scifi's biggest TWIST!
- Thread starter RobertScorpio
- Start date
Believe it or not I forgot about that one (but I first saw it when I was a kid so it wasn't as shocking to me now).
I think one has to distinguish between a movie in which there happens to be a surprise development at the end, and a movie with a "twist" ending. The end of Time Bandits isn't a twist. Spock dying at the end of Star Trek II isn't a twist. For anyone watching it for the first time, with no access to spoilers, Spock's death would come as a surprise. But his death doesn't cause you to reevaluate everything that you were watching for the previous two hours.
Planet of the Apes, on the other hand, has an actual "twist" ending. The revelation that the planet was Earth completely changes your frame of reference as to what the whole story was about. If you went on to watch the movie a second time, now knowing about the big reveal, you'd have a completely different perspective about what's going on.
Empire Strikes Back is kind of an intermediate case. Yeah, it's kind of a twist ending, in that knowing that Vader is Luke's father puts a different spin on Vader's efforts to recruit Luke throughout the movie, but it doesn't quite shatter all of your previously held assumptions quite the way the ending of Planet of the Apes does.......though it's hard for me to evaluate them objectively, as I already knew about the big surprise in both movies before I saw them the first time.
Oh, and you should have started this thread with a big disclaimer entitled SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING.
Planet of the Apes, on the other hand, has an actual "twist" ending. The revelation that the planet was Earth completely changes your frame of reference as to what the whole story was about. If you went on to watch the movie a second time, now knowing about the big reveal, you'd have a completely different perspective about what's going on.
Empire Strikes Back is kind of an intermediate case. Yeah, it's kind of a twist ending, in that knowing that Vader is Luke's father puts a different spin on Vader's efforts to recruit Luke throughout the movie, but it doesn't quite shatter all of your previously held assumptions quite the way the ending of Planet of the Apes does.......though it's hard for me to evaluate them objectively, as I already knew about the big surprise in both movies before I saw them the first time.
Oh, and you should have started this thread with a big disclaimer entitled SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
I think one has to distinguish between a movie in which there happens to be a surprise development at the end, and a movie with a "twist" ending. The end of Time Bandits isn't a twist. Spock dying at the end of Star Trek II isn't a twist. For anyone watching it for the first time, with no access to spoilers, Spock's death would come as a surprise. But his death doesn't cause you to reevaluate everything that you were watching for the previous two hours.
Planet of the Apes, on the other hand, has an actual "twist" ending. The revelation that the planet was Earth completely changes your frame of reference as to what the whole story was about. If you went on to watch the movie a second time, now knowing about the big reveal, you'd have a completely different perspective about what's going on.
Empire Strikes Back is kind of an intermediate case. Yeah, it's kind of a twist ending, in that knowing that Vader is Luke's father puts a different spin on Vader's efforts to recruit Luke throughout the movie, but it doesn't quite shatter all of your previously held assumptions quite the way the ending of Planet of the Apes does.......though it's hard for me to evaluate them objectively, as I already knew about the big surprise in both movies before I saw them the first time.
Oh, and you should have started this thread with a big disclaimer entitled SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING.
Then by your definition THE SIXTH SENSE would win, IMO...
Rob
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Wait...seriously? That happened? That's ridiculous. Stupid Warners...
While I agree with your assessment, I disagree with lumping Empire into it. That was the ultimate plot twist. I remember being eight and the holy shit moment of that reveal. Plus there's the behind the scenes story where everyone thought the line was "I killed your father" and they cleared the set for that scene so no one would leak the twist.
Another great twist...Sleepaway Camp. The cute girl totally has a penis!!! IIIEEEE!!
Another great twist...Sleepaway Camp. The cute girl totally has a penis!!! IIIEEEE!!
Even though I saw it a month after it came out, somehow I didn't get spoiled and the twist in THE MATRIX completely blew me away. From the commercials I thought the Agents were aliens and the humans were aliens or just had super powers. Never in a million years did I think it was a virtual reality! Or that humans were battery slaves in a machine! Or that they were in the future! Or that artificial intelligence was the villain!
Except it's not SciFi, which is kind of essential, given the thread title.
12 monkeys...
... 'Oh I'm in insurance'...
... 'Oh I'm in insurance'...
If we're also counting "Twilight Zone" episodes, I nominate the end of "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" in which we learn that the aliens' actual invasion plan is to just flip the lights on and off a few times and generate enough paranoia amongst the humans that they eventually just tear each other apart.
Of course, "The Empire Strikes Back," "Planet of the Apes (1968)," & "The Sixth Sense" are classics in this respect.
But when I think of great plot twists, I think of the 2nd season finale of "Roswell," where we learn that Tess killed Alex and has been plotting to betray Max, Isabel, & Michael to their enemies all along. It was a great twist because you never saw it coming and yet it was perfectly in keeping with Tess' character. You always felt that there was something off about her but you just assumed that that animosity had to do with her jealousy of the Max/Liz relationship.
Of course, "The Empire Strikes Back," "Planet of the Apes (1968)," & "The Sixth Sense" are classics in this respect.
But when I think of great plot twists, I think of the 2nd season finale of "Roswell," where we learn that Tess killed Alex and has been plotting to betray Max, Isabel, & Michael to their enemies all along. It was a great twist because you never saw it coming and yet it was perfectly in keeping with Tess' character. You always felt that there was something off about her but you just assumed that that animosity had to do with her jealousy of the Max/Liz relationship.
I don't know - for me, this is the best surprise plot twist in scifi TV for sure...and I haven't watched it (again) in over a year!
Not only is it a great twist, but it's a MEANINGFUL twist that brings the entire plot of the show full circle.
Speaking of your Sisko avatar, I'd say Trek's biggest twists are:
Best of Both Worlds, Picard is turned into a Borg.
And In The Pale Moonlight..."Computer...Delete entire personal log." That was hardcore.
Best of Both Worlds, Picard is turned into a Borg.
And In The Pale Moonlight..."Computer...Delete entire personal log." That was hardcore.
That how it is for me with most of the twists listed. I have always known of them so its hard for me to really see them as surprising personally.
For that I would list
The Sixth Sense
The Prestige
* B5 -- Sinclair is Valen, thus why the Mimbari ended the war.
* TOS' Balance of Terror -- Spock looks exactly like the Romulans.
* Blake's 7 -- characters die (I think Gan was first)
* Prisoner -- Number 6 is Number 1
* Farscape -- Two John Crichton's were allowed to live
* TNG -- Picard is Locutus
* TOS' Balance of Terror -- Spock looks exactly like the Romulans.
* Blake's 7 -- characters die (I think Gan was first)
* Prisoner -- Number 6 is Number 1
* Farscape -- Two John Crichton's were allowed to live
* TNG -- Picard is Locutus
I don't know - for me, this is the best surprise plot twist in scifi TV for sure...and I haven't watched it (again) in over a year!
Not only is it a great twist, but it's a MEANINGFUL twist that brings the entire plot of the show full circle.
Fo'sho. That and it involved my favorite human character, Sinclair. The last shot of WwE, part II gives me chills every time.
