Movie Endings: The Importance of Sticking the Landing

One of the most important aspects of a movie when looking at it from a plot perspective is the ending.  This topic is well-tread ground that has been discussed by many people through their own writing, verbal discussion, podcasts, webshows, social media, and many other places.  I decided that I would take some time and put down a few ideas about why I think the ending of a movie is the most important part of the movie’s plot.

The main function of a film’s ending is to end a film.  This means that it will be the last thing that anybody watching the movie will see before the end credits begin.  The ending usually leaves the biggest impression on those who go to see the movie due to the fact that they are at the end of the movie.  Upon thinking, the viewer will remember more of the movie, and over time may forget the ending altogether, but immediately after the film, that will be the most in the viewer’s mind.  If the final moments of a movie are bad, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of those watching it.  An ending that is disliked leaves a negative feeling to the viewers and causes them to have the immediate reaction of disliking the movie, even if they liked what came before it.  If the ending is good, but the rest of the movie was not, it may help to raise how much people liked the movie.  The ending can influence how much people like a movie just as much as acting, direction, or music can.

The lasting impression is not the only reason that an ending is the most important part of a movie, nor is it the main reason.  The main reason that an ending is so important is because it closes the story arc of the movie.  It should close it in a satisfying way.  Most, if not all, of the loose plot threads should be tied up sufficiently.  The characters should complete their personal journeys.  An ending should signify closure, for the most part.  There could be ambiguity that allows the viewer to come out with their own interpretation, but the ambiguity helps to signify the conclusion to what the viewer has witnessed during the movie’s runtime.  No matter how ambiguous an ending may be, it still brings the arc of a story to an end.

Why is the closure so important to a movie?  A movie without a proper closure feels incomplete.  The story has not come to a conclusion, yet the credits have started rolling.  There are instances where a little tag is added right before the credits to set up for a sequel, but this is not the ending.  The ending is seconds before, when the overarching story of the movie has come to a close.  A movie needs this closure.  Too often recently, movies have begun rolling the credits with the story not having any closure too them, and people have had conniptions.  It feels like an insult to the audience that they spent so much time investing themselves in the characters, story, and situations, only to come out with no resolution to what was happening.

The ending of a movie can be good or bad, but it is the most important part of the movie.  It’s the last thing that the audience sees.  How good the ending is can determine how people feel about the movie as a whole.  Will people feel closure, or will they be left feeling like the movie is incomplete?  It all comes down to the movie, the writing, and the direction.  It depends specifically on the ending and how well it works to close the movie in a satisfying way.  This is, of course, up to the viewer to determine how well a specific movie sticks the landing.  Everything needs to stick the landing though, and movies are no different.  A good ending is a good ending.  That’s all that matters.