Summary
- Alternate endings can make or break a movie, as seen in Alien, Blade Runner, Clerks, and more.
- Directors like Ridley Scott and Jordan Peele experimented with different endings for their films.
- Clue took a unique approach with three different endings, challenging the audience to choose their favorite.
The way a movie ends is vitally important, so it’s no surprise that plenty of movies toy around with alternate endings before settling on one that works. Some of the most memorable movie endings of all time could have been completely different. For example, Se7en and Get Out didn’t always have their great finales lined up. The directors and writers had to fumble around with some less satisfactory endings first.
A great ending can make a movie even better. Conversely, a disappointing ending can ruin a promising movie. Movies like Alien and Clerks probably never would have been so popular if they had stuck to the endings they originally had. Sometimes, an alternate ending is shot down during a script rewrite, but there are other cases when directors film an ending and show it to test audiences before realizing the mistakes they’ve made.
Related 12 Twists That Feel So Obvious When You Rewatch Those Movies
Movies with a twist can often provide a satisfying ending that creates more drama and excitement, but after the big reveal, it’s hard to revisit.
10 Alien (1979)
The Xenomorph Kills Ripley
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Alien Where to Watch
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Director Ridley Scott Release Date June 22, 1979 Cast Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto , Bolaji Badejo
Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley became a sci-fi icon in Alien, but one of Ridley Scott’s early ideas for the script would have killed her off right at the end. After Ripley takes Jonesy and gets on to the escape pod, the alternate ending would have shown the xenomorph overpowering her and ripping her head off. In an even weirder twist, the movie would then have ended with the xenomorph signing off on the ship’s log using a perfect imitation of Dallas’ voice.
After Ripley takes Jonesy and gets on to the escape pod, the alternate ending would have shown the xenomorph overpowering her and ripping her head off.
Thankfully, Scott decided against this depressing ending, and Ripley lived to fight another day. This ending might have killed the Alien franchise before it even got started, as Aliens couldn’t have happened without Ripley. It also would have been a disappointing note to end on, especially after Alien does so much good work to make Ripley a sympathetic hero. Jonesy would also have faced a grim fate.
9 Blade Runner (1982)
Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut May Be Even More Popular Than The Theatrical Cut
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Blade Runner Where to Watch
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Director Ridley Scott Release Date June 25, 1982 Cast Harrison Ford , Rutger Hauer , Sean Young , Edward James Olmos , M. Emmet Walsh , Daryl Hannah , William Sanderson , Joe Turkel
Alien isn’t Ridley Scott’s only movie with an alternate ending. The different versions of Blade Runner are even more famous. Scott disapproved of the ending which producers forced upon him in the theatrical cut. This happy ending shows Deckard and Rachel driving away from the city and into the peaceful countryside. A voiceover states that Rachel was an unusual kind of replicant who didn’t have an expiration date like Roy Batty and the others.
The director’s cut, released ten years after
Blade Runner
came out in theaters, cuts the voiceover. Instead, the movie ends with Deckard seeing the origami unicorn left behind by Gaff.
The director’s cut, released ten years after Blade Runner came out in theaters, cuts the voiceover. Instead, the movie ends with Deckard seeing the origami unicorn left behind by Gaff. The director’s cut also includes a dream sequence in which Deckard sees a unicorn. The fact that Gaff knows about this memory suggests that Deckard is a replicant after all, thereby providing a more definitive answer to the movie’s biggest mystery.
8 Clerks (1994)
Dante Is Shot By A Robber
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Clerks Where to Watch
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Director Kevin Smith Release Date September 13, 1994 Cast Brian O’Halloran , Jeff Anderson , Marilyn Ghigliotti , Lisa Spoonauer , Jason Mewes , Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith’s quotable comedy Clerks follows a group of slackers trying to pass the time at a boring job. It’s incredibly relatable for anyone who has ever worked a similar minimum-wage job, but Clerks almost had a surprisingly violent ending. In Smith’s first draft of the scrip, Clerks ends with a robber coming in and killing Dante after an altercation, just before the credits roll.
Smith’s alternate ending would have been very upsetting after the lively and comedic tone of
Clerks.
Smith’s alternate ending would have been very upsetting after the lively and comedic tone of Clerks. The idea is that it would put a dark twist on the line Dante says a few times throughout the movie, “I wasn’t supposed to even be here today.” This punch line might have worked, but it would have killed the possibility of making any sequels, and it might have made Clerks much less relatable.
7 I Am Legend (2007)
Neville Learns That The Infected Are Intelligent Beings
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I Am Legend Where to Watch
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Director Francis Lawrence Release Date December 14, 2007 Cast willow smith , Salli Richardson-Whitfield , Will Smith , Alice Braga , Charlie Tahan
I Am Legend is based on a 1954 novel by Richard Matheson, but it changes the ending to make it a more generic zombie movie. In the theatrical cut, Will Smith’s character, Neville, sacrifices himself to save two fellow survivors he meets. The alternate ending is more faithful to the novel, as Neville discovers that the infected are more intelligent than he first thought they were, and that they treated him like a monster for killing so many of their own kind.
With
I Am Legend 2
now in development, the sequel is moving ahead by treating the alternate ending as canon.
I Am Legend‘s alternate ending proved to be much more popular, and not just with fans of the original novel. The twist ending is much more interesting, and it subverts the standard zombie horror tropes. With I Am Legend 2 now in development, the sequel is moving ahead by treating the alternate ending as canon. This means that Will Smith can return, since his character survives in the alternate ending.
6 Titanic (1997)
Rose Shows The Researchers The Heart Of The Ocean
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Titanic Where to Watch
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Director James Cameron Release Date December 19, 1997 Cast David Warner , Kathy Bates , Billy Zane , Bill Paxton , Bernard Hill , Kate Winslet , Leonardo DiCaprio , Gloria Stuart , Frances Fisher , Victor Garber
Titanic might not have been the highest-grossing movie in the world if it had kept its original ending. James Cameron’s first ending was released on a tenth anniversary special DVD, and it immediately drew criticism from fans of the movie. Titanic‘s real ending shows Rose tossing the Heart of the Ocean back down to the wreckage of the ship without telling the researchers.
The alternate ending pulls focus from Rose, and it seems to be a more fitting finale for Brock, the researcher looking for the diamond.
The alternate ending pulls focus from Rose, and it seems to be a more fitting finale for Brock. Rose’s granddaughter sees her lingering on the railings of the research ship, so she and Brock rush over to stop her from doing anything foolish. She reveals to the group of researchers that she has the Heart of the Ocean, and she even lets Brock hold it momentarily before throwing it overboard. Titanic is Rose’s story, so the movie should end with something meaningful to her, not Brock.
5 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Scott Gets Back Together With Knives Chau
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Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Where to Watch
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Director Edgar Wright Release Date August 12, 2010 Cast Michael Cera , Alison Pill , Mark Webber , Johnny Simmons , Ellen Wong , Kieran Culkin
Edgar Wright’s movie adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim comics was filmed before the final installment was released, so the director had the freedom to come up with his own ending to the story. O’Malley contributed a few ideas, and Wright briefly considered revealing that Scott was a serial killer who merely hallucinated the video game aspects of his story, but this was soon dismissed.
Edgar Wright’s movie adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s
Scott Pilgrim
comics was filmed before the final installment was released, so the director had the freedom to come up with his own ending.
Wright filmed an alternate ending for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World which showed Scott getting back together with Knives Chau after defeating Gideon. Test audiences disliked this ending, so Wright reconsidered it. Ultimately, he decided to end the movie with Scott and Ramona giving their relationship another chance. Coincidentally, this is what O’Malley also decided to do in his graphic novels.
4 Get Out (2017)
Chris Is Imprisoned For Murdering The Armitage Family
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Director Jordan Peele Release Date February 24, 2017 Cast Lyle Brocato , LaKeith Stanfield , Caleb Landry Jones , Betty Gabriel , Allison Williams , Marcus Henderson , erika alexander , Bradley Whitford , Jeronimo Spinx , Catherine Keener , Daniel Kaluuya
Get Out is one of the best and most influential horror movies of the past decade, but it might not have been so popular if it had stuck to one of its alternate endings. In Jordan Peele’s final cut, Chris escapes from the Armitage family, eventually being rescued by his friend along the way. The moment that the police car arrives offers one last moment of tension, but Rod steps out, showing that Chris’ ordeal is over.
One idea that Peele considered was to flash forward a couple of months after Chris’ escape, only to show that he had been recaptured at some point and his body had been taken over.
Get Out‘s alternative endings would both have been far more disturbing. One idea that Peele considered was to flash forward a couple of months after Chris’ escape, only to show that he had been recaptured at some point and his body had been taken over. Another idea would have showed police officers arriving and arresting Chris. Instead, Peele decided to provide a more optimistic finale.
3 Ice Age (2002)
Diego Dies After His Clash With Soto
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Ice Age
Director Chris Wedge , Carlos Saldanha Release Date March 10, 2002 Cast Ray Romano , John Leguizamo , Denis Leary , Goran Visnjic , Jack Black , Cedric the Entertainer
Ice Age has some emotional moments as Manny, Sid and Diego go on a journey to reunite a lost human infant with his family. However, nothing in the movie is quite as emotionally devastating as the original ending, in which Diego, the saber-toothed tiger, dies after the battle with Soto and the other cats. In the final version of the movie, Diego is severely injured, but he survives and catches up with Manny and Sid later.
The original ending of
Ice Age
proved to be too upsetting for the movie’s young audience, who reacted negatively to test screenings.
The original ending of Ice Age proved to be too upsetting for the movie’s young audience, who reacted negatively to test screenings. In response, Ice Age added in the happier ending, ensuring that Diego could remain a key part of the Ice Age franchise for each of the sequels. Diego’s death would have shown the depths of his sacrifice, bringing his redemption arc to a dramatic end, but in a lighthearted children’s animation, he deserves to live.
2 Se7en (1995)
Mills Spares John Doe’s Life, But Somerset Kills Him Instead
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Se7en Where to Watch
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Director David Fincher Release Date September 22, 1995 Cast Brad Pitt , Gwyneth Paltrow , John C. McGinley , Morgan Freeman , Kevin Spacey
David Fincher’s Se7en stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as two detectives following the trail of a serial killer who chooses his victims based on the seven deadly sins. Mills is the younger and more reckless of the duo, while Somerset is a calm head on old shoulders who has seen plenty of crime and violence in his time. Se7en‘s unforgettable ending shows the two detectives getting their man, but the killer has one last surprise in store for them. He reveals that he has murdered Mills’ wife, prompting the detective to execute him in a blind rage.
Another ending would have changed what was inside the box. Instead of having Tracy’s head, the box was supposed to contain the head of one of Mills’ dogs.
David Fincher changed Se7en‘s ending a few times, finally landing on the iconic finale. Before finalizing the script, some other options were considered. One ending would have seen Mills lowering his weapon, but Somerset shooting John Doe to get revenge on his partner’s behalf. Another ending would have changed what was inside the box. Instead of having Tracy’s head, the box was supposed to contain the head of one of Mills’ dogs. This would have revealed that John Doe had kidnapped Tracy and hidden her somewhere.
1 Clue (1985)
Clue Has Three Endings In One
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Clue Where to Watch
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Director Jonathan Lynn Release Date December 13, 1985 Cast Eileen Brennan , Tim Curry , Madeline Kahn , Christopher Lloyd , Michael McKean , Martin Mull
The version of Clue that most people know today is not the one that played in movie theaters back in 1985. Clue shows three possible endings, asking the audience to choose which of the three possible solutions to the murder mystery they like the best. Originally, each screening of Clue showed just one of these alternate endings, and moviegoers had no idea which of the three they were about to see.
With most murder mysteries, the solution can never live up to the fun and games of the investigation. By showing multiple endings,
Clue
leaves its solution open to interpretation.
Clue works best with all three endings running one after the other. With most murder mysteries, the solution can never live up to the fun and games of the investigation. By showing multiple endings, Clue leaves its solution open to interpretation. This also makes the movie a better representation of the board game it is inspired by, since players are encouraged to come up with their own theories, and no two games are the same.