This is topic Unexpected endings? in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by PanaceaSanans (Member # 13395) on :
 
Most movies nowadays don't have unexpected endings. The listed movies endings were not necessarily surprising to me, but pleasantly non-mainstream.

- Ex Machina
- Transcendence
- Knowing
- The Girl with All the Gifts

Or maybe they are mainstream, and I just approve of them because they share the underlying implication that for humanity (in the broadest sense) to persist, it must evolve, and therefore it must necessarily change - or be changed - drastically. Do you approve of this interpretation? Did you like the endings of these movies, or dislike them - as did most people I watched them with? Are there other movies with similarly themed endings that you can recommend?
 
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
 
Somehow I've managed to be ignorant of all 4 movies you list. Maybe I've heard of Ex Machina, but I know nothing about it.
 
Posted by capaxinfiniti (Member # 12181) on :
 
Two relatively recent films that first come to mind:

- Snowpiercer
- Swiss Army Man
 
Posted by capaxinfiniti (Member # 12181) on :
 
Rereading your post, PanaceaSanas, only Snowpiercier fits the interpretation of the movies you mentioned. SWA just has a huge plot twist.
 
Posted by PanaceaSanans (Member # 13395) on :
 
Thank you, capax! I don't believe I would enjoy Swiss Army Man much, but Snowpiercer definitely made the list.
 
Posted by Dogbreath (Member # 11879) on :
 
Oh, yeah! There was this movie I saw recently with a totally
 
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
 
I haven't seen all of those, but I loved Ex Machina and thought Knowing was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Ex Machina may have a twist ending, but the hints are there all along the way.

Knowing, on the other hand, was a mess. You think it's some sort of apocalyptic thriller where they're racing the clock to prevent a global disaster, but no. Apparently everything was completely inevitable, and the whole movie was pointless. Seriously, what was the point of warning anyone about all the disasters? It accomplished absolutely nothing.

Also, the beings who you thought were angels were actually aliens, and they're taking children to go populate some weird new world. It was one of the most out-of-left-field endings I've ever seen.
 
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
 
I loved Ex Machina but I thought the ending wasn't out of line with conventional thriller tropes. It was just such an excellently done movie overall - perfect performances, smart writing, just enough delightful absurdity. Plus I don't think I've ever seen another movie that had such polished FX in such an intimate setting.

I saw and liked Swiss Army Man, but I've mostly avoided digesting it. I think I enjoy it for the absurdity, the visuals and music, and the emotional content. It obviously can't be accepted at face value, but I think fully interpreting it might be a letdown compared to the raw experience of it.
 


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