A number of popular movies feature head-scratching endings that left audiences confused and arguing with each other over what exactly happened. What do you think these movie endings really mean?
Ever sinceInceptioncame out, audiences argued over the ending. According to the movie, a spinning top that stops means an event happened in reality, but a dream would have an ever-spinning top. In the final scene, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is reunited with his children back home.
Then the camera pans over to a spinning top.
Fans of the movie have since debated on whether or not Cobb’s reunion with his family was a dream come true or just a dream. Some argue the top wobbles slightly, indicating that it was indeed real. Others think that the top spun for too long, indicating that it was all in Cobb’s head.
The Shining
At the end ofThe Shining, crazed writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) gets frozen to death after getting lost in a hedge maze during a snowstorm. The final shot of the film is of the photo in the hallway of the Overlook Hotel from 1921, only this time with Jack showcased in the center.
What did that photo mean? Is Jack a lost soul stuck in the Overlook Hotel? Has he “always been the caretaker” of the hotel, as Delbert Grady said? Also, what happened to Jack’s wife and child after they escaped? These unanswered questions added to the spookiness and intrigue that made this film last in people’s minds.
InJohn Carpenter’sThe Thing, the plot was simple: Who among these people in an Antarctic research station is a shapeshifting monster? After exploding the base, MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David) sit at a campfire. MacReady offers Childs a nip of scotch, both unsure if the other is a Thing.
Since the film came out, there have been several fan hypotheses. One is that Childs is a Thing and MacReady actually gave him gasoline to drink instead of whiskey to test him. Another theory is MacReady is a Thing because he smirked at the end. Others believe both men are infected, or both are still human.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s2001: A Space Odysseyinspired so many sci-fi creators even though no one can 100% agree on what’s going on in the movie. While the plot is fairly straightforward for most of the movie, things go nuts when astronaut David Bowman is pulled into an alien monolith.
David ages rapidly and appears to die, bedridden and in front of a monolith. David’s body is replaced with a glowing fetus that appears to be heading toward Earth. Among numerous theories, many believe that the monolith is an alien device that progresses human evolution. Others think Baby David’s approach was an upcoming apocalypse.
The Wrestler
Fans of theDarren AronofskyfilmThe Wrestlerget to choose the finish. After a falling out with his loved ones, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) goes against doctor’s orders to wrestle again. While experiencing chest pains, Randy leaps off the top rope to hit his “Ram Jam” finishing move.
And that’s it.
Did Randy die in the ring after hitting his finishing move? Did he successfully finish the match and survive? If so, did he quit gracefully to reconcile with his love interest and daughter? Or did he get a major comeback and revival in his career? What do you think?
Black Swan
The entirety ofBlack Swanhas been debated, including the ending. Nina (Natalie Portman) stabs herself with a piece of broken glass and performs the dance of her life on stage. When she finishes, he falls onto a mattress and is heaped with applause while bleeding profusely.
Then the screen goes white.
Some believe that Nina is alive and the ending represents a full descent into madness. Others think that she died on stage. There are also theories that the entire scenario was made up in her head. Even after several rewatchings, audiences haven’t been able to totally solve this ballerina puzzle.
American Psycho
American Psycho’s ending leads to one major question: Did Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) actually kill people? Towards the end of the movie, Bateman leaves a voice message with his lawyer wherein he confesses all of his crimes. Yet the following day, all of his murders were blown off by his lawyer as a joke.
This left audiences deciding whether Bateman was a bored yuppie with a disturbing imagination, or a serial killer that is able to operate openly without fear of retribution due to his wealth. Regardless of whichever theory you side on, everyone can agree that Patrick Bateman is a creepy man.
The Sopranos
For 86 episodes, fans had been following the trials and triumphs of mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his family. The final episode of the critically-lauded crime drama ends with Tony meeting with his family at a diner. A bell rings from the diner’s doorway and the screen abruptly cuts to black.
This controversial ending (or non-ending) sparked debate and anger among fans due to the lack of closure. Some fans thought it was a brilliant choice, seeing the abrupt ending as Tony’s final moments before being shot to death. Others thought it was an open-ended cop-out that allowed the show to stop without committing to anything.
Shutter Island
The twists and turns ofShutter Islandare a bit much to recap, but the ending is where the true debate among cinephiles lies. Towards the end, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) finds out the whole investigation he was conducting was actually a roleplay set up by the island’s physicians to address his psychosis.
The doctors claimed that Andrew, Teddy’s supposed real name, is a patient that killed his wife and children. It is presumed that Teddy/Andrew gets a lobotomy at the end. Some viewers believed that Andrew faked his illness, refusing to acknowledge his crimes. Or, was the roleplay reveal itself a trap designed to trick Teddy into doubting himself?
