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.
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.
I Am Legend
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.
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?
Pan's Labyrinth
The dark fantasy film “Pan's Labyrinth” by Guillermo del Toro has an ending that can be interpreted in several different ways. At the end of the film, the main character, Ofelia, dies in the mystical, magical stone labyrinth, but the film continues to show her being reborn as Princess Moanna, taking her place at her father the king's side.
Did Ofelia imagine her rebirth into royalty as a last gasp at a happy life after a childhood full of darkness and despair? Or did it really happen? She died with a smile on her face, so it is impossible to tell, and it's all up to the audience to decide.