10 Controversial Movie Endings Were Still Debating Today
The ending is the most important part of a film. It completes the story being told and is the lasting impression audiences leave the theater with, thus holding tremendous sway over opinion of the film. With the release of Glass, we are treated once again to a movie with a controversial ending. It seems that for a lot of people, enjoyment of Glass largely hinges on how you feel about the ending (the third act overall really), and you either love it or hate it, with very little middle ground.
Glass is, of course, not the first movie with a controversial ending; its not even the first M. Night Shyamalan movie with a controversial ending. So in light of Glasss divisive ending, it seems like the right time to look back at other controversial movie endings that we are still debating long after we first saw them. The films in this list have endings that are controversial for different reasons. They have a huge impact on whether you like the movie or not, with strong passions no matter what side you come down on. The endings dont have to be ambiguous a la The Wrestler, although they can be; they just have to be controversial. Here are 10 controversial movie endings were still debating today.
The following contains SPOILERS for multiple films, so if you care and havent seen one of the entries, just skip to the next one.
ContactFor the majority of Robert Zemeckis 1997 movie Contact, we are watching a hard sci-fi story about humanity discovering the possibility of the existence of extra-terrestrial life and the impact that would have on individuals, faith and society. Then, when Jodie Fosters Dr. Arroway finally gets to use the machine that is expected to transport her to the Vega star system, things get weird.
From the perspective of the observers, the machine doesnt work and the transport vessel just drops right through the machine. But for Dr. Arroway, she is transported to a beach from her childhood, where she meets an alien that takes the form of her deceased father. When she returns, there is a discussion of whether or not the experience was all in her head.
This ending is controversial not only for the ambiguity of what actually happened (although it is strongly hinted that her experience was real), but also because of how a realistic and cerebral film in the end chose to be sentimental. The ending does fit with some of the themes of the film, but it also kind of cops out on showing aliens and can be considered overly schmaltzy.
The PrestigeEndings that leave you scratching your head and buying a ticket for the next showing to figure out what just happened are Christopher Nolans specialty, and he fittingly pulled some clever slight of hand with his tale of dueling magicians, The Prestige.
The end of the film is an assault of twists and reveals that show us how both Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) achieved their signature tricks. Angier repeatedly cloned himself via a machine built by Nikola Tesla, essentially meaning he killed himself every night. Borden is revealed to actually have a twin. The twin was charged with the murder of Robert Angier and dies for the crime that never actually happened. Borden returns to get back his daughter and kills Angier, winning the battle between the two.
Its a complicated and bewildering ending upon first viewing, and even though the reality of what happened seems straightforward in hindsight, it has nevertheless been the subject of tons of fan theories online positing alternative possibilities. Some also take issue with the ending because a film based on tricks and slight of hand in the end adds in real magic in the form of cloning.
Gone GirlIf you want to talk about controversial endings, look no further than David Finchers Gone Girl, which has an ending that you either love for its depravity or makes you want to scream with rage.
The ending, which is similar to the ending in Gillian Flynns novel, finds Ben Afflecks Nick Dunne staying with his psychotic wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike. This is after Amy faked her death and framed Nick for her murder. In a final act of cunning madness, she gets pregnant with Nicks baby, ruining any plans he had to expose her lies and evil to the public. He is forced to stay with her and endure for the sake of his child.
You want to scream at Nick to just pay child support or expose her and get the kid taken away, but for the love of God, dont stay with her! But to be fair, her actions and his are both true to their characters. We expect villains to get their comeuppance in movies and justice to be served, so its frustrating when that doesnt happen, and Gone Girl provides no such closure.
The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project started the found-footage sub-genre of horror, telling the story of three student filmmakers, Heather, Mike and Josh, who venture into the woods in Western Maryland to make a documentary about local legend, the Blair Witch. The film ends when Mike and Heather go into an abandoned house looking for Josh and are separated. The final image we see from Heathers camera is Mike just standing in a corner.
We are still debating this ending today and there are plenty of fan theories about what really happened and what it all means. Was there ever really a witch or not? Did Josh kill his friends or did he and Mike both plot to kill Heather? The weirdness and ambiguity of the ending provides plenty to discuss.
There is also a fair bit of controversy for a film that received such hype to end in this way. For some, the final image of Mike just standing in a basement corner is terrifying and intense. For others, it's not scary to the point of being laughable. Your opinion likely dictates whether you think The Blair Witch Project is a seminal moment in the genre or fodder for jokes.
Man of SteelIf you take a controversial character choice and add in the passionate opinions associated with superhero movies, you have a recipe for a debate more akin to a shouting match. Thats what we got with Man of Steel. At the end of Zack Snyders divisive film, Henry Cavills Superman is faced with a choice: either kill Michael Shannons General Zod or allow him to murder a helpless family. Superman chose the former and set off a contentious debate were still having to this day.
On the one hand, Supes had no choice, and as a hero, he couldnt let innocents die. But killing someone, even an enemy, goes against everything established canon over 70 years has told us about who Superman is. He doesnt kill, period. So even if he clearly had no choice, you could argue that the film should have never put Superman in that position.
Fans of Snyders DCEU vision passionately defend this choice while others loathe it and think that the director fundamentally misunderstands the character. Either way, its fascinating to look at how the end of Man of Steel and reaction to it set the story of the DCEU in the films after.
Blade RunnerBlade Runner is perhaps the most unique entry on this list because not only is its ending controversial, but there are multiple endings to the film and controversy over which ending is the true one. Depending on the version you watch, Harrison Fords Deckard and Sean Youngs Rachael either escape LA and live happily ever after in a natural landscape or their fate is left a mystery, as is Deckards status as either a human or a replicant.
So if you prefer a version or saw it first, you may take that ending as canon, regardless of what director Ridley Scott says. Thus this ending has been discussed and argued about for ages, both fueled by and contributing to Blade Runners status as an all-time science fiction classic.
As far as the question Is Deckard a replicant? goes, even the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, leaves that open for debate, adding multiple new wrinkles to think about. And so the ending of Blade Runner will be dissected and analyzed in forums and columns for years to come.
The VillageGiven his penchant for twists, its no surprise that Glass isnt the first M. Night Shyamalan film to have a controversial ending. There are multiple to pick from, but the ending of The Village seems to mark a turning point in the directors career, after that he went through a nadir that lasted multiple films before his recent resurgence.
In the film, a 19th century rural village lives in isolation, in fear of the wickedness of surrounding towns and the evil creatures that lurk in the woods beyond their borders. At the end of the film, we learn that this story is actually taking place in modern times, and that the village and the monsters are just elaborate creations of the town elders to avoid contact with the horrors of the modern world.
Its a doozy of an ending, but it doesnt work for everyone. Some find it anticlimactic and disappointing considering the fun mythology of monsters that the film was sold on. Others love the twistiness of it. M. Night Shyamalan endings are often controversial, but unlike The Happening, which is largely loathed, the ending of The Village has many ardent defenders.
TitanicTitanic is one of the most beloved and successful films of all time. It also features one of the most controversial endings of all time. After the ship sinks, Jack and Rose are trying to stay alive in the frigid Atlantic Ocean, and he helps her onto what appears to be a wooden door. There, Rose survives long enough to be rescued, while Jack dies of hypothermia in the water.
Ever since Titanic first enraptured moviegoers, people wondered why didnt Rose make room for Jack on the door. Whether there was enough room for both of them as there appears to have been has been the subject of countless discussions over the years. People have actually done practical recreations to show how these star-crossed lovers could have lived happily ever after.
Everyone has weighed in on this controversy, and thanks to the movies enduring popularity, it has become a permanent part of pop culture that will debated forever. James Cameron himself even got tired of hearing it over the years and offered the an appropriately cold response to the question of why Rose didnt make room, by saying It says on page 147 [of the script] that Jack dies.
InterstellarIt probably says something about Christopher Nolans style that he manages to get two films on this list. While Inception has probably Nolans most memorable ending for its ambiguity, I view the ending of Interstellar as more controversial and divisive.
At the end of the film, in an attempt to save the mission to colonize a habitable planet, Matthew McConaugheys Coop jettisons himself and the TARS robot into a black hole. There he enters a tesseract where space and time become, wait for it a flat circle. Coop then realizes that he was his daughter Murphs ghost in her bookshelf. When he is ejected from the tesseract, Coop is able to finally see Murph again on a space station.
Then he seemingly leaves this person hes spent the whole movie trying to get back to on her deathbed to go help Anne Hathaways Brand. Similar to Contact, Interstellars ending is either heartfelt and thematically rich or mawkish and disappointing. Like most Nolan endings, theres a lot to discuss and just as much to disagree about.
The MistFrank Darabonts The Mist, based on the Stephen King novella, finds a group of people, including Thomas Janes David and his son, hiding out in a grocery store from the deadly creatures lurking in the mysterious mist outside. At the end of the film, David, his son and three others escape the store in a car to seek salvation.
When the car runs out of gas, they all decide that there is no point in going on. So rather than suffering horrific deaths at the hands of the creatures, David shoots the others, including his own son, to spare them. David is left without a bullet for himself, but moments later the mist recedes, the army arrives and he sees that if he had only waited a few minutes longer, they would have been rescued.
Its an agonizing and brutal ending, and for that reason it is highly controversial, with think-pieces written both for and against it. Some view it as a great gut punch whereas others see it as ironic tragedy for its own sake. Stephen King, whose novellas ending is far more ambiguous (no child murder for sure), actually seems to really enjoy Frank Darabonts version.
Even if you hate a particular ending to a movie (and there are certainly plenty of hateable ones), controversial endings are still of value because they give us reasons to revisit a film, to discuss and debate it with others, and perhaps see it from different a perspective. That kind of engagement is one of the best parts of the moviegoing experience and helps movies to live on long after their release dates.
Christopher Nolan's latest film, according to Robert Pattinson, is so long 'it is the length of three movies'. This will be a record for the director who gave us Interstellar, Inception and
Robert Pattinson says script for Christopher Nolan's new
While Brightburn's protgonist Bradon Beyer shares the same abilities as DC's Man of Steel, it doesn't look like the comic book behemoth had any problem with James Gunn's upcoming horror/superhero movie. Clark Kent is the only hero in the history of media, plus Gunn has a working relationship with DC Studios.
No, DC Didn't Push Back On James Gunn's Brightburn | Amazing
More often than not, people don't acknowledge you for your contributions or accomplishments. Though you'd think they'd be glad to give what they'd appreciate getting themselves Psychology Today
Phoebe Waller-Bridge says new Bond movie (but not Bond himself) has to 'treat women properly' this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge says 'Bond 25' will treat "women
One character that fans want to see again in the Star Wars franchise is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan played an important part in both the prequels and original trilogy, so it makes sense that perhaps he could appear in Episode 9.
Star Wars 9: All The Rumors, Leaks & Spoilers | ScreenRant
Uwe Boll's first Rampage movie that debuted in 2009 stars Brendan Fletcher as a vengeful man named Bill Williamson, who builds a full-body suit of armor out of Kevlar, and goes on a killing rampage.
Conspiracy Theory Claims Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Movies
A Wrinkle in Time is a young adult novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle.First published in 1962, the book has won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.
Beloved books can turn into terrible movies. Will 'A Wrinkle
Charlie Hunnam has Sons of Anarchy to thank for much of his current success as a movie star.. The actor, who will next be seen in the Guy Ritchie film The Gentlemen, recently recalled how a break from filming the beloved FX motorcycle drama led to his first project with the acclaimed director.
What Is 'Sons Of Anarchy' Star Charlie Hunnam's Net Worth?
The Toys Come To Life In Video For Toy Story 4's Tear-Jerking Tune One of many many pleasures of every new Toy Story film is that we get new, tear-jerking songs from Randy Newman. From the long-lasting "You've Got a Friend in Me" to his Oscar-winning "We Belong Together," Randy Newman writes music for this franchise that matches the
The Toys Come To Life In Video For Toy Story 4's Tear-Jerking
Walt Disney's Story: A Look at the Man Behind the Success The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest media cooperations in the world in terms of revenue. The Company consists of various television networks, cable channels, associated production and distribution companies and television stations.
The REAL Stories Behind These Disney Movies Will Ruin Your
Earlier this week it was reported that Marc Maron is being sought after to be in the Joker movie that will star Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime. There's some not at all concrete
Joaquin Phoenix's Joker Movie Eyes 'Glow' Star Marc Maron
There's a new reimagined Battlestar Galalctica movie reportedly on the way. Here are the pros and cons of rebooting the tale. according to Variety, It's still a new Battlestar Galactica movie.
The Battlestar Galactica Reboot Is Still On, Get The Details
movie streaming script
movie i don't know how she does it streaming
full movie streaming youtube
airplane movie streaming
x deal full movie streaming
korea movie streaming
justice league movie streaming online
jumanji 2017 full movie streaming
qnap movie streaming
xbox one movie streaming sites 2018
reddit movie streaming
prospect movie streaming
heaven can wait movie streaming
hd movie streaming free
movie streaming sites uk
solarmovie streaming
can't buy me love movie streaming
good will hunting free movie streaming
movie streaming high quality
what we do in the shadows movie streaming
amazon movie streaming
top movie streaming sites
movie streaming box
legal movie streaming sites
movie streaming pc
movie streaming link
kulari ke pantai full movie streaming
uncle drew movie streaming
movie streaming europe
columbus movie streaming
movie streaming unblocked
how to download movie streaming
danur 2 full movie streaming
glass movie streaming
movie streaming list
movie streaming fmovies
online free movie streaming sites
movie streaming zgemma
who will write our history movie streaming
the little engine that could movie streaming
movie streaming game of thrones
best movie streaming xbox one
movie streaming like showbox
best movie streaming now
rbg movie streaming
movie streaming data usage
movie streaming market share
movie streaming deutsch
kursk movie streaming
i can only imagine movie streaming
movie streaming apps for roku
everest movie streaming
movie streaming check
youtube movie streaming
movie streaming top 10
rampage full movie streaming
must be love movie streaming
best free movie streaming app
how to watch movie streaming
online movie streaming
movie streaming v
where is the lego movie streaming
movie streaming apps xbox
si doel the movie streaming
equalizer 2 full movie streaming
best worst movie streaming
movie streaming free 2019
movie streaming xyz
movie streaming sites yahoo answers
wonder movie streaming
cold war movie streaming
movie streaming uae
what is movie streaming online
kl special force full movie streaming
movie streaming best sites
movie streaming websites free
nonton si doel the movie streaming
movie streaming on firestick
would i lie to you streaming french movie
movie streaming options
coco full movie streaming
streaming movie veer zaara
movie streaming revenue
movie streaming hd online
movie streaming apps for iphone
movie streaming bollywood
veere di wedding free movie streaming
what streaming movie should i watch tonight
movie streaming releases
ratatouille movie streaming
list of movie streaming sites
xbox one movie streaming
#HostalCASAMXalameda #Seriale #movietime #4thofjuly #watchuswork #watchtattoo #watchdose #holiday #watchobsessed #america #watchful #WatchRoss #watchquiz #watchestyle #netflix #fireworks #WatchUsRise #Serialemetitrashqip #filmlover #FreeMovies #putitinreverseterry #getsome #blackqueen #watchswag #filmizle #birdbox #americanflag #watchphoto #melanin #funnytime #Filma #watchthemoonrise #watchos4 #bff #filmtavsiyesi #watchingthesunset #watchluxus #tvroomdesign #TvSeries #independenceday #watchnerds #slay #blackiflix #blavity #blackking #merica #watchpornid #watchbrandname #fourthofjuly #netflixturkiye #blackenterprise #watchmaniac #movieaddict #melaninmagic #hostales #moviesstreaming #sandrabullock #watchenthusiasts #Movies #Filmametitrashqip #watchcandy #watchmovies #watchfamily #Filma24 #watchcrazy #SomosTuConexi #watchalert #watchblogger #blacktech #Zgerdhiu #filmyorumu #firecrackers #Qesh #filmography #WatchMovies #blacksuccess #WatchJunkie #watchhill #watchwomen #saladetv #blackbusiness #watchmvmt #TVSHow #CASAMXhostales #murica #blacksocialmedia #socialstreaming #blackhistory365
