c/alternate-ending-ideas

5

lisa671•23h ago

After hating on 'The Village' for years, I finally played a board game adaptation that made me see the twist differently.

My buddy brought over the Secret Identity game where everyone hides their role, and after 3 rounds of watching people bluff about their own village secrets, I realized the movie's ending was actually setting up a theme about hiding the truth from yourself, not just the audience, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has changed their mind on a movie ending after playing a game that uses the same mechanic.

1

anthonykim•1d ago

Debate: Should 'Inception' have ended with the top still spinning or stopping?

I've been going back and forth on this after rewatching it last weekend. Some people say the top wobbling at the end means Cobb is still dreaming, and that's the whole point of the movie. But then others argue it's just a trick to leave it open, and the real clue is that he doesn't even care to check it anymore. Which side do you lean toward, and why does it change the whole meaning for you?

2

reed.ray•1d ago

Overheard a guy at the diner say 'Fight Club' should've ended with the narrator just walking away from it all

He said the whole point was that the narrator never actually changed he just found a new obsession and that stuck with me because I think a quiet ending where he just leaves without blowing up the buildings would've been way more honest about how hard it is to actually grow up.

18

oscarthompson•1d ago

That fake happy ending in The Mist still bugs me 12 years later

I watched The Mist in 2007 at a buddy's house in Denver. The theatrical ending had Thomas Jane's character mercy kill his own kid. Bleak. Dark. Perfect. But the DVD added an alternate ending where they all survive and drive off into the sunrise. What a cop out. Who actually prefers that fake happy version? The whole point was the horror of bad luck and snap decisions. Has anyone else seen both and hated the soft one?

22

bettym89•2d ago

I wasted $15 on a movie with a terrible alternate ending

I paid for the 4K release of The Mist just to see the supposed better ending and it felt completely tacked on. The original ending is way more impactful and leaves you thinking for days.

11

evanb87•2d ago

Just realized most people forget the weather in their alternate endings

I was re-editing my Greta Gerwig Barbie ending idea last week and noticed everyone's fix just has Barbie and Ken hugging it out... but they never factor in how a rainstorm or a sunny day would change the whole mood. Has anyone else thought about shifting the weather to twist an ending?

4

benbrown•3d ago

Debate: Should The Shining end with the Overlook being redeemed?

I keep seeing people say the hotel should be destroyed at the end. But the book shows the hotel still standing, just empty. Doesn't that make the horror feel more real, like evil lingers? Which side makes the story stronger?

11

henry_hernandez•3d ago

Changed the ending to The Mist and it completely fixed the movie for me

I saw The Mist years ago and that ending where the dad shoots his kid just before the army shows up always bugged me. It felt like too much of a gut punch for no real payoff. So I thought about what if they had held out just a little longer in the car. Like what if the mist cleared for a second and they saw the army trucks rolling in before the dad did anything drastic. Then the creatures retreat and everyone survives but now they have to live with the fact they almost gave up. I know the original ending is famous but I watched a fan edit that cut the last scene and it went from depressing to a story about endurance. My buddy said it ruins the whole point of the story being bleak but I think it gives people a reason to watch it again. Has anyone else tried a mental rewrite on that movie or any other Stephen King adaptation that went too dark?

13

thompson.finley•8d ago

Can we talk about that weird alternate ending for The Mist?

I was rewatching it at my cousin's place in Oregon and had this goofy thought: what if the monsters were just giant dust bunnies that sneezed and disappeared? It'd turn the whole horror into a comedy, but I still wonder if that'd ruin the impact. Anyone else got a silly twist they'd swap in for a classic flick?

12

mia_anderson•9d ago

Watched my favorite horror movie ending get ruined by studio notes at a film festival Q&A

I was at this tiny indie film fest in Cleveland last month, and after a screening of some old 80s slasher they had the director there. Some guy in the audience asked about the ending, and the director says the studio made him reshoot it because test audiences thought the original was too dark. He described the real ending and I swear it would have made the whole movie 10x better. Now I can't even watch the original without getting annoyed. Anyone else ever hear about an alternate ending that totally tops the one they actually released?

12

hugog43•11d ago

Overheard someone say the Titanic should have just hit the iceberg faster

That dumb joke actually made me realize I'd rather see a version where they don't try to steer away at all and just plow straight into it, curious what that chaos looks like.

14

paige_harris•13d ago

Rewatching I Am Legend and I still can't get over how much better the original ending was

I wasted $14 on the DVD back in 2007 just to find out the theater version chopped the ending where the monsters were actually just trying to get their leader back, so now I have to warn anyone buying a used copy to check if it's the alternate cut because the theatrical ending ruins the whole point of the movie for me, has anyone else had buyer's remorse on a movie because of a bad ending switch?

8

fiona_webb•19d ago

Had to choose between letting Frodo die or having the eagles fly him in at the end of Return of the King

I went with Frodo dying on Mount Doom and Sam having to carry the ring back alone. My buddy said it was too dark but I think it made the victory feel earned. Still, watching Sam struggle through Mordor for 45 extra minutes at 2 AM was rough lol. Anyone else try a darker ending and regret it?

1

kelly_henderson83•1mo ago

I finally sat through all 3 hours of that indie film at the little theater on 4th Street

Paid $14 for a ticket and another $8 on popcorn only to have the main character die off screen in the last 5 minutes with zero explanation. The whole theater just sat there in silence like we'd been robbed of our time. Has anyone else ever walked out of a movie feeling like the director just gave up on purpose?

2

the_mia•1mo ago

Thinking about a different ending for The Mist after paying $12 for the DVD

I picked up The Mist on DVD for $12 at a pawn shop last weekend because I remembered people arguing about the ending. I watched it and man, that theater ending is brutal and sad. But I keep thinking what if the mist just lifted and they saw the military had won days ago. That would have changed the whole feel of the movie. Has anyone else imagined a happier alternate ending for that story?

13

simoncarr•1mo ago

Spent two years cutting dovetails by hand before a guy at a woodworking meetup pointed out my chisel was dull

I was at a guild meeting in Portland last month showing off a drawer I built, and this old timer just grabbed my chisel, ran his thumb across the edge, and asked if I liked making extra work for myself. He took two strokes with a sharp one and suddenly all my gaps closed up without any sanding dust. Has anyone else found out years into a hobby that they were doing the whole basic step wrong?

7

morgan_lewis18•1mo ago

Had to pick between two alternate endings for my novel draft and chose wrong

I spent last weekend deciding whether my main character should sacrifice herself or walk away, and I picked the sacrifice because it felt more dramatic. But now my beta readers are all saying it feels forced and the walk away would have been more true to her arc. Has anyone else made a big ending choice that totally backfired on them?

9

miles_campbell39•1mo ago

My buddy's offhand comment about The Matrix totally flipped how I see that ending

He said if Neo had just walked away from the Architect's offer and let Trinity die, the machines would have rebooted Zion anyway so what was even the point of his choice, and now I can't unsee that logic hole.

24

sams25•1mo ago

Showerthought: Rambo First Blood's original ending vs the theatrical one is a total mood shift

I watched First Blood again last night, and I looked up the original ending where Rambo actually dies by suicide. The theatrical ending where he breaks down crying and gets talked down by Trautman feels way more emotional and real to me. The novel ending just felt like a downer for no reason, like they wanted to punish him harder. But the movie ending makes you actually feel for the guy and see his trauma. Has anyone else read the book and compared the two? Which one hits harder for you?

15

kelly_henderson83•1mo ago

Just realized the Titanic ending I always wanted would have ruined the whole movie

For years I wanted Rose to shove Jack onto that door too. But after rewatching it last month I finally got why he stays in the water. That door can only hold one person without tipping and if they both tried it would sink. It hit me that the real ending is about her choosing to live for him not with him. Does anyone else have a movie ending they wished for until they actually thought through the logistics?

14

mia_anderson•1mo ago

Just realized the Titanic ending could have been way different if they'd just...

I was rewatching the movie last night and got to thinking about that one lifeboat that wasn't fully loaded. What if the crew had actually forced more people on board instead of worrying about capsizing? Does anyone else think that simple change would have totally shifted the whole story vibe?

4

the_reese•1mo ago

That time my English teacher said The Great Gatsby should have ended with Gatsby just walking away from Daisy

My high school English teacher Mrs. Patterson told our class back in 2011 that the whole point of the book was that Gatsby should have realized Daisy wasn't worth chasing. She said the real ending should have been him getting in his car and driving back west, leaving all that fake stuff behind. At the time I thought she was nuts because the tragic ending is what makes the book stick with you. But now I've been through a couple of bad relationships myself and I keep thinking about her take. Has anyone else had a teacher or someone suggest an alternate ending that actually made more sense the older you got?

17

lilyfisher•1mo ago

I suggested a different ending for The Giver and my book club got mad

We were talking about The Giver at my friend's house in Nashville last month. I said what if Jonas never left and instead stayed to secretly share memories with the other kids one by one. Like a quiet rebellion from inside. Two people said that ruins the whole point of the book and one person said it's more realistic. Got pretty heated for a Tuesday night. Has anyone else thrown out an alternate ending that got strong reactions?

18

derekcarr•1mo ago

Tried rewriting the ending to The Mist and it got way too dark for me

I spent last weekend coming up with an alternate ending where the mist clears right after the main character makes his big decision, but I accidentally turned it into a happy ending by letting the family survive. The whole thing felt wrong because the original ending is so brutally bleak. Has anyone else tried rewriting a famously sad ending and ended up feeling like you ruined the whole point of the story?

12

finley_lee•1mo ago

Picked the sad ending for my book club reading last week

Had to choose between the original happy ending and an alternate tragic one for a community reading of "The Night Circus." Went with the sad version since nobody in my group had tried it before. Three people stopped talking to me for two days after the meeting.