The Energon Pub

Anybody have any ideas on your favourite surprise endings to movies? Big reveals that totally change a movie... make the bad ones good and the good ones great?

I guess for spoiler reasons, we should probably boldface movie titles and make the explanations in small font so people can skip those movies they don't want ruined for them. We could argue that people could just not read those sections they don't want to, but the eyes sometimes read what they want to. This, of course, is barring the famous ones like Darth Vader being Luke's father, etc.


A Perfect Getaway
The movie won't ever win any awards, but it wasn't that bad for a little-know effort, but... The cool bit was at the end where we find out that the main characters are actually the bad guys. Then the movie summarizes how it misled us the whole time. I saw this coming only a few seconds before they pulled it on us.

When I think best movie twist, the first that comes to my mind is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back when we find out that Vader is Luke's father. I apologize to all of you who did not already know this.

The Matrix, though I attribute that to great mysterious marketing. I don't think many actually knew what the plot was until they actually watched the movie.

Fight Club and Sixth Sense are obvious choices.

Psycho

Frailty

All 3 Scream movies had decent twists

The Sixth Sense

Unbreakable

All
I can think of for now.

The Usual Suspects

Evil_the_Nub wrote:The Usual Suspects

YES!!!

how about not "The village"? everyone saw that one coming

12 monkeys, Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Evil_the_Nub wrote:The Usual Suspects

YES. I can't believe I forgot that one.

I remember the first time I saw that movie, I only saw the last 15 minutes on TV and didn't know what I was watching. Years later, I saw it on DVD. As the movie went on, I started to realize it was the mysterious Kevin Spacey movie I saw. Even though I vaguely knew how the story was going to end, the twist still holds up.

Chaoslock wrote:12 monkeys

Evil_the_Nub wrote:The Usual Suspects

Ah, good choice. Love that movie.

The Usual Suspects is my fave

Basic with John Travolta and Sam Jackson.

Awesome movie with a number of twists. Sadly it normally gets negative reviews, as you need to pay attention to fully understand what actually happens.

I didn't enjoy it the first time I watched it, but I've seen it a number of times now (thanks Spike TV) and enjoyed a lot more on later watches.

Frailty was really good. That got me. As did Arlington Road. That one had a real I-did-not-see-that-coming ending. Also, the first time I saw it, Primal Fear also surprised me, but later the ending was obvious.

love!The Usual suspects
Lucky number Slevin
Identity
Orphan!
Devils Advocate
fight club
Sixth Sense
The others
The village
Donnie Darko
Seven
the mist
Soylent Green ew ;p

Blurrz wrote:

The Dark Knight

Everything in this movie.

The Dark Knight didn't really have a major plot twist. Outside of Rachael getting blown up, at least.

I would have to say that, as far as a minor plot twist goes, one of my favorites is George Clooney shooting Brad Pitt in the head in Burn After Reading.

Shadowman wrote:I would have to say that, as far as a minor plot twist goes, one of my favorites is George Clooney shooting Brad Pitt in the head in Burn After Reading.

One of the 1 or 2 good scenes in that movie.

An oldie, but a goodie...

"No, I am your father!"

Choke. The movie based on Chuck Palahniuk's book of the same name. Great twist ending.
War with Jet Li and Jason Statham had a good twist too.

The movie with the twist that actually pissed me off was The Boondock Saints. Il Duce being Conner and Murphy's father was so freaking stupid

Other than that, the movie was amazing, but that twist pissed me off a lot.

The Mist, well the ending at least.

I dont watch many movies not based on comic books or cartoons, but there is one movie that I thought was a twist.
It may have been a very obvious movie to many people here, but... GI Joe.

I knew NOTHING about GI Joe before I saw the movie. I thought that German or Russian guy or whatever was going to be Cobra. Damn, I felt stupid...oh, and the president being evil got me too. I dont know if this is how it was in the cartoon or not, i just know it suprised me when I saw it.

SlyTF1 wrote:I knew NOTHING about GI Joe before I saw the movie. I thought that German or Russian guy or whatever was going to be Cobra.

McCullen/Destro was Scottish. Though I don't know if that's what you mean, but there wasn't any German or Russian character on Cobra's side as far as I remember. Also, you're thinking of Cobra Commander. Cobra is the Organization, Cobra Commander is the crazy dude in the mask controlling the organization.

SlyTF1 wrote:Damn, I felt stupid...oh, and the president being evil got me too. I dont know if this is how it was in the cartoon or not, i just know it suprised me when I saw it.

The president wasn't evil. Zartan definitely is, though.

Shadowman wrote:

SlyTF1 wrote:I knew NOTHING about GI Joe before I saw the movie. I thought that German or Russian guy or whatever was going to be Cobra.

McCullen/Destro was Scottish. Though I don't know if that's what you mean, but there wasn't any German or Russian character on Cobra's side as far as I remember. Also, you're thinking of Cobra Commander. Cobra is the Organization, Cobra Commander is the crazy dude in the mask controlling the organization.

SlyTF1 wrote:Damn, I felt stupid...oh, and the president being evil got me too. I dont know if this is how it was in the cartoon or not, i just know it suprised me when I saw it.

The president wasn't evil. Zartan definitely is, though.

All thats what I ment.

I have to Nominate the following two movies.

Moon staring Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell. It had a couple twists that I found very original. First off the major twist is that you see everything coming there are no suprises in the entire movie and you realize it's made that way, the second twist is Gerty who you think is just gonna be another Hal knockoff is just the opposite he really does want to help Sam Bell and Sam Bell and Sam Bell and Sam Bell. Ok I need to stop that...

The second movie I have to Nominate is Serenity for the following rason. During the end fight suquence you honestly think the entire crew of the Serenity is gonna die.

Tristar wrote:The second movie I have to Nominate is Serenity for the following rason. During the end fight suquence you honestly think the entire crew of the Serenity is gonna die.

That's not a twist, that's suspense. It's almost a requirement in actions movies that the hero or heroes be in serious, life-threatening danger. Instilling that sense of worry in the audience is a very common practice.

Wash dying, though, THAT was a twist. Right outta left field, and all you can do is sit there, mouth agape, wondering what just happened.