Movie Endings

One thing that I’ve been mulling over for the past week has been film endings. Why are certain movie endings more popular than others? Sure, everybody likes a happy ending. But what about ambiguous endings? Twist endings? Endings so intricate, they take the viewer right back to the beginning?

Yet, the media emphasizes happy endings. People swoon over perfect love films and cheer when the hero defeats the villain. In other words, the audience loves when everyone gets exactly what they want. Except for me.

Why don't you like happy endings? I'm a just jackass like that.

I guess I’m the minority. I like unpredictable endings. I like to be shocked. I want the director to dangle me from a rope throughout the movie, only to let go once it’s over. These endings tend to be morbid, I know. But they are better than happy endings, and I want to tell you why.

1.      Characters tend to have more complexity. Take for example Twilight. Bella meets Edward and falls in love. The end. Nothing else happens in the movie that changes the main idea, so the two skip off sparkling into the sunset. But what if Bella had dumped Edward because of some self-inner turmoil? You’d be interested, right? “Why the hell did she do that?” you might ask, “does she still have feelings for him?” A flat character just became complex.   

2.      It’s not a re-run. Whenever my mom asks me to watch some romantic comedy with her, I cringe. Not at the thought of my mom – I love her dearly, but because I can only sit through so many recycled plots before I stick out my eyes with thumbtacks. It’s always boy meets girl. Boy and girl cannot be together (petty argument, money, one isn’t human). Issue is forgotten. Boy and girl cascade into a perfect life with no other problems. Try watching Cinderella on repeat for several hours, and you’ll see the similarities. 

3.     It’s hilarious. Non-happy endings are like fake haunted houses. You know what’s coming next, but you’re still startled. Surprise is fun. It’s entertaining to guess how the ending will play out. What isn’t exciting is watching a character’s life come together, seeing their perfect happiness, and then going back into an imperfect reality.       

Overall, I’ve had it will Hollywood’s movie formula. Seeing the peasant girl become a princess after winning over the prince was cute the first time. Now, I want her to take out an axe, chop him to smithereens, and ride into the sunset alone. Why? Because she’s complex that way.   

Favorite Kind of Movie Ending?
	Kill them all
	Happy
	Not too happy, not too sad
	Twisted
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Twilight

Synopsis: A teenage girl – Bella, falls in love with a vampire – Edward.

I have dreaded this day. I knew this day was coming for a while now. Today somebody told me, with a straight face, to watch Twilight. “Everyone has seen it,” she said, “that’s what your blog’s about, right? Movies everyone has seen.” Reluctantly, I nodded and told her I’d watch the movie.

It’s not that I personally have anything against Twilight; I’ve never seen it. It’s just how people have taken Twi-hating to the next level. It honestly can’t be that bad, can it?

For this review, I will try to find only the good things about this movie. Only the good things. Why? Because I’ve heard every criticism there is about this movie – from the anti-feminism of Bella to the ugliness of Edward’s face.  This movie needs some optimism and hopefully it won’t be that hard to find.

Good Things about Twilight:

1.       It’s romantic – if you’re into that sort of thing. Who doesn’t love teenage love? The hormones, the declarations of love, the secretly watching you while you sleep. At first, it sounds creepy – but as the movie rolls on viewers just have to go with it.

2.       Parents rejoice! This movie features abstinence. Sure, Bella’s boyfriend watches her while she sleeps. Just be thankful it’s not another movie about him trying to sleep with her.

3.       Werewolves and vampires are cool. This movie is like a child-appropriate version of Underworld. Next time I’m babysitting and want to watch Kate Beckinsale’s fully-leathered body mow down beasts with machine guns, I’ll pop this in instead. The parents will thank me.

4.        Characters don’t talk a lot. This is an easy paced movie. If you miss three minutes of it while making more popcorn – don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything. Probably just Bella and Edward staring at each other.

Whew, there it is. A positive list about Twilight. What do you think is the most redeeming quality of Twilight?