With popular films of the last ten years or so, I generally get a bit let down by the end. The performances can be great, the hook can be great, but the ending is usually never as good as the rest of the film.

Obviously, screenplays change a lot from idea to final cut, and it's easy to say that producers, studios and test audiences change things for the worse by making things bland, safe and familiar. But I wonder if that's all there is to it. Do writers take it too literally when they're suggested to make the third act a "race to the finish"? I'm surprised by how many films seems to end with a contrived fight sequence, chase or empty twist. The drama's gone, replaced by flash.

What are some popular films from the last ten years or so that managed to keep the momentum and quality constant through the ending, without resorting to fights, chases or twists? And how do you think they got away with them?

Sorry, but this is kind of an odd question. I mean aren't you basically asking what movies of the last 10 years are good? For the most part, good movies have good endings as well. Even if the first part of the movie is great, it's hard to say a movie is good if the ending sucked. I don't know...I guess I just don't know what movies would be listed other than the same movies that are typically listed on any "best of" list of the last 10 years.

I actually thought you were going to go the other way and ask what movies had good or great openings and then poor endings that ended up making the movie, on a whole, not good.

"Memento", it gets better as you get towards the beginning.

Yes, I'd like to hear some examples of good movies with bland endings.

high tension

Is this in answer to the OP, or PopcornTreeCt? (It must be the latter...right?)

yes correct, sorry.

While High Tension doesn't have a good ending, I would hardly characterize it as "bland."

The Dark Knight
/thread

I agree with this sentiment 100%. I was actually going to state more or less the same thing until I saw your post. How could anyone think it is bland? Horrible? Yes. Bland? Definitely not.

The Town.

I'll second that. I really liked it...but the ending..just....left me..there..just....stopped.

He said, "without resorting to fights, chases or twists", which pretty much disallows the last two hours of The Dark Knight.

I think scott1598 is a teacher too. If he is....guess reading isn't his strong point.

Well there were two questions put out by different posters so he might be responding to the second one "good movies with bland endings."

Sunshine (2007). Very run-of-the-mill ending, very above average film.

Ncfom.

I actually prefer the ending they went with over the ending that the studio and the original book has

The Departed. Heresy to some, maybe, but I just thought the ending was really weak.

I don't know why High Tension gets all the hate for it's ending (I mean I kinda do). I remember importing that movie before it was released here and really enjoying the set pieces. It's a slasher film, plain and simple. Yeah, the ending is somewhat lame, it's not really a shock or a twist. Just an ending. The whole movie doesn't exist so you understand a character or anything, it exists so you can see a dude get his head knocked off with a piece of furniture, etc. Slasher films usually end with a jump scare (NoES, F13) or they just end with people walking away limping to an inappropriately bright score or 80s metal song.

well....could you elaborate more on that?

It was a weak ending, and weak on all the important plot points.

Scorsese blew it.

True Grit's ending felt a little bland compared to the excellent screen time before it.