Though generally well-liked, the ending(s) of “I Am Legend” didn’t stick the landing. There are a few plot holes – how did the women and kid show up if they destroyed all the bridges? – but there are also questions about why Will Smith’s character sacrificed himself when it looked like there was still room for him.
More questions arise thanks to the alternate ending, which had the zombie/vampire creatures suddenly develop speech and society. At the same time, the second ending is closer to what original writer Richard Matheson wrote; having it come right before the film closes left a lot of people befuddled.
Joker
While the character of the Joker is well-known, a movie that fully explores his backstory, keeping away from Batman, has never been done. Audiences loved this film thanks to Joaquin Phoenix’s performance, but it left a lot of questions in its wake. Fittingly, as it focuses on a character that is losing his grip on reality, it makes us wonder what really happened in the film and what didn’t.
Was it possible that the Joker ever really went crazy? Was he ever in public, or did he spend the entirety of the movie in an asylum? Finally, is he really the famous Batman villain, an inspiration for someone else, or something in between? The film ends without giving up its secrets.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Seeing as it’s a thriller and a spy movie, everyone expected “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” to have twists and turns, but a lot of people ended up feeling lost as to who was on the good side or the bad side, and if there were even what you might call good sides or bad sides in the movie.
Through careful study, it’s possible to decode it: Bill is a bad guy, and Jim - his lover, has to snipe him before he gets deported. Percy Alleline and Roy Bland are dismissed from The Circus, and Smiley takes charge as the new head. Of course, the movie moves so fast that it can be hard to get those details even if you’re paying attention.
Corpse Bride
The Tim Burton film had a lot of questions attached to it, though most people still find the film watchable enough. Yet at the ending, when the main character decides NOT to marry the titular bride, she turns into butterflies.
It had a lot of people saying, “huh?” since it got them to wonder if the other corpses will also turn into butterflies, why Emily is supposed to only be freed – read, turn into butterflies – when she marries her true love, who doesn’t marry her. Is she truly dead now? Does her consciousness persist in butterfly form? There are lots of poetic interpretations but no real answers to get from the movie.
Gone Girl
Though not confusing in the traditional sense – we know exactly what happened to the characters and why – but a lot of viewers had follow-up questions for the film that never got answered. The film ends with Amy (Rosamund Pike) clearing Nick (Ben Affleck) of her murder. She had initially framed him for it, but she then forced him to stay with her by getting pregnant with his child.
Viewers couldn't help but ask: would Nick really stay with her? How long will the relationship last before it ends in murder? Did they actually want to be together because they enjoyed the drama, or is it going to crash and burn?