You’ll often hear writers say that telling a story is easy. It’s coming up with an ending — that’s the hard part. The same holds true when it comes to our favorite movies.
As a matter of fact, it isn’t uncommon for a film to have several possible endings. See what I mean and check out these 10+ movies with different endings (that might actually be better).
*Clue*.
Clue is an interesting example because this movie actually has three different endings! When it originally hit theaters, cineplexes were either given films A, B, or C.
Supposedly, there’s a 4th ending that has never seen the light of day.
*Thelma And Louise*.
Instead of ending with the freeze-frame of Thelma and Louise driving off the cliff, Ridley Scott’s alternate ending would have depicted them crashing into the cavern below.
Would you rather remember Thelma and Louise as martyrs or champions?
*First Blood*.
John Rambo was never supposed to make it out alive. In the alternate ending of First Blood , he takes his own life.
While this without question is a much more artistic end, it would have killed the possibility for any sequels.
*The Butterfly Effect*.
The Butterfly Effect has three alternate endings! The first two are incredibly similar to the theatrical cut, with very little to differentiate them.
But in the third, Evan travels back in time to the memory of his birth and strangles himself with his own umbilical cord!
*Se7en*.
Interestingly enough, the alternate ending is actually the theatrical ending in the case of Seven .
The studio was pushing to have Mills and Somerset save Tracy in the end. Brad Pitt insisted that the head stays in the box, otherwise he would walk.
*Rocky*.
In Stallone’s original script, Rocky leaves the ring alone. As he exits the stadium, he meets Adrian in the tunnel and the two leave the building hand-in-hand.
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I personally like this ending because it shows that when all is said and done, Adrian is the one who’s there for him.
*Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi*.
Return of the Jedi is arguably the weakest of the original Star Wars trilogy. But the alternate ending could have changed all of that.
After defeating the Emperor and helping his father remove his mask, Luke was going to put on the helmet and proclaim “I’m Vader now!”
*Fatal Attraction*.
If you hated the theatrical ending for Fatal Attraction , so did Glenn Close! She campaigned hard for an alternate ending that would have depicted Alex’s suicide after framing Dan for murder.
Test audiences, however, weren’t big fans.
*I Am Legend*.
Instead of sacrificing himself, Neville was going to come to learn of his own malice , and how he’d inadvertently become the villain of the story.
After releasing his captive, Neville was going to leave his research behind and take the cure to the community in Vermont.
*Donnie Darko*.
The alternate ending of Donnie Darko makes a dark film that much darker. We actually get to see inside Donnie’s room and bear witness to his sacrifice.
While it is gruesome, it does at least offer closure to an otherwise ambiguous film.
*The Birds*.
The brilliance behind The Birds lies in Hitchcock’s ability to take an unassuming, everyday occurrence and make it terrifying .
His original version was going to end with a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge, completely covered in birds.
*Terminator 2: Judgment Day*.
I’m just going to say it — there should never have been a Terminator movie after T2 . The alternate ending would have cemented that idea.
It shows an aging Sarah Connor , 30 years into the future, watching her son John play with his daughter.
*1408*.
1408 may just be the best Stephen King adaptation there is! This movie’s alternate ending had Mike Enslin perishing inside the haunted hotel room.
After the funeral, he reveals himself to Mr. Olin in his car’s rearview mirror.
*The Lion King*.
The original storyboard ending for The Lion King would have shown Scar throw Simba from Pride Rock.
Believing his nephew to be dead, he then begins to laugh maniacally and uncontrollably as he’s engulfed in flames.
*Titanic*.
The alternate ending of Titanic shows Rose dropping ‘The Heart of the Ocean’ into the Atlantic in front of the entire crew .
She gives an empowered speech on the dangers of material possessions and the true meaning of treasure.
