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Top 11 Movies Saved by the Ending
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Release Date
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September 15, 2021
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Running Time
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27:28
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(After the opening, we go to NC in his room.)
NC: Hello, I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don't have to. (beat) Been a long time since I've done one of these.
(Several titles of NC's past Top 11 list videos are shown.)
NC (vo): Yeah, I know I used to do a ton of Top 11 lists, but I think I got listed out for a bit. So I told myself I didn't want to do another one unless it was something I really wanted to talk about.
NC: Well, this is something I really wanted to talk about: movies that were saved by the ending.
(Footage of various movies are shown, along with an image of a past NC editorial.)
NC (vo): A while ago, I did a video talking about how an ending can ruin a film, so it only makes sense there'd be movies where the ending can save a film. When thinking about it, I realized there's actually quite a few where the ending takes an average, or even, bad film and transforms it into something that's well worth the price of admission. I think storytelling is pretty interesting that way; how a solid landing can excuse a less than stellar flight.
NC: With that said, keep in mind not all these films were bad before their finales.
NC (vo): They just wouldn't be nearly as good if they didn't end the way they did.
NC: With that said, it probably goes without saying, there's gonna be quite a few spoilers in this.
NC (vo): I'll be nice, though, and start by saying the title and then show the time code of where to jump if you don't want it ruined.
NC: With that said, let's do another Top 11 list. Why Top 11? Eh, it hasn't been that long. You remember. This is the Top 11 Movies Saved by the Endings.
(The title is shown through a collage of film strips and film rolls. That collage will serve as the interlude for the countdown. The number 11 pops up.)
#11[]
NC (vo): #11: Mitchells vs. the Machines.
NC: I feel like I've already lost a lot of you with this one, but hear me out.
(Footage of The Mitchells vs. the Machines is shown.)
NC (vo): I put this low on the list because the film is fine before its final third act, but...not great. I know it sounds like a nitpick, but they constantly advertise this from the team that brought us [Spider-Man: Into the] Spider-Verse and The Lego Movie, some of the most clever, mind-blowing animated films made in the past few decades. So when you see a family film that seems more kid-centered than family-centered, it can be a little jarring. One of the running jokes is tricking the dad into being licked by the dog.
(We are treated to a montage of clips showing the dog licking the father, Rick Mitchell, much to his disgust. First, we see him being licked outside the family car on a road trip.)
Rick: Oh!
(Next, as he is being filmed on camera while pointing out the natural beauty, the family holds up the dog to him to be licked again. Next, we see the dog licking Rick again, this from the back of the car at a gas station.)
Rick: Oh! Nasty!
(Next, the dog, being held up by Rick's daughter Katie, licks Rick outside a Waffle House, much to his wife Linda's amusement.)
Rick: Oh! Dang it, Katie!
(Finally, Katie has the dog lick Rick while driving down the road.)
Rick: Dang it, Katie!
NC: Um...cute.
NC (vo): There's a ton of little popup animations, like what many entertainers online use; creative, but not that funny.
NC: The best example may be all these...
(A shot of the family car is shown, covered with bumper stickers.)
NC (vo): ...bumper stickers on this car. It was shown for only a second, but I was like, "Ooh! Rewind it! There's gonna be a ton of jokes there! I know how this works!" But when you look closely, it's just...bumper stickers, nothing really that funny added. But yeah, the characters were fine and the style was fine, so it wasn't by any means bad.
NC: But when it gets to the third act, suddenly, so many of the things being set up in the first two acts come into play.
NC (vo): There's tons of little moments I thought were just jokes that didn't land but play a big part in a physical and emotional climax. So much of the film is the family fighting between the digital world and the real world, as the father is obsessed with nature and the daughter is obsessed with making movies online. In the end, we see the downsides and upsides of both. And every character gets a chance to shine in the final battle.
NC: On top of that, the jokes got a lot funnier, too.
NC (vo): Many of them, like I said, being built up in the first two acts without us even knowing it. Had it only just been a run-of-the-mill climax, the film still would have been fine, but the way everything ties up elevates it to a pretty damn good movie, one that was definitely smarter than it looked. It takes its time, but similar to a long yet enjoyable vacation, it's worth it in the end.
#10[]
NC (vo): #10: The Graduate.
(Footage of The Graduate is shown.)
NC (vo): Often hailed as one of the best movies ever made, The Graduate is a brilliant collection of amazing acting, classic music, inspired cinematography, and some pretty good laughs.
NC: What propels it to masterpiece status, though, is the ending.
NC (vo): Which some have still declared is just a fairy tale happily ever after scenario. Benjamin spends the whole film trying to rebel against his parents, often saying he wants his future to be different. He certainly achieves that by having an affair with an older woman, but unexpectedly falls in love with her daughter.
NC: Not just unexpectedly, but quickly.
NC (vo): Within no time at all, he asks her to marry him, even though, of course, she's marrying someone else. But her inner rebel comes out as well, and she wants to defy her parents, too, deciding to go with Benjamin.
NC: In any other random rom-com, this would be the happy ending.
NC (vo): But the bus ride shows their smiles slowly vanish, and the reality of the situation sinks in. They did the exact same thing Mrs. Robinson did: trap themselves for the sake of rebellion. They didn't really know each other; she wasn't even interested until he kept hounding her around the school, and she saw her parents telling her not to at the wedding. Even the return of "Sound of Silence" is played over the supposed fairy tale ending, which is not the happiest song. Had the film just ended with them laughing on the bus, it would have been hypocritical. But letting them slowly realize the silent darkness is still there emphasizes the mistake they made.
NC: I did a whole video on this years ago...
(Footage of NC's critique on the ending of The Graduate is shown.)
NC (vo): ...so I guess you could watch that for more detail.
(More footage of the film itself is shown.)
NC (vo): But this ending turns this clever coming-of-age comedy into one of the most brilliant and even haunting cautionary tales of young rebellion. It's still talked about even all these years later, for good reason.
#9[]
NC (vo): #9: The Illusionist.
(Footage of The Illusionist is shown.)
NC (vo): A lot of people aren't sure what to make of this ending, and that's because the film itself is one giant illusion. The film is about a magician who rediscovers a long-lost love, who is bound to a powerful yet controlling man. Once it looks like the man has killed her, the magician seemingly contacts her from beyond the grave, as well as other ghosts, to prove that she was murdered.
NC: Though the film is technically about the magician, it focuses the most on...
NC (vo): ...the cop investigating the magician, trying to figure out what's going on between the woman's murder and how the magician is performing the impossible, talking to dead spirits. What's revealed is that, like a true magic trick, our attention was directed somewhere else so the real illusion could take place. In reality, the magician and his love frame the powerful man so they could escape together. And it's only revealed at the end that it wasn't about the ghosts and how/if he really conjured them. As the cop and everyone around him is fooled, so are we, the audience. We didn't know that's what the film was about; we were all under the impression that this was a woman who was murdered and that the mystery was how the magician was conjuring up the dead. But like a real illusionist, not only was the distraction, but the trick is never revealed. We have no idea how he brings these people back from the dead or if it's all just part of a trick that nobody can figure out. This ending often sets people in different directions: some love it; others say they're thrown off by it. But if you look at the movie as the screenwriting equivalent of an emotional magic show, it pays off perfectly. Whether you get into it or not, it does manage to fool almost everyone in the end, like any great magician should.
#8[]
NC (vo): #8: The Usual Suspects.
(Footage of The Usual Suspects is shown.)
NC (vo): Outside The Sixth Sense, this might be the most famous twist of the past forty years.
NC: Part of that may be you don't even know you're supposed to be looking for a twist.
NC (vo): As there's a lot of talk about a criminal mastermind named Keyser Soze. But it's not until about halfway or even the last third you realize, you're supposed to be figuring out who he is. This gives you less time to put together who's the mastermind behind all this, only to reveal it's been the storyteller the whole time.
NC: Nowadays, this twist has been done to death, but back then, it shocked the hell out of everyone.
NC (vo): So much that people forget the film's a little clumsy before then. It starts like three or four times; jumps around so much, it's hard to keep track of what's happening; there's an early fake-out that probably didn't fool many people. Even the acting occasionally feels a little community college.
Verbal (Kevin Spacey): But I'm not a rat, Agent Kujan. (gets up and leaves) Fucking cops!
Offscreen voice: I'd like to thank the Academy.
NC (vo): But because this idea that the person constructing the narrative could be a liar was so rarely seen, even down to the details like him picking names from items he's finding around the room, it turned this into one of the most popular film surprises. Often imitated and even satirized, it turned a sometimes awkward film into a mind-blowing experience for audiences at the time.
NC: It's also a film that relishes its twist.
NC (vo): In a lot of movies before then, the shock would be revealed and then they would just roll the credits. But the idea of dragging the twist out, showing all the details of how they fooled you was done a lot more after this movie. Again, even The Sixth Sense did something similar. It saved what might have been a passable crime flick and turned it into one of the most talked about surprises in cinematic history.
Verbal: And like that...he's gone.
#7[]
NC (vo): #7: Zero Dark Thirty.
(Footage of Zero Dark Thirty is shown.)
NC (vo): Again, I can't say this is a bad film, but it is one of those that's pretty drawn-out and at times a little boring. I guess I can't pretend like the search for the most wanted man in the world would always be riveting. In fact, this film does a good job showing there's a lot of tedious moments, followed by painstaking research, and people not always believing you that would drive anyone insane. This helps you appreciate the hard work and dedication that went into finding this terrorist.
NC: And probably the scene that makes you appreciate that the most is the ending.
NC (vo): When the woman put in charge of finding Osama bin Laden finally succeeds, she's given an entire empty plane to herself and asked where she wants to go.
C-130 Pilot (Mark Valley): You got the whole plane to yourself. Where do you want to go?
NC (vo): She doesn't answer and instead breaks down. So much of this woman's purpose was tied to finding this man and proving she could do it.
NC: And now that it's gone, there's this bizarre emptiness.
NC (vo): She has no idea where to go. She probably hasn't even thought about what she even wants, as this consumes so much of her life that it became what she wanted. Had it ended with them celebrating getting the guy, this film would have been perfectly competent. But this is what makes you appreciate all the years, dedication and sacrifice that went into finding him.
NC: It's such a simple scene, but it speaks so loudly in its silence.
NC (vo): Sometimes, it's the smallest moments that can leave the biggest impact.
#6[]
NC (vo): #6: Knives Out.
NC: This is one of those bizarre mysteries that has you asking the question, "What is the mystery?"
(Footage of Knives Out is shown.)
NC (vo): On the surface, it looks like a whodunit story, with someone being murdered and a colorful cast of characters being introduced for an eccentric detective to question.
NC: But not even a third in, we're told how it happened and who did it.
NC (vo): It was seemingly an accident, and most of the film apparently focuses on the killer trying not to be suspicious, which she isn't very good at. Little do you know, though, that there's another mystery going on, and it works exactly how most mysteries work, with a killer, a motive, and so forth, it's just not focused on. Instead, we're concerned about whether or not the woman who supposedly accidentally killed him is going to get away. Even the colorful cast of characters aren't focused on nearly as much as other mysteries would focus on them. And why would it? We apparently already know who the killer is!
NC: It should probably go without saying, this is a Rian Johnson film.
NC (vo): And to people's either delight, annoyance or sometimes both, he's obsessed with subverting expectations. I think the only expectation you can predict with him is that people are gonna be split on their reaction to his movies.
NC: I personally love trying to figure out a movie mystery.
NC (vo): Not even based on the clues, but how the characters are written and what would make the most sense in crafting a surprise.
NC: So, as you can imagine, this film drove me absolutely insane.
NC (vo): What the hell even was the mystery if everything was already revealed? Well, like any good surprise should, it caught me off-guard, despite me scratching my head trying to figure it out, both doing something different, yet coming around to being constructed like how most mysteries are, just told in a way that tricks you. It can be infuriating like many elements in his films. But I did find myself pretty impressed and adequately fooled.
NC: And with the talks of...
NC (vo): ...another one coming out, it'll be interesting to see how he can manipulate the genre again by having – and not having – a mystery in a mystery.
#5[]
NC (vo): #5: Onward.
(Footage of Onward is shown.)
NC (vo): This film didn't get many people in the theaters, but it is forming a comfortable life on streaming.
NC: And part of that may be, it knew how to wrap up.
NC (vo): The idea is a clever one, about a magical land that focused more on technology than sorcery, resulting in fantasy creatures living similar lives to us, too similar, in my opinion. I actually thought the world-building in this was pretty weak. The humor and characters start off like that, too, with everything having a very generic animated film look.
NC: It almost didn't even feel like Pixar; it had such a standard story and jokes.
NC (vo): When the road trip begins, though, that's when it gets a little interesting. And not only does it get better as the film continues, but it has a really powerful ending. The quest is, both these brothers want to see their father who passed away so they can talk to him one last time. The youngest gives up his chance to see him, though, as he knows the older brother had much more he wanted to say, heck, needed to say. Unlike other Disney films, though, where they renege sometimes and give everyone the happy ending anyway, there are consequences to these actions. (An image of Frozen II are shown.) It isn't like Frozen II, where someone's gonna sacrifice something but then pull back because, "Eh, you were gonna do it, so it counts." No, something very important is given up, and you appreciate what the character gives up because you know how much it means to him. Add on top of that a climax with what could've been a generic monster but turns out to be pretty funny and clever...
NC: ...and you get a Pixar movie that probably deserves more love than when it came out.
NC (vo): Had this ending not been there, I think it would've been an okay flick for kids, but this is what turns it into a pretty good film for children and adults, eventually. It may not be Pixar's best, but this ending still makes it powerful enough to leave an emotional impact.
#4[]
NC (vo): #4: Double Team.
(Footage of Double Team is shown.)
NC (vo): Believe it or not, there was a time where I really tried to force memes.
(The audience is heard gasping audibly. NC holds up his hands defensively.)
NC: I know, I know. I was shocked I did that, too.
NC (vo): But with an ending this insane, I'm shocked even more memes haven't come out of this. The film is a cheesy vehicle for Dennis Rodman to prove he could be an action star alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme. While there's certainly memorable moments, so bad, it's funny, a lot of it comes across as kind of a generic martial arts action flick.
NC: That is, until the ending!
NC (vo): When somehow, they work in a bomb, a tiger, a coliseum, a baby, and a product placement so forced it literally saves people's lives in the stupidestly awesome way that it becomes one of the most legendary batshit things ever filmed! At the time, I called this fizzy insanity "frying the Coke".
NC: But years later, it doesn't matter what you call it, its levels of holy shit dumb speak for themselves!
NC (vo): This is an ending you throw your hands up in the air like a roller coaster; it's so epically ridiculous! I don't know how anyone could leave this movie without talking about this ending for hours.
NC: I mean...look at it!
(Quinn (Van Damme) and Yaz (Rodman) shield themselves from the raging inferno caused by the explosion...with a Coke vending machine?!)
NC (vo): It's hard not to squee, even as I'm talking over it! Amazing! Absolutely amazing! You know how spectacular it is! Next movie!
#3[]
NC (vo): #3: Godzilla.
(Footage of the 2014 version of Godzilla (not the god-awful 1998 version) is shown.)
NC (vo): This is a movie that starts off strong and ends strong.
NC: And thank God, because the rest would be boring as sin without it!
NC (vo): It's cool taking the Godzilla films more seriously, but when you kill off your most interesting character and replace him with this...
("This" being the main character, U.S. Navy EOD Lt. Ford Brody, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.)
NC (vo): ...instead of this...
(Cut to Godzilla attacking the Golden Gate Bridge.)
NC: ...you're gonna get a snooze-fest.
NC (vo): The buildup to Godzilla is great, but once he shows up, it cuts away from all the destruction and focuses on people we really don't give a shit about. By the time the third act shows up, though, they give the blue balls a rest and finally give you what you've been waiting for. The final fight in this movie so badass! And yes, I'll admit, some of that is the buildup to it.
NC: But the movie is called Godzilla, so I was hoping for a little more Godzilla.
NC (vo): Nevertheless, they do know how to give you a good time at the end, while making it feel appropriately epic. Had this ending not been here, I'm pretty sure everyone would have left pretty pissed off. But it does come through. It takes a while, but they do give you the good stuff in the end. And it saves this monster movie from becoming a monster bore.
Dr. Ishirō Serizawa (Ken Watanabe): Let them fight.
NC: See? He gets it!
#2[]
NC (vo): #2: Rogue One.
(Footage of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is shown.)
NC (vo): From one Gareth Edwards film to the next, Rogue One was the first big-screen Star Wars film not to be a part of a trilogy.
(The poster for Star Wars: The Clone Wars is inserted, along with the message: "AM I A JOKE TO YOU?")
NC: The first act had people kind of mixed, but everyone agreed it had a friggin' awesome third act!
NC (vo): Like Godzilla, the characters in Rogue One weren't exactly the most riveting. But this time, to the director's credit, that could be because the studio changed a lot from what was originally filmed, giving way to several theories as to what was going on in the additional scenes in the trailers.
NC: Also to the director's credit, the film was great at making you feel like you were...
NC (vo): ...really in these environments. You could argue this is the most dark, gritty and, well, warlike in terms of how Star Wars movies look. But still, you're not going to hear a lot of people quoting lines from many of these characters. Heck, they're not even household names.
NC: The ending, though, has some of the best battle sequences in any Star Wars movie.
NC (vo): From space to the beach to one of the coolest scenes ever shot with Darth Vader...and given this character's history, that's saying quite a bit...Rogue One has an adrenaline-pumping finale that'll have you cheering for characters, even if you couldn't quite remember what their names were. While the scenes prior were by no means awful, this ending made getting through them 100% worth it. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched that Vader scene where he takes out the rebels. It's one of the coolest moments in Star Wars history. It's not Empire Strikes Back, but with this finale, it turns out a decent enough episode of Rebels. (A shot of Star Wars: Rebels pops up.)
#1[]
NC (vo): And the #1 movie saved by the ending is...The Straight Story.
NC: Okay, so you either saw this coming or you have no idea what I'm talking about.
(Footage of The Straight Story is shown.)
NC (vo): I've discussed this film before on Disneycember, but not here. Chances are, you've never heard of it, and chances are, even if you did, you may not have gotten all the way through it. The film is a true story about an old man who discovers his estranged brother is dying. Unable to drive a car, though, he steers his mower tractor for miles and miles just to see him.
NC: That, is the entire plot of the story, and yes, it is just as boring as you would think it is.
NC (vo): Every once in a while, he might come across an interesting person, but for the most part, it's just him on this damn tractor, all alone against some pretty boring landscapes. It is one of the most tedious things you will ever watch. The film was directed by David Lynch, so I keep expecting to see a little person talk backwards or something to liven things up. But nope, it's literally just him driving this tractor. There's not even like an inner monologue from him. It's just the quiet road.
NC: But when he gets to the end, suddenly, everything is made clear.
NC (vo): He sees his brother, his brother sees him, he looks at that shitty mower, and asks if he really rode that thing all the way out there just to see him. He says, yes, he did, and he starts to break down.
NC: Suddenly, it hits you what this guy went through and how long it took for him to go through it.
NC (vo): The boredom of this movie was always the point. It's not like something like (The poster for the following pops up...) Gerry, where they just walk around and it builds up to something unsatisfactory. This one wanted you to really feel the dedication and love this man had for his brother. And the best way to do it was to make you feel how much it sucked to be on that damn mower.
NC: This is actually the first and only film that completely changed my mind on a movie solely based on the last minute.
NC (vo): I rarely walk out of movies because I do tell myself, literally the last sixty seconds can change the whole thing. It's such an odd occurrence, but this movie proves it is possible. It actually kind of changed the way I look at films, what they can do, and the way they can do it. I definitely can't say The Straight Story will win everyone over, but I think everyone can understand the point of it and why it exists, mostly just from that final minute.
NC: There's something weirdly amazing about that.
NC (vo): It shows that not only can an ending transform an entire film, but it can be done in less time than most people imagine. What else can you say but, it's the ultimate example of a movie that was saved by a great ending.
NC: So, what do you think? You agree with the list? You disagree with the list? Were there any I left out? Let me know in the comments below, and also let me know if you want to see more Top 11 lists. I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don't have to. (gets up and leaves)
(The Channel Awesome logo is shown, and the credits roll.)