Famous movies that should have ended differently: the reasons why this happened

Many films go through a testing process, in which the audience is shown a short description and then asked to provide feedback. Depending on what the viewers say, the filmmakers may make changes, especially if there is an element that the audience is dissatisfied with. So, even the end of a movie could be changed, if “His Majesty” wants it.

Quite a few blockbusters, even the classic ones, received extreme adjustments, as the audience had negative reactions to the way the filmmakers chose to end the plot.

In some cases, the originally conceived endings made sense from a narrative or thematic point of view, but the spectators left without the catharsis they desperately wanted. At other times, the endings were so bad that the audience could not bear to see such a thing and reacted accordingly. For whatever reason, it could reasonably be argued that these films were aided by the public’s contribution.

You may be surprised to learn that some of those films that have made history have changed their ending.

That being said, let’s look at some of the movies that have benefited from the “change of face”.

Fatal Attraction, one of those movies that should have ended differently

Fatal Attraction faced an interesting dilemma: should the film stay true to its own story or give the audience what it wants? The thriller, which tells the story of a man whose mistress becomes dangerously possessive, was originally planned to end with the suicide of Alex (Glenn Close), after making sure that Dan’s (Michael Douglas) fingerprints are everywhere. The ending would have been perfect, in keeping with the tone and themes of the plot. The only problem is that the test audience did not react as it should, suggesting that Dan should have killed her.

Director Adrian Lyne refused to film a new ending in which Dan tries to drown Alex in a tub and then his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), shoots him, so Tanen offered him $ 1.5 million in plus to do it. Lyne agreed, as did Michael Douglas. Glenn Close, on the other hand, strongly opposed. The actress said: “I fought for two weeks. He was going to turn a character I loved into a bloodthirsty psychopath. “

Critic Roger Ebert agreed with Glenn Close in his review of the film, writing: “What’s going on here? Do they lack the courage to follow through on their beliefs? They seem to have a knack for finding thought-provoking and sensitive scenarios about interesting adults, and then adding awful, classic Hollywood formulas to them. Fatal Attraction clearly had the potential to be an Oscar nominee. I left feeling cheated and betrayed. “

Despite the criticism, Fatal Attraction was a huge success, becoming the highest grossing film of 1987.

The original ending was included as a bonus in various DVD / Blu-ray versions of the movie.

Pretty in Pink also falls under the category of “remade movies”

The last change of the Pretty in Pink ending was a sudden one. As you already know, the film tells the story of a rich boy named Blane (Andrew McCarthy) who succumbs to the pressure of his colleagues and gives up an agreement to invite Andie (Molly Ringwald) to the prom. In the original version, she goes with Duckie (Jon Cryer) instead, and the film ends with a love story between the two. Screenwriter and producer John Hughes is said to have intended to comment on the differences between social classes and how difficult it is to overcome these barriers.

However, the public did not feel this idea to be a passing fad. According to director Howard Deutch, “People didn’t care about politics; they wanted her to be with the cute boy. “

In addition to the fact that a new ending had to be conceived to satisfy the desire of the target audience, there were some logistical problems that the filmmakers had to solve. McCarthy, for example, who had cut his hair in the meantime for another role, had to wear a rather ill-made wig to re-film the scenes.

Pride & Prejudice, different for English and Americans

It may seem hard to believe that Pride & Prejudice would need an alternate ending, given that it is based on the well-known novel written by Jane Austen. However, there is a big difference in the end, depending on where you lived in the world when you saw the movie. The British version ended with Elizabeth (Donald Sutherland) ‘s father giving Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) permission to marry his daughter, and then stating that he would be willing to marry his other daughters if he find suitable suitors.

When the film was tested on the American audience, director Joe Wright reintroduced an ending that the British test audience categorically rejected and embodied Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Darcy kissing and stroking in the moonlight. So, the Americans liked the slightly more graphic and more romantic version.

Not everyone approved of this change. Elsa Solender, a member and former president of the Jane Austen Society of North America, said that the ending “has nothing of Jane Austen in it, is incompatible with the first two-thirds of the film,” and insults the audience with the banality. his”.

28 Days Later could have been even darker

From all points of view, 28 Days Later is a pretty bleak movie. After all, it is a virus that is destroying most of the United Kingdom, turning humans into zombie-like creatures. For this reason, Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland chose to end the film on a quasi-optimistic note, so as not to alienate the audience.

So they filmed a second, much darker ending, which was included as a bonus on the British DVD release. This ending ends with the protagonist Jim (Cillian Murphy) who dies in an abandoned hospital.

Final Destination was originally intended to be a bit more romantic

The producers of Final Destination initially intended to do something much grander than just a shocking movie. The story follows a group of teenagers who get off a plane shortly before it explodes, and this is only due to the premonition of one of the boys. “Death” is angry with them and tries to finish what started on the plane, but did not succeed.

In its original form, the film contained several elements that proved extremely unpopular during testing: a love story, an ambiguous ending, and the death of Alex (Devon Sawa). Clearly, the audience was not interested in that. The filmmakers decided to keep what works, so they removed the romance and spared the hero.

The changes were so good that they gave birth to an entire franchise that is on the borderline between horror movies and those with and about teenagers / young people. However, this slightly more romantic final version is also included on the DVDs.

The audience wanted revenge for Susie’s death in The Lovely Bones

Directors often edit their films so as not to shock the test audience so much. Peter Jackson had to add a frightening scene to his adaptation of Alice Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones” to please the audience. The film tells the story of a 14-year-old girl named Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), who observes from heaven how her family tries to heal after she is killed. Stanley Tucci plays George Harvey, the pedophile who took his life – and that makes it absolutely sensational.

During the test viewers, the audience was dismayed that Harvey was not getting what he deserved. According to Jackson, the team had to return to the editing room to “practically add more” suffering. We had a lot of people tell us they were disappointed with this scene because they wanted to see Harvey in agony. We had to create a whole scene of death just to give people the satisfaction they needed. “

The Titanic might not have won an Oscar

Titanic is one of the highest grossing movies of all time. It is quite possible that this would not have been the case if the original ending had been left intact. In the theatrical version, the treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) gives up the search for the precious jewel, known as the Heart of the Ocean, after hearing the story of Rose (variant Gloria Stuart). Undoubtedly, a gesture with a great emotional charge, which shows us how the woman tries to maintain the purity of her love for Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio).

The other end would have changed everything: old Rose climbed the ship’s railing to throw away the jewel. Lizzy, Brock and Rose’s niece, notices that her grandmother is planning to jump overboard. Rose warns her not to approach, then lets her niece touch her just a little before throwing herself into the water.

Of course, this final can be seen on the available DVD / Blu-ray excerpts.