It’s no secret that directors shoot several versions of endings for their films. But the decision about which one to edit into the film is often made almost at the last moment. Sometimes, even the ending is edited into the film just a few days before its premiere. The choice of what we’ll see in the final scene is influenced by various factors. It could be the recommendations of independent critics or focus groups that are the first to review the footage.
Ultimately, they guide which ending will evoke more emotions from the audience. Sometimes, it might be a trick to generate additional revenue from the film. After some time, additional materials and the film itself with an alternative ending are released on collector’s edition discs. AdmiGram.com has selected 5 cult films that could have been perceived quite differently if a different ending had been inserted.
5 alternate endings changing cult films significantly
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Many viewers, disappointed with the franchise’s continuation of Skynet’s struggle against humanity, agree that the film’s creators didn’t need to chase after creating an endless franchise, sacrificing the impressive Terminator duology. They should have extended the second part of Terminator by exactly 100 seconds instead of concluding the film with the scene of T-800’s immersion in molten metal.
This is allegedly the length of the original (real) ending that became an alternative. It shows a happy and aging Sarah Connor together with her son, who becomes a senator, babysitting grandchildren in a peaceful and calm 2027.
Rambo: First Blood
Rambo – a name that became synonymous with a cult action movie, shaping the childhoods of kids in the 90s. The film’s director, Ted Kotcheff, aimed to open the eyes of his country’s citizens to the problems in society that Vietnam War veterans encountered. He wanted to show the audience how the nation they defended in an unnecessary war rejected and did not accept them.
The original film ended with a scene in which the Vietnam War hero, unable to find himself in a society gone mad, commits suicide in front of Colonel Trautman. At the moment of handing over his weapon to his commander, a gunshot is heard, intended by the director to symbolize that the American nation was killing its sons in dubious wars.
This ending received a storm of negative criticism from the focus group, considering it not only depressing but also unacceptable for modern American civil society. As a result, the superbly portrayed character played by Sylvester Stallone was allowed to live, a decision that time has shown was not at all a mistake.
I Am Legend
Undoubtedly, it would have been an entirely different film if director Francis Lawrence had allowed his magnificent creation, permeated with hopelessness, to end with a typical Hollywood happy ending. Right now, resting on his laurels, Francis Lawrence makes popcorn and soda movies. But back in 2007, everything was real and completely different
After the film’s premiere, gallons of tears were shed, and the film’s internet portal was inaccessible for several days due to an excess of people wanting to comment that the protagonist should not have died. A week later, an alternative ending appeared online, where everyone lives happily ever after. Seeing how ‘I Am Legend’ could have ended, many agreed that the director made the right choice.
The Butterfly Effect
Eric Bress created a truly impressive and unusual film about the issue of choice, hopelessness, and the consequences of chaos theory. The real ending of ‘The Butterfly Effect’ absolutely shocked the audience with its dramatic outcome. Everyone who watched it before the premiere was in disbelief at the resolution.
The focus group insisted on a less shocking ending, while independent critics even predicted the film might be banned due to the suicidal implications in the finale. After this, Eric Bress filmed three more alternative endings, one of which was edited into the original film.
28 Days Later
The film released in 2000 revived the almost forgotten genre of zombie horror. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland wrote a script with such a gloomy ending for their horror film that the producers simply forbade such filming. The movie seemed too bleak and depressing for everyone’s taste.
After consultations and negotiations with the producers, Danny and Alex settled on a version where the main characters survive. On the later released film disc, the director and screenwriter presented three versions of the ending, which initially weren’t as rosy as they intended.
image on top: Terminator 2: Judgment Day / Carolco Pictures, YouTube/Flashback FM
