Movie endings you didn't like (spoilers)

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Connor B

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Exactly what it says on the tin. For me, it's got to be Juno. Juno gives birth, the sea monkey's adopted by Vanessa, everything seems hunky-dory, right? Oh, wait! Vanessa's single now, and has a high paying job that will eat up anytime she intends to spend with the little one! How's that for a happy ending?
 

Jackal.S.Rogue

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Jul 23, 2014
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The Mist. The book's ending was far superior and would've worked onscreen just fine, imho.
The ending to The Mist was truly horrific and perfect for a horror movie.

As for movies I didn't like the end of, it's really only Stephen King movies that seem to have endings I hate, top of the list would be IT and second would be Mercy, the ending to that one was just wrong, it made the death wolf irrelevant and he got rid of the the demon by crying on a book really? Mercy should have ended with the death wolf killing the grandmother and the demon along with her.
 

days be strange

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The Mist. The book's ending was far superior and would've worked onscreen just fine, imho.

I liked the movie's ending. I though it was a good shake up from the book. I liked it a bit different. I remember reading SK liked it too.

"Frank wrote a new ending that I loved. It is the most shocking ending ever and there should be a law passed stating that anybody who reveals the last 5 minutes of this film should be hung from their neck until dead." Stephen King - "Frank wrote a new ending that I loved. It... | Facebook

also in there was this

He recalled sending the new ending to King and saying, “Listen, if you hate the ending, I won’t make the movie.” King’s reply, Darabont said, was that he loved it and thought that every generation there should be a movie that dares to not give audiences what they want.

The article was really short but an interesting read. ‘The Mist': Frank Darabont, Thomas Jane on ‘angry, bleak’ ending | Hero Complex – movies, comics, pop culture – Los Angeles Times
 
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blunthead

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The ending to The Mist was truly horrific and perfect for a horror movie.
I've explained my position on this a couple of times on the board already, not that other opinions don't matter.

He recalled sending the new ending to King and saying, “Listen, if you hate the ending, I won’t make the movie.” King’s reply, Darabont said, was that he loved it and thought that every generation there should be a movie that dares to not give audiences what they want.

What was sK going to say?.
I think it was lousy because it was predictable and changed what was a truly scary idea, the one in the book where the end of mankind due to mutant evolution seems imminent, to a weak, 50s copout ending where man finally wins.

So, there.
 
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blunthead

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Gotta second that emotion, Bloont. For me it felt cheap and gimmicky, an unnecessary 'gotcha' moment, ala M. Night SHAM-alot.

Up till then the flick was fine.
Yes the movie up til then is one of my favorite scifi movies.
In addition to my previous complaints, the fact that the idea that the three adults would agree within minutes of running out of gas to go ahead and murder an innocent child then commit group suicide begs the unsuspension of disbelief.
 

blunthead

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I don't think I'm smart enough to understand what this means.
Suspension of disbelief is fundamental to movie-making. It's the art of causing a human observer's brain to belief that what it's viewing is actually happening. Please reread my post with that view.

He was vocal about his thoughts on The Shining movie.
I don't know what your point here is. In The Shining's case sK had little if any say in what the final product would be. I guess I'm speaking tongue-in-cheek when I ask what could he say when Darabont threatened not to make the movie without his own ending. It says a lot to me that sK's response included the idea that movies must sometimes fit the audience's demands (not those of art).
 
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days be strange

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Suspension of disbelief is fundamental to movie-making. It's the art of causing a human observer's brain to belief that what it's viewing is actually happening. Please reread my post with that view.

I reread it and I see what you mean.

I don't know what your point here is. In The Shining's case sK had little if any say in what the final product would be. I guess I'm speaking tongue-in-cheek when I ask what could he say when Darabont threatened not to make the movie without his own ending. It says a lot to me that sK's response included the idea that movies must sometimes fit the audience's demands (not those of art).

"he loved it and thought that every generation there should be a movie that dares to not give audiences what they want."

Despite King saying the opposite I think you're correct that the movie fit audience's demands. I think the audience (most of which had never read the story) were happy the storyline of the movie was at least resolved. Many of my friends found the movie horrifying but when they read the short story were unsatisfied with it.

About what I expected SK to say well, I don't think he was forced into that ending. If he had a say, then he could of said no. I don't think he would want another movie that he was unsatisfied with like The Shining.
 
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blunthead

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I reread it and I see what you mean.



"he loved it and thought that every generation there should be a movie that dares to not give audiences what they want."

Despite King saying the opposite I think you're correct that the movie fit audience's demands. I think the audience (most of which had never read the story) were happy the storyline of the movie was at least resolved. Many of my friends found the movie horrifying but when they read the short story were unsatisfied with it.

About what I expected SK to say well, I don't think he was forced into that ending. If he had a say, then he could of said no. I don't think he would want another movie that he was unsatisfied with like The Shining.
First, I apologize for misreading the sK quote about what audiences want. I just wonder how he thought audiences wanted. The ending to The Mist which Darabont wanted seems to me a typical Hollywood ending in that mankind gets to win against the monsters yet again. Maybe had there not been a far superior ending in the book I'd be more satisfied.

As for The Shining sK was dissatisfied with the product in more ways than the ending.
 
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blunthead

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I love the Coen brothers, but I didn't like the ending of No Country for Old Men.

I liked that they attempted the Huh? moment, but there needed to be....more.
I loved No Country for Old Men. I deal with how it ends best I can, not sure if it's appropriate or not.