In Tim Burton’s 2001 film Planet of the Apes , the innovative director included a twist at the end. When Leo Davidson travels back in time, he discovers that General Thade is already there. Not only that, but the ape also took over the planet.
However, the twist raised the question of how Thade made his way into the past without a ship. Fans have posited the idea that Thade fixed the broken escape pod from Leo’s ship and managed to create his own time machine. Although this was never shown onscreen, it’s a logical conclusion.
Total Recall
Total Recall follows Arnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid, a construction worker who suddenly learns that he might be part of an international espionage mission, which led to his real memories being erased and replaced with his current life. However, it’s also possible that Quaid is simply living in a dream.
Although director Paul Verhoeven hasn’t officially cleared up the ending of the movie, he has stated that he believes Quaid is dreaming. Rather than living those moments, Quaid is simply having a bad reaction to a memory implant that takes him down an insane path.
Fight Club
Fight Club does a fairly good job of explaining its confusing ending, but we’ll rehash it for you anyway. The film centers on unnamed protagonist Edward Norton, whose life gets turned upside down when he meets the violent Tyler Durden.
At the end of the film, however, it’s revealed that Edward Norton’s character and Tyler Durden were always one and the same. The narrator was suffering from a sort of split personality dynamic. While he was “sleeping,” Durden was wreaking havoc on his life. The scenes where they’re together are simply figments of the narrator’s imagination.
Black Swan
Black Swan follows professional ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman), who tries to be the best she can be when cast as The Swan Queen for a ballet company. Throughout the film, Nina struggles with her role, fighting not only herself but also Lily (Mila Kunis) – a talented ballerina cast as the Black Swan.
In the end, Nina performs the ballet and collapses on a mattress, exhausted and bleeding. The final scene is about how far a person is willing to push the boundaries of their own sanity in order to be the best at what they do.
Citizen Kane
At the end of Citizen Kane , the audience finds out that Kane had a childhood sled named Rosebud. That one reveal is one of the central mysteries of the movie, so the discovery that it is just a simple sled is somewhat underwhelming.
However, the sled does play a purpose. It shows that, underneath his viciousness, Citizen Kane always had a human side. His cherished childhood toy represents the softness inside of him and a past he’s still holding onto, no matter what.