# Worst/Most Ridiculous Movie Death Scene **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338 "2006-05-19T00:03:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/41 "2006-05-19T17:54:20Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Book details that didn’t get into the movie don’t count. If such external detail is needed to explain a weakness in the movie; the movie failed on this point. [/QUOTE] I think it’s assumed Baromir’s badass even if the nature of his badassness is unknown. That said, his father’s death in the final movie is a bit much. Granted he kind of lost it, but Gandalf really could have chased him down and helped put him out during his 200 yard flaming dash to the edge of Minas Tirith. ---
**Author:** ![tashikitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@tashikitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashikitten)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/42 "2006-05-19T18:06:41Z")
Am I really the first person to bring up Viktor’s ridiculous death scene in Underworld? So. Unbelievably. Stupid. I was so mad I nearly threw my roommate’s popcorn at the movie screen. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/43 "2006-05-19T18:09:18Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > ROMEO & JULIET- I don’t dispute that when it came to dialogue Billy Shakespeare took dictation from the gods themselves, but when it came to plots he was on his bloody own. That whole last scene is just an exercise in stupid drama queens trying to outdo each other. NOBODY CAN NOTICE THE OTHER ONE IS BREATHING! THAT WAS THE BEST THE PRIEST COULD DO-- “I know, let’s tell your parents you’re dead and we’ll bury you alive and after a nice nap you’ll pop an Adderall and be up and dancing… around a bunch of rotting corpses, but we’ll cross that bridge- oh, and let’s not tell Romeo, he’d ruin the surprise”. For that matter every Shakespearean play with a character who walks on stage twice or more to say “Y’all ain’t gone b’lieve who just died backstage!” They do try to tell Romeo, but the messenge never gets to him. One of the few things I liked about Baz Luhrman’s _Romeo + Juliet_ was how they showed this: Romeo has been exiled to a dusty trailer in the middle of a windy desert. A FedEx guy shows up, tapes the message to the door, and it immediatly blows off and vanishes into the wilderness. As for the rest, you can’t blame the poor plotting on Shakespeare, because just about every plot he wrote he stole from a dead Italian. I’ll also disagree with Boromir’s death being lame. The people in the Fellowship are supposed to be epic heroes in the mold of Beowulf. The first arrow that hits Boromir is fatal, but he’s such a tough, driven SOB that he keeps fighting, trying to protect his friends. Very awesome. His dad’s incendiary impression of Greg Louganis, on the other hand, was ridiculous. I figure PJ had to light him on fire before he jumped because otherwise, everyone would have expected him to still be alive. Afterall, virtually every other character in the movie falls from a great height at some point, and then pops back up later on, right as rain. I think Middle Earth has a lower specific gravity, or something. I suspect people at the top of Minas Tirith who need to get to the bottom in a hurry just leap over the wall, and float gently to the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/44 "2006-05-19T18:19:21Z")
I’d nominate the Zyang Zyi character from _House of Flying Daggers_. She takes a dagger to the chest and dies…and dies… and dies. Summer turns to autumn, the leaves turn brown and fall from the trees, the first snow begins to fall and still she stands there, moaning, pleading, weeping, blood gushing from her chest. It’s so incredibly over the top that were it played for laughs I’d consider the film a classic. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/45 "2006-05-19T18:31:38Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Book details that didn’t get into the movie don’t count. If such external detail is needed to explain a weakness in the movie; the movie failed on this point. [/QUOTE] You can get most of this from a close viewing of the film. From the moment he first shows up he’s clearly a very high level noble who’s been fighting the orcs for years and knows exactly how dangerous Mordor is. We know from the introduction that guys like him were once tough enough to stand toe-to-toe with Sauron himself. Even though everyone else treats Aragorn as a major bad-ass, Boromir doesn’t. He treats him as an equal or an inferior. Yes, Peter Jackson doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but throughout the first movie Boromir is consistently portrayed as an extremely tough and dangerous individual. The movie is actually much better than the book in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/46 "2006-05-19T18:38:04Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Book details that didn’t get into the movie don’t count. If such external detail is needed to explain a weakness in the movie; the movie failed on this point. [/QUOTE] I agree. I liked the movies, but I felt that Boromir’s death, which is one of the most moving parts of the book, fell very flat in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/47 "2006-05-19T18:58:28Z")
I’ll box this just in case I was not the last person on the planet to see **The Ladykillers** (the Hanks one.) There were a few “convenient” deaths in this one, but the falling gargoyle that conked Hanks at the end was just too “hand of God” for my liking. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/48 "2006-05-19T19:10:48Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] I’ll box this just in case I was not the last person on the planet to see **The Ladykillers** (the Hanks one.) [/QUOTE] The original had an almost-identical ending. Besides, you’ve got a movie where the facial expression on a painting changes to suit the mood of a scene. A little _deus ex_ ain’t that shocking. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/49 "2006-05-19T19:26:00Z")
A nitpick I’ve always had was about Tony’s death in Scarface. He had just been shot and falls into his pool–why are the walls of water that plume up blood-colored? For the thread, I think I’d have to go with Samuel L. Jackson being chomped by the shark in **Deep Blue Sea**. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/50 "2006-05-19T19:29:49Z")
I thought Boromir’s death was beautiful and touching. But I had read the books and had all of it behind me, so can’t really say. And add me to another who is shocked that they killed Gurgi in the movie. He was annoying sure, but in the books, _he got better_. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/51 "2006-05-19T19:57:47Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] That said, his father’s death in the final movie is a bit much. Granted he kind of lost it, but Gandalf really could have chased him down and helped put him out during his 200 yard flaming dash to the edge of Minas Tirith. [/QUOTE] There are 3…maybe 4..scenes in all 11 hours of LOTR that I think would’ve been \*much \* better if they’d been written & shot more faithfully to the book. This was one of them. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/52 "2006-05-19T22:21:25Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] I think Boromir is legitimately in both categories. His “best death ever” votes come largely from his dying words, but I can see how the pincushion / gasp, dang…that stings / ok, let’s whack another orc / scene can put off some viewers. [/QUOTE] Having read the book, I knew he was toast but I was being kind of clinical during the process. First arrow: Bad shot; too high for a lung. Doesn’t seem to effect the use of that arm, though. Me, I’d be curled up whimpering. Second arrow: Spleen. Three, maybe five minutes before he bleeds to death. Third arrow: Ouch! Descending aorta. Surprised it didn’t sever his spine. Aragorn better hurry up 'cause this guy’s gone in about thirty seconds. Color me weird. DD ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/53 "2006-05-19T22:59:54Z")
[QUOTE=Zuzu’s Petals] Whoa. :eek: They killed off Gurgi in the film version? That _so_ didn’t happen in the book. Mind you, he was irritating in the book as well. [/QUOTE] Naw, here’s the REALLY stupid part…he comes back to life. He died “heroicly” sacrificing himself at the climax of the movie, and when all’s finished and the evil is defeated, he revives for no apparent reason. Forgive the spoilers, but that movie is already spoiled. Like a piece of overripe fruit. ---
**Author:** ![tashikitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@tashikitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashikitten)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/54 "2006-05-19T23:54:50Z")
[QUOTE=Ranchoth] Naw, here’s the REALLY stupid part…he comes back to life. He died “heroicly” sacrificing himself at the climax of the movie, and when all’s finished and the evil is defeated, he revives for no apparent reason. Forgive the spoilers, but that movie is already spoiled. Like a piece of overripe fruit. [/QUOTE] The movie SUCKED, no question. I was horrified when I went to see it. Gurgi may have been annoying, but I remember CARING about what happened to him in the book, not so in the movie. What a way to ruin a perfectly good story. I would never sit through it again, nor recommend it to anyone. Read the books and be happy. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/55 "2006-05-20T02:24:12Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] His dad’s incendiary impression of Greg Louganis, on the other hand, was ridiculous. I figure PJ had to light him on fire before he jumped because otherwise, everyone would have expected him to still be alive. [/QUOTE] I thought I remembered him lighting himself on fire in the book. I remember thinking, “whoah, that’s messed up”. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/56 "2006-05-20T04:13:16Z")
[QUOTE=Pochacco] Yes, Peter Jackson doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but throughout the first movie Boromir is consistently portrayed as an extremely tough and dangerous individual. The movie is actually much better than the book in this regard. [/QUOTE] That’s partly because ‘badass’ is not a concept that Tolkein was familiar with. In the books, none of the Fellowship are written as being capable of doing the stuff they do in the movies (take on 2 dozen Orcs alone, etc.). I mean, at one point a mere Orc Chief knocks both Aragorn and Boromir on their pins and skewers Frodo! Peter Jackson gave all the fighting characters a serious upgrade in his films. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/57 "2006-05-20T04:19:54Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Miskatonic] That’s partly because ‘badass’ is not a concept that Tolkein was familiar with. In the books, none of the Fellowship are written as being capable of doing the stuff they do in the movies (take on 2 dozen Orcs alone, etc.). I mean, at one point a mere Orc Chief knocks both Aragorn and Boromir on their pins and skewers Frodo! Peter Jackson gave all the fighting characters a serious upgrade in his films. [/QUOTE] Didn’t Gimli and Legolas kill about 40 orcs each at the battle of Helm’s Deep? (In the book, I mean.) ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/58 "2006-05-20T05:17:09Z")
[QUOTE=Talon Karrde] I thought I remembered him lighting himself on fire in the book. I remember thinking, “whoah, that’s messed up”. [/QUOTE] Whooooooosh. Denethor lights himself on fire (and Faramir, who gets saved in time by Gandalf and co.) in both book and movie. **Miller** was making a funny about how people in PJ’s adaptation tend to fall off very high, very sheer cliffs and survive quite nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/59 "2006-05-20T08:30:06Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Miskatonic] That’s partly because ‘badass’ is not a concept that Tolkein was familiar with. [/QUOTE] Oh really? > [@](#): > > Last of all Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll-guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew Húrin cried: ‘Aurë entuluva! Day shall come again!’ Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive, by the command of Morgoth, for the Orcs grappled him with their hands, which clung to him still though he hewed off their arms; and ever their numbers were renewed, until at last he fell buried beneath them. - _The Silmarillion: Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad_ Incidentally, I’m pretty sure Boromir was wearing armor. A high-quality, double-layered mail shirt over thick quilting can take a lot of the sting out of an arrow. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338/60 "2006-05-20T17:22:32Z")
Am I the first to mention _Moulin Rouge_? Ok, it was a fantasy film (as much as \*The Matrix \* or _LOTR_), so I wasn’t expecting a realistic portrayal of tuberculosis, but really. When you’re dying of TB, singing loud enough to be heard at the far end of a large theater (in the days before microphones) is not really an option. If you’ve got enough lung power left to do that, you’re not going to immediately hawk up a bit of blood and die. It might have worked if Satine’s vocal efforts had brought on a lung hemorrhage, but she’d have had to bring up a lot more blood to make that convincing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-most-ridiculous-movie-death-scene/357338.md?page=4)