# Movies that would be better without the final ten minutes (yup, it's SPOILED) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863 "2002-06-13T14:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/21 "2002-06-13T19:27:37Z")
I assumed that is was the AI thread. Ugh. I think The Hunger should have ended right after Bowie snuffs it. I think Angelheart should have ended a bit earlier-- the kid with the eyes is just too schmaltzy. I think the Usual Supects would have been better if they hadn’t confirmed for certain what we were begining to realize at the end-- I envision the cop running outside and not being able to find him. . . end. No lighted cigarette, no Suzuki or whatever his name is in the car, etc. OH GOD and the Army of Darkness DVD new ending. NOOOOO! ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/22 "2002-06-13T19:32:05Z")
> [@](#): > > The Terminator should have ended the 1st time Arnold died, not the fifth. In this case, I’m gonna have to disagree. It’s stupid when a **human** antagonist comes back from something that should have killed him, but the Terminator is shown early on to be almost indestructible, and simply will not stop, thus making the heroes’ situation more nightmarish. As the movie progresses the Terminator gradually takes on more and more damage (and looks less and less human). In the case of _Castaway_, I didn’t really mind the bookending, but I was truly pissed off that the trailer gave away the fact that he spent four years on the island and then escaped. Just once I’d like to go to a movie and not know anything about it. (Robert Zemeckis does that on purpose; he claims people don’t want any surprises. That’s why the trailer for his movie _What Lies Beneath_ gives away the **entire** movie.) ---
**Author:** ![Threadkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/23 "2002-06-13T19:37:46Z")
From the Internet Movie Database [Trivia for _Cast Away_](http://us.imdb.com/Trivia?0162222): > [@](#): > > Robert Zemeckis was asked at a Q&A session at USC what was in the unopened packaged. He replied that it was a waterproof, solar-powered, satellite phone. To hear him say it for yourself on the DVD, do this: Start at the Special Features Main Menu and enter the Video & Stills Galleries. When you see “Raft Escape” press left on your remote to highlight the “World Of Time” logo. Sounds a bit like a joke. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/24 "2002-06-13T19:53:09Z")
> [@](#): > > OH GOD and the Army of Darkness DVD new ending. NOOOOO! Do you mean the new old ending, or the old new ending? Which is to say, the ending back at the S-Mart, or the ending at the cave? Because the second one is the original ending, but the studio wouldn’t let them use it. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/25 "2002-06-13T19:56:57Z")
I liked the bookend pieces to SPR. It put it in some kind of different context. It kinda felt like the Schindler’s List ending (which, yes, same director). You know, ‘something important came out of this’ feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Sexchange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@Dr.Sexchange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Sexchange)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/26 "2002-06-13T20:24:03Z")
the green mile wouldn’t have been a great movie anyway…but i think that the final monologue dragged on a “little” too long. on the other hand, French Connection I and II are pretty good about ending at the right time, I think. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/27 "2002-06-13T20:36:26Z")
PLD-- the latter. Hate it. I LIKED the other ending. Sniffle. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/28 "2002-06-13T21:14:53Z")
And here I thought the FedEx box contained Marsalis’ soul…or Gweneth Paltrow’s head. At least then he wouldn’t have looked so crazy talking to an inanimate object. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/29 "2002-06-13T21:50:06Z")
Most recently, the last six or seven minutes of _Changing Lanes_ – after the two men have the conversation in the office, and the file is left on the desk – was obviously inserted at the bequest of idiot test audiences who couldn’t cope with an ambiguous ending. The movie went from being a very effective (if occasionally flawed) examination of shifting moralities to being a stupid lowest-common-denominator good-guys-win piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![ukbanshee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ukbanshee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ukbanshee)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/30 "2002-06-13T22:11:23Z")
Most Critics think ‘City Of Angels’ shouldnt have had the incident at the end. although having watched it many times, i think its appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/31 "2002-06-13T23:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by capybara \* > \*\* > I think The Hunger should have ended right after Bowie snuffs it. > \*\* Or at least after Catherine Deneuve snuffed it. Certainly before Susan Sarandon inexplicably returned from the dead. ---
**Author:** ![Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeremy_s_Evil_Twin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/32 "2002-06-13T23:08:47Z")
I’m a little unclear if this thread is about really sucky endings or just pointless ones. For sucky endings, _The Firm_ absolutely takes the cake. “Okay, Mr. Mafia Boss, I’ve been working with the government to put your lawyers in jail, and I know all about your illegal operations, but I promise I won’t tell anyone, all right?” Mr. Mafia Boss: “Okay, you have my blessing.” WRONG!!! _Frailty_ was one of the best movies I’d ever seen, until the 75-minute mark. Then it just piled on twist after twist until I had no idea what was going on and didn’t care anymore. Oh, and the last scene of _Fatal Attraction_…what was Adrian Lyne thinking? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/33 "2002-06-13T23:29:55Z")
Gattaca. It was already just a mediocre movie, but to have the Brother against Brother swim off finale was enough to shove the movie into the “crap” pile for me. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/34 "2002-06-13T23:33:33Z")
The best example I can think of is a Mel Gibson/Gary Sinise movie called _Ransom_. Sinise, a crooked cop, has kidnapped Gibson’s son and Gibson publicly offers the ransom money as a dead-or-alive reward for the kidnappers, playing a highly dramatic game of chicken. Sinise ends up turning on his accomplices, killing them, and “rescuing” the boy. For me, this would have been a perfect ending, with Sinise collecting the reward and being the hero… EXCEPT… for some reason, Sinise absolutely positively must collect the reward at Gibson’s home instead of, say, his office. This gives Gibson’s son a chance to hear Sinise’s voice (during the kidnapping, the boy had been blindfolded). The boy freaks and Gibson immediately and rather implausibly jumps to the right conclusion, leading to a high-energy footchase that ends in Sinise’s death. But for this forced conclusion (in the old days of travelling film shows, they used to refer to it as the “square-up reel”, in which the villians got their just desserts, as required by local moral authorities) it had been a compelling and interesting film. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/35 "2002-06-13T23:36:18Z")
I forgot the most obvious one: Mullholland Drive…but you might have to lop off the last 20 minutes or so. Maybe then it would make sense! (PS If you cut off the last ten minutes of Memento, would that be a frontal lobotomy?) ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/36 "2002-06-14T01:42:00Z")
**Panic Room**. They could have cut out that little park scene at the end entirely. And it would have been more interesting if they had not had Forrest Whittaker’s character get caught – they could have ended it right before that, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![slackergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@slackergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slackergirl)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/37 "2002-06-14T02:55:00Z")
I can’t believe we’re this far in and nobody has mentioned **Unbreakable**. Also, fun fact about the originally released ending of **Blade Runner** , The green sequence is leftover footage from the trip to the Overlook in Kubrick’s **The Shining**. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2002, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/38 "2002-06-14T03:37:47Z")
Heh… if you lobbed off the last ten minutes of the Planet of the Apes remake, it would be upgraded to “just barely tolerable” instead of “chock full of stupid”, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/39 "2002-06-14T04:31:27Z")
Another vote for **A.I.** and **Unbreakable** Also, the ending of **Vanilla Sky** could have been done well in only five minutes, without all the “You mean this is…” “Yes, that’s right.” “And so I’m…” “Yes, that’s right” “And so she’s…” “Yes, that’s right.” Look, I have no trouble believing that Tom Cruise doesn’t get it, but I’m the one who paid for the ticket and _I freekin’ get it already!_ ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2002, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863/40 "2002-06-14T06:27:52Z")
_Thelma and Louise_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-would-be-better-without-the-final-ten-minutes-yup-its-spoiled/113863.md?page=3)