Top 5 Movie Plot Twists of All-Time

We all love a plot twist at the end of the movie.  Nobody sees them coming and it completely changes how we see the movie. Here is a list of the top five best movie plot twists out there.  Before I even start anything however, SPOILER ALERT!!!!

#5:  The Village (2004)

While director M. Night Shyamalan has been known to try and force unneeded plot twists, this is one of the few that actually worked out.  The Village focuses on a secluded group of 19th century villagers that are surrounded by a mysterious forest.  Inside the forest, there are strange monsters that lurk and attack those who try to venture outside it.

As it turns out, The Village is actually set in modern times.  Some of the oldest members of the community secluded themselves from the world in an attempt to cleanse humanity and didn’t want any of the younger members leaving the group.

#4:  The Sixth Sense (1999)

Okay, so I guess lightning can strike twice for Shyamalan as The Sixth Sense also had one of the best twist endings out there.  We follow a young boy who can see ghosts and his psychiatrist, played by Bruce Willis, who helps him deal with it. As the movie goes on, the boy slowly comes to terms with his dilemma, but we learn that his psychiatrist has actually been dead the whole time. (http://bit.ly/19hzDic sorry for the poor quality)  Shyamalan has tried and failed countless times to recreate the success of The Sixth Sense over and over again and we are getting a little tired of it.

#3:  Psycho (1960)

While it may be commonplace in today’s movie culture, Psycho was the first time that a villain in a horror movie was suffering from a multiple personality disorder.  Everybody assumed that it was Mrs. Bates who was the killer when it really was Norman dressed as his mother; he even had a taxidermy made of her dead body (http://bit.ly/1b8tmpT). This Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece had the first real plot twist that stood out in movie history.  It will be a long time before anybody forgets about it too!

#2:  Planet of the Apes (1968)

While Hollywood is drooling over the recent remakes leading up to Planet of the Apes, almost nobody will be as surprised by the twist ending as they were for the original.  In an attempt to escape a planet where apes rule and the few humans left are merely hunted for sport, George Taylor (Charlton Heston) has finally gotten away from the apes and is looking for a way home.  Here is what happens instead:  http://bit.ly/Xg3iCF

Along with Psycho, Planet of the Apes was the second huge plot twist that remains a huge part of pop-culture.

Honorable Mention:

The Usual Suspects (1995):  Kevin Spacey is Keyser Soze

Now You See Me (2013):  Mark Ruffalo’s character set the whole thing up

SE7EN (1999):  Brad Pitt’s wife is the final victim

The Prestige (2006):  twist #1: Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) is the lord who will take Alfred Borden’s (Christian Bale)                                                     daughter

twist #2:  Borden had a twin who helped him and posed as Fallon.  He even cut off his ring finger to                                                make it more legitimate.  The “good Borden” will live and keep his daughter

twist #3:  Angier found a way to clone himself and killed the clone after each trick

#1: Star Wars (V):  The Empire Strikes Back

Plot twists don’t get any bigger than this.  We would never see a huge cultural phenomenon today deal out such a huge twist, but George Lucas did it in 1980 and it worked perfectly.  At the height of Star Wars‘ cultural prowess, Lucas revealed the twist that Darth Vader was really Luke’s father.  Not a single soul on planet Earth predicted it.  I wish I could travel back in time just to see the look on everybody’s face when Vader uttered the infamous, “No, I am your father!”  I could watch it again and again and again: http://bit.ly/1FZVFjF  We were all caught off guard by Luke getting his hand cut off a few minutes before, so nobody was expecting this.

Thought of a better plot twist? Let me know what you think.

Top 50 Movies of All-Time (#10-1)

Here we go! The final part of my Top 50 movies of All-Time series.  Make sure to catch up on the 40 movies leading up to this!

Honorable Mention:  http://t.co/v85d8L17a9

#50-41:  http://t.co/J9gALKkZpc

#40-31:  http://t.co/S3IgVOVBG3

#30-21:  http://bit.ly/17ZYgPc

#20-11:  http://bit.ly/1ATYtu6

Without further ado, here are the top 10 movies out there:

#10:  American Hustle (2013)

David O. Russell struck gold for the second year in a row with American Hustle.  After being nominated for Best Director with Silver Linings Playbook the year before, Russell earned another nomination during the 86^th Academy Awards.  This movie set the record for most Oscar nominations ever with 10 but somehow managed to not win a single one.  Loosely based on a true story, American Hustle is an amazing movie with a star-studded cast:  Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner.  It doesn’t get much better than American Hustle.

#9:  Argo (2012)

The winner of Best Picture during the 2013 Oscars, Argo was a brilliant historical movie telling the unknown story of six embassy workers that escaped during the Iran Hostage Crisis.  They were able to seek refuge with the Canadian ambassador, but the Iranians started getting suspicious.  Portraying CIA agent Tony Mendez, Ben Affleck helps orchestrate a plan to film a fake movie in Tehran in an attempt to bring everybody back to the United States.  The movie is highly suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat.  While I may not be a huge fan of Affleck, he did a great job directing and starring in Argo.

#8:  Star Wars (IV):  A New Hope (1977)

This movie completely changed American cinema.  When George Lucas released his first Star Wars movie, everybody thought it was going to be a complete joke until they went to the theater.  Audiences around the world were stunned by the visual effects that were decades ahead of its time.  We would not have the visual masterpieces we have today without Lucas’ willingness to take a risk with Star Wars  As a huge part of pop-culture, there is no question as to why New Hope cracked the top 10.

#7:  Schindler’s List (1993)

This Steven Spielberg classic brought the story of Oskar Schindler to the masses.  Few people knew the lengths Schindler went to in order to protect Jews during the Holocaust.  A revered businessman, Schindler risked everything he had and saved over 1000 Jewish lives.  Liam Neeson gave a spectacular performance in the black-and-white movie that shows some of the most brutal actions ever done by human beings.  Here is a brilliantly created scene where Schindler is discussing the true meaning of power with a Nazi general:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5lQA3bipHc  Schindler’s List is a must-see for anybody who calls themselves a movie expert.

#6:  Whiplash (2014)

Although I gave Birdman the movie of the year when giving out my movie awards, Whiplash has grown on me over the last few months.  J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller give two of the best performances I have ever seen (aside from Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in Nightcrawler)—Teller even taught himself how to become an expert at the drums just to take the role.  Look at the beautiful chemistry as Simmons berates Teller in an effort to get him to improve:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnuImW1dWAk  While it only won three Oscars, Whiplash is definitely one of the better movies from 2014.  That final scene was far and away the most intense final scene I have ever seen in my life.  Who ever thought a movie about a jazz band could become one of the best movies out there?

#5:  The Dark Knight (2008)

The second installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy shocked audiences everywhere.  Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker is the best portrayal of a super villain in existence.  The movie took superhero flicks to a new level by showing the moral quandaries Batman is faced with, primarily:  how long is too long before killing somebody is right if it saves the lives of thousands of others?  We watch the transformation of the shimmering “White Knight” of Gotham, Harvey Dent, descend into madness.  The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie out there and Marvel will have to try pretty hard to ever top DC’s Batman masterpiece.

#4:  Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the perfecting ending to the second best trilogy out there.  As the winner of the Oscar for Best Picture, Return of the King left the show with an armload of Oscars.  While it felt like it was going to end like five different times, the action in Return of the King makes it one of the top five movies in existence.  For those of you who don’t agree, let’s see if Aragorn can change your mind:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGUNvIFTQw  If  you haven’t already, make sure to check out the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

#3:  Star Wars (V): The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Usually the sequel is not better than the original, but The Empire Strikes Back blew that generalization out of the water.  After a victory in New Hope, the rebels find their backs against the wall as Darth Vader and the rest of the empire unleashes everything they have to put them down.  It is the first time we meet Yoda, the first time Luke fights Darth Vader, and it has the greatest movie plot twist of all-time.  I wish I could travel to the past just to see everybody’s reactions when Vader said, “No, I am your father.”  It still sends shivers down my spin whenever I see it.  Even after removing the nostalgia factor from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back still stands up as the third best movie out there.

#2:  Inception (2010)

Nobody left the theater and had nothing to say about Inception.  Christopher Nolan’s pet project that he had been working on since 2004, Inception solidified Nolan as one of the greatest directors out there today.  Nobody thought that he could follow up The Dark Knight with a movie even more interesting, but he proved them wrong.  A visual, technical, and creative masterpiece was a refreshing original movie in an industry filled with reboots and sequels.  Since Inception, almost every trailer has followed this format with the same music and “bwah””s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TuSJo4dZM  Nolan’s dedication to his craft has never been more evident except in…

#1:  Interstellar (2014)

There is not a person out there who thought Interstellar was just “okay.”  This movie was either terrible or the best movie out there and I guess you can see where I land on it.  After witnessing Gravity’s success despite being filled with scientific holes, Nolan one-upped the sci-fi movie by delivering even better visuals, a hypothetically perfect scientific explanation, and managing to get great performances from actors who have been known to cheese it up a little bit (I’m looking at you McConaughey).  Even if you thought the movie was trash, it still dwelled on your mind days after you saw it.  I still can’t get it out of my head!  Interstellar was out of this world and had the best visuals I have ever seen in any movie.  I mean look at this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu4sinVuK14  That wormhole scene is one of the most beautiful technical pieces out there.  The fact that it did not get more love at the Oscars is nothing short of criminal.  Nolan took a huge risk with Interstellar and it paid off by giving him the distinction of having created the best movie ever.

How far off was my top 50?  What are your favorite 10 movies?  Let me know how much you agree or disagree.