, he doesn't matter" at the end of a movie."

At least this criticism doesn't include the "I didn't get it" clause. Because you definitely get the ending. The whole point is that you're supposed to forget what happens in Chinatown, and you're not supposed to do anything. It's alluded to more than once in the film.

Worst ending for me? Probably AI, but I didn't find it to be a "good movie" to begin with so there's that.

A film that has a twist ending that changes everything we've seen doesn't make it a bad ending. But a twist ending that changes everything we've seen for no apparent point is a bad ending. For example, "Lucky Number Slevin". I watched this entirely and wondered what the hell the point of the movie was. There's a terrible ending that makes little sense in context of the film. Why did I watch the first eighty minutes then?

As a huge fan of the Coens, I found it heartbreaking that "The Ladykillers" was so mediocre. The ending wasn't funny or poignant or anything.

Speaking of the Coens and "No Country for Old Men" I'd like to point out that the ending is rather faithful to the source material. Whether or not that changes your opinion of the quality of the ending is up to you. Personally, I loved, loved, loved the film entirely.

A terrible cliche of an ending is many films that features dogs as the main character. Often they die at the end. So often that you can predict the ending based on the amount of soft-focus used in the trailer.

[mistervader]

Korean movie called "Sex Is Zero" was a riot: a laugh-a-minute gross-out sex comedy.

But the ending? Made you feel guilty for EVEN laughing.

[Laughing Mask]

"Sleepaway Camp".



somebody actualy remembers sleepaway camp?


AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

[mlcm]

I sort of enjoyed the ending to Sleepaway Camp. It's very transgressive.

[BoosterBronze]

I'll go with the Golden Compass and and ending that took a crummy movie and made it unbeleiveably bad.


After a battle between two armies we don't really know why they are there, the heroine and some people we're not sure why they're helping her climb into a balloon to rescue the father, who as far as I can tell is not really in any danger. Then the movie fades to black and the credits start.

[BoosterBronze]

My least favorite endings:

"Sleepaway Camp".


Sleepaway would be completely forgotten if not for that ending.

[Legato]

I'll go with the Golden Compass and and ending that took a crummy movie and made it unbeleiveably bad.


After a battle between two armies we don't really know why they are there, the heroine and some people we're not sure why they're helping her climb into a balloon to rescue the father, who as far as I can tell is not really in any danger. Then the movie fades to black and the credits start.

Why dont you try reading the books instead. If you still dont like it then well you cant please everyone.

[BoosterBronze]

Why dont you try reading the books instead. If you still dont like it then well you cant please everyone.

The books might be the greatest books ever written by mankind, but I don't think that has any bearing on a film so poorly told that when it ended I was shocked, because the climax was SO anticlimactic, I honestly hadn't realized it had occured.

[mlcm]

The books might be the greatest books ever written by mankind, but I don't think that has any bearing on a film so poorly told that when it ended I was shocked, because the climax was SO anticlimactic, I honestly hadn't realized it had occured.

Further proof that I probably will never watch the films, as I don't want them to sully my excellent experience with the books.

[matt_hatyber]

did anyone say superman returns? THAT IS ONE HORRIBLE ENDing.

[Legato]

did anyone say superman returns? THAT IS ONE HORRIBLE ENDing.

That falls under the line of, just forget that movie ever happened, category.

[Dreadstar]

did anyone say superman returns? THAT IS ONE HORRIBLE ENDing.

No, because in order for it to qualify, it would have had to have been a "good movie."

[Legato]

No, because in order for it to qualify, it would have had to have been a "good movie."

Well In HIS opinion he considered it a good movie up until the ending ruined it.

[jesse_custer]

I thought "Superman Returns" was an average movie with an average ending.

[Toku King]

did anyone say superman returns? THAT IS ONE HORRIBLE ENDing.

It was bad before the ending, but the twist ending made it unwatchable.

[mlcm]

What about "Identity" with John Cusack? There was a terrible ending.

[Sean Whitmore]

It was bad before the ending, but the twist ending made it unwatchable.

What twist ending? If you mean the kid, that reveal happened a good half hour before the end of the movie.


SEAN

[Toku King]

What twist ending? If you mean the kid, that reveal happened a good half hour before the end of the movie.


SEAN

It was a part of the ending. It resolved a lot of questions, and helped add to the very ending of the movie.

[DF2506]

I was trying to think of an ending I didn't like, because really there are quiete a few movies that people listed here that I've either not seen (like the Departed, Golden Compass, etc) or a totally disagree with them about the ending (I liked Spiderman 3s ending, Minority Report, Superman Returns, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ESPECIALLY--love that movie-, and a few of the others)...but then I thought of...and why hasn't anyone mentioned this yet..it was just AWFUL....

MATRIX 3!!!! UGH! The ending to that was AWFUL. Just what the frak were the Brothers thinking?! Were they even thinking?! I don't know. Cause that ending made NO SENSE WHAT SO EVER. Of course, neither did the rest of the movie. I was watching that movie and wondering what the heck was going on. Sure, Reloaded wasn't great (it from ok to good), but the third one sucked. It was just awful. Especially that ending. I think the orignal Matrix was a classic. Just a great sci-fi flick. But after that...they just completly lost the direction of the trilogy. Man it could have been a great trilogy...

What else? Oh I can't think of anything else at the moment....oh wait Star Trek Nemisis...no I can't even remember the ending on that one...just an awful movie there.

Oh...and Million Dollar Baby. Gah! It was a really good movie until...well..the big moment in the movie where everything just goes downhill cause hey we have to be "realistic" and "different". gah. I just wanted a good ending there. It was cool movie to a point...

Hmm. Thats all I can think of right now.

DF2506

[Legato]

I was trying to think of an ending I didn't like, because really there are quiete a few movies that people listed here that I've either not seen (like the Departed, Golden Compass, etc) or a totally disagree with them about the ending (I liked Spiderman 3s ending, Minority Report, Superman Returns, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ESPECIALLY--love that movie-, and a few of the others)...but then I thought of...and why hasn't anyone mentioned this yet..it was just AWFUL....

MATRIX 3!!!! UGH! The ending to that was AWFUL. Just what the frak were the Brothers thinking?! Were they even thinking?! I don't know. Cause that ending made NO SENSE WHAT SO EVER. Of course, neither did the rest of the movie. I was watching that movie and wondering what the heck was going on. Sure, Reloaded wasn't great (it from ok to good), but the third one sucked. It was just awful. Especially that ending. I think the orignal Matrix was a classic. Just a great sci-fi flick. But after that...they just completly lost the direction of the trilogy. Man it could have been a great trilogy...

What else? Oh I can't think of anything else at the moment....oh wait Star Trek Nemisis...no I can't even remember the ending on that one...just an awful movie there.

Oh...and Million Dollar Baby. Gah! It was a really good movie until...well..the big moment in the movie where everything just goes downhill cause hey we have to be "realistic" and "different". gah. I just wanted a good ending there. It was cool movie to a point...

Hmm. Thats all I can think of right now.

DF2506


IMO The Matrix should never have had a sequal to begin with. The sequals were pretty much a cash cow banking off of the success of the first movie.

The ending to the first Matrix was perfect, Neo accepted his path as The Chosen One, yet the movie left it whare while the battle ended the war is still continuing.

I can agree with Million Dollar Baby, that ending was really cold. I guess the director didn't want another Rocky approach so he decided to go with the ending he feels is justified.

[mlcm]

Oh...and Million Dollar Baby. Gah! It was a really good movie until...well..the big moment in the movie where everything just goes downhill cause hey we have to be "realistic" and "different". gah. I just wanted a good ending there. It was cool movie to a point...


Would you have preferred Eastwood to have ending the film with Swank's character winning the championship, making good with her family, falling in love and living happily ever after? Or with Swank losing the championship, but learning a valuable lesson from it?

I'm not a fan of "Million Dollar Baby" - as I don't care for Swank or sports movies - but I applaud Eastwood for the pretty ballsy move at the end.

[IamtheRock3]

Dude just rented the DVD Shattered
with pierce bronsand, the guy who played the king in sparta, and the chick form HISTORY OF VIOLENCE


awesome movie till the end

The twist is dumb...cause it applies that you see certain people as heroes and be on THIER side...which you know what I wasnt

Those two people were TOTAL monsters

[IamtheRock3]

oh it called the butterfly and the wheel in some parts

[jesse_custer]

On "Million Dollar Baby," Eastwood was not only making a ballsy move; he was also trying to be faithful to the original story.

[the goddamn batman]

Stranger than Fiction. Sure, it was a rom-com and those ususally scare me, but I like Will Farrell enough to give it a chance... and it was interesting enough, and cute and funny enough until the fucking end. UGH.

That and Click both need to be reedited by me. They'd be much better movies... certainly Click.

[Tobias March]

Stranger than Fiction. Sure, it was a rom-com and those ususally scare me, but I like Will Farrell enough to give it a chance... and it was interesting enough, and cute and funny enough until the fucking end. UGH.

That and Click both need to be reedited by me. They'd be much better movies... certainly Click.

I loved the ending to Stranger than Fiction. Harold is constantly told that a character has to die and of course he was meant to be that character, to give the story meaning. Then when the 'ending', happens that is fulfilled, but in an offhand way, because Emma Thompson's writer changed her mind.

See it's all about the watch :)

edit: as for my vote? Minority Report. There were times when this film had the potential to be the best PKD adapt since Blade Runner. The surveillance spider drones and such. Terrifying, paranoid stuff. But whatever went before, the generic action sequences and such - that ending...or the Werther's Original ending as I like to call it...with the golden hue and all. Ugh.

Anyway A Scanner Darkly came along a few years later and kicked its ass. Mr Spielberg needs to learn how to end films again.

[the goddamn batman]

I loved the ending to Stranger than Fiction. Harold is constantly told that a character has to die and of course he was meant to be that character, to give the story meaning. Then when the 'ending', happens that is fulfilled, but in an offhand way, because Emma Thompson's writer changed her mind.

See it's all about the watch :)


Yeah, I get it, I just would have enjoyed it more if he'd died and the credits rolled. But that's just me. I feel the same way about CLICK; it should have ended at his sons wedding. Roll credits.

I think in the case of CLICK, it would have made a better impact or made the point of the film stronger. With Stranger than Fiction, I would have just liked it better. But you know, feel good and all that.

[darkwolf]

Just wait for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That 19 years later thing is really stupid.