Unearned Happy Ending QOTD
    Question Of The Day

    Major Spoilers Question of the Day: Unearned Happy Ending Edition

    Matthew PetersonBy 3 Comments1 Min Read

    I stumbled upon a cable showing of ‘Back To The Future III’ recently, and once again I was taken by how inexplicable and unbelievable Doc’s ending is.  Sure, Emmett Brown is a resourceful man, but there’s literally no way he could have rebuilt the flux capacitor with 1885 technology, much less built it onto a train.  It’s a completely unearned Happy Ending for me and one that pokes a hole in the enjoyment of the end of the trilogy, leading to today’s unbelievable query…

    The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) does admit that the neon-covered flying train is a pretty cool visual, though, asking: What’s the most inexplicable unearned happy ending in your favorite pop culture?

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    Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.

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    3 Comments

    1. Vrynn on

      While I’m not sure it’s at the top of my list, the one that comes immediately to mind (due to it being recent) was the ending of Passengers. That movie was almost great and instead ended up being very mediocre due to what felt like a forced happy ending. She should have used the medical chamber to go back to sleep; it was a more fitting end.

      Side note: Think about how much better it would have been as a thriller told from the Jennifer Lawrence character’s point of view instead of Chris Pratt’s – where the reveal of what he’d done is a surprise 2nd act twist!?!

    2. Malone_hasco on

      Indiana Jones 3 ending would have been way more impactful and meaningful if Indy had lost his dad by Grail not really being exactly what legends told or Henry had to choose to be left to guard it in order to survive. Then, it was meant to be the last film and both of those endings had been perfect to be such a big loss to stop Indy from glory hunting.

    3. Lemmy Caution (@_Lemmy_Caution) on

      I think Return of the Jedi’s Vader turn was ridiculous. But then again that whole movie lost me after 15 minutes.

      (btw Clara was there now. She could have inspired him to create something new or in how to make it back then. Their life together happens off-screen. So who’s to say they didn’t “earn” it? I don’t have to see everything!)