Most Surprising Ending or Plot Twist

The 14th Colony · August 11th, 2004, 11:21 PM

There you go. Think about each film, assuming you've seen each one (If you haven't seen No Way Out, BTW, it's a film you must see.), and consider how surprised or moved you were by the plot twists that changed the perception of each film's story. Which surprise ending or plot twist struck you the most as completely unexpected and impactful?

I'm slightly torn. The only choice listed that I never saw was The Others. The rest took me by surprise (except the 6th Sense, I realized the twist right before it came up), but the 3 which struck me the most were Fight Club, The Village, and No Way Out.

P.S. Please do not reveal the endings to The Village or any of the newest ones, in case others reading this thread may be inspired to see them.

Archangel · August 11th, 2004, 11:27 PM

Out of the ones that I've seen on your list, I'll have to go with Planet of The Apes. I'm surprised 12 monkeysisn't there. Hated the movie, but I'll give credit where credit is due.

The 14th Colony · August 11th, 2004, 11:29 PM

I had forgotten to include 12 Monkeys. But what about from the poll? Which one there?

Archangel · August 11th, 2004, 11:30 PM

When I typed my answer, I didn't see the poll. My bad

The 14th Colony · August 11th, 2004, 11:32 PM

No worries.

thomas7g · August 12th, 2004, 01:55 AM

I've only seen the bottom three. So out of those I would have to say Planet of the Apes. That was pretty big at the time. Though my favorite ending of the bunch was Sixth Sense.

Though to me the master of twists was Alfred Hitchcock. And well its hard to beat Psycho's ending. Though that wasn't scifi.

bsg1fan1975 · August 12th, 2004, 03:45 AM

can't vote on these as I have never seen any of them!

PlaidSquadron · August 12th, 2004, 07:33 AM

sixth sense was awesome. It is my vote for the most obvious ending (when you know its coming) but when you don't know it - its a shock

basically - all the clues are really there. I just missed most of them the first time

The 14th Colony · August 12th, 2004, 08:15 AM

Damn, I forgot to list The Life Of David Gale. That was a touching movie, with a powerful surprise ending. I should have had that in the choices.

julix · August 12th, 2004, 08:28 AM

My call is planet of the apes.......didn't see all the choices but I do remember being blown away by planet of the apes.

Gemini1999 · August 12th, 2004, 08:45 AM

I would have to go with Planet of the Apes - it's ending was very surprising to me given the fact that they were to have traveled many light years away from Earth. That, and the fact that most of the clues in the film were so subtle that they did not "telegraph" the ending before it happened.

I liked "The Sixth Sense" too - but after you've seen it once, the surprise has been blown and it doesn't have the same feel to it. Most of the movies that came after it (some of which I haven't seen) tried to use the same formula, but they're just copies of TSS to my mind - Just movie producers trying to copy someone else's success. It really begins to wear thin after a while.

julix · August 12th, 2004, 09:26 AM

Did anyone see the final countdown....about a ship that goes back in time....anyway I know it wasn't a choice but I remember the ending was a twist.

The 14th Colony · August 12th, 2004, 09:40 AM

Yes, The Final Countdown is one of my favorite time travel movies, and the relevation at the end was a mental eye opener. Although I loved the Terminator films, I'd likely say that Final Countdown was my favorite time travel movie. It was because of that film that I knew they couldn't have destroyed Skynet at the end of T2, because of the conversation in the captain's cabin and the statement by Martin Sheen's character. ("What if I went back in time and met my very own grandfather, before he had my father...and we got into a fight and I killed him...how could I be born? And if I couldn't be born, how could I go back in time and kill my own grandfather?") It was that movie that helped me to see that John Conner couldn't have helped destroy Skynet because without Skynet his father wouldn't have gone back in time and met his mother, ect. ect. To those who read my Battlestar Galactica novel summary it was that movie and that conversation that shaped some of the concepts in that story.

julix · August 12th, 2004, 10:02 AM

14th....
I felt the same way...loved it. And it brought up some very interesting points about time travel. I also thought it was well done and I love movies that incorperate WWII(my dad was a paratrooper) I hadn't really had that perspective in mind with terminator but I see how you did and it makes sense....the light bulb comes on! No, but really it is a great flick!

Archangel · August 12th, 2004, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julix

Did anyone see the final countdown....about a ship that goes back in time....anyway I know it wasn't a choice but I remember the ending was a twist.

Was that the one with Kirk Douglas portraying a captain of an aircraft carrier (I think it was the Enterprise) who gets shifted to WWII? If it is, I remember it and enjoyed it.

julix · August 12th, 2004, 10:26 AM

Yes archangel...it was with Kirk Douglas...Martin Sheen...I believe it ws the Nimitz(the name of the ship)...it was transported by a weird"storm" to WWII and they got caught up in the events but couldn't change the outcome...Pearl Harbor....just thinking about it make me

BSGDAN · August 12th, 2004, 10:27 AM

The ship in "The Final Countdown" was the Nimitz.

Anyway, in my opinion, the most surprising ending came from a film not on the list-"To Live and Die in LA". The result of the locker room meeting between William Petersen, John Pankow, and Willem Dafoe was a true shocker.

Dan

Archangel · August 12th, 2004, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSGDAN

The ship in "The Final Countdown" was the Nimitz.

Dan

I stand corrected! I appear to have The Big E on the brain and boy, is it heavy.

The 14th Colony · August 15th, 2004, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel

I stand corrected! I appear to have The Big E on the brain and boy, is it heavy.

Well, the first statement of your signature would justify that.

Archangel · August 15th, 2004, 12:38 AM

Why, thank you kind sir :laugh:

The 14th Colony · August 15th, 2004, 01:02 AM

You're quite welcome.

Sci-Fi · August 15th, 2004, 09:52 PM

All good choices in the poll. Here are a few more: The Outer Limits episode "To Serve Man" was a cook book. Basic Instinct, The Sting, Dr. Strangelove, Vertigo, Deathtrap, Charade, The Killing, The Score, Witness for the Prosecution, The Woman in the Window, Soylent Green, Casablanca, Failsafe, etc etc

julix · August 16th, 2004, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sci-Fi

All good choices in the poll. Here are a few more: The Outer Limits episode "To Serve Man" was a cook book. Basic Instinct, The Sting, Dr. Strangelove, Vertigo, Deathtrap, Charade, The Killing, The Score, Witness for the Prosecution, The Woman in the Window, Soylent Green, Casablanca, Failsafe, etc etc

All good picks...especially "to serve man" Classic....