Top 20 Most Satisfying Movie Endings of All Time

now that's how you leave an audience satisfied welcome to watch mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 most satisfying movie endings of all time for this list we're looking at the most effective and fulfilling live-action movie endings naturally since we're talking endings there will be spoilers [Music] number 20. the dance avengers end game captain america has the most tragic love life in all of the marvel cinematic universe eight o'clock on the dark don't you dare be late understood you know i still don't know how to dance separated from peggy carter after he goes under the ice steve rogers misses out on not only decades of history but also the life that they would have shared in avengers end game thanks to time travel steve rogers is able to see peggy again in the past which breaks his heart all over again at the film's conclusion however we see that steve decided to stay in the past and has now grown old and sure enough he did alongside peggy with whom he finally gets that long-awaited dance after years of waiting it felt like a perfect ending to both avengers end game and his story number 19 the chopper predator this quintessential 80s action flick sees a team of muscular mercenaries facing off against a powerful alien foe in the central american jungle eventually their leader dutch is the last man standing he engages the predator one-on-one using guile and traps to finally kill the creature though it does technically get the last laugh [Music] action heroes always go up against absurd odds but rarely has a victory been quite so hard fought when anna and phillips pick him up and they fly off you just can't help but smile it's just such a relief that dutch managed to get to the choppa especially when so many of his friends didn't [Music] number 18 chris is hired the pursuit of happiness chris gardner has a rough go of things throughout this film i've been pulling double shifts for for four months now chris his marriage falls apart he loses his apartment and he and his son are ultimately left homeless nevertheless chris persists and works hard in an unpaid internship even his life continues to throw hardships his way all of chris's hard work pays off though as in the final scene he gets the job at the firm securing a future for himself and his son tomorrow's going to be your first day if you'd like to work here as a broker would you like that chris yes sir there were few dry eyes in the audience during this scene as chris achieved long overdue success this film isn't an easy watch but the emotional payoff is massive number 17 don't you forget about me the breakfast club this teen film follows a group of high school students in detention [Music] [Applause] all come from different cliques and have preconceptions about the others but as the day goes on they realize they have more in common than they thought reaching a better understanding of each other and themselves of course it doesn't hurt that they find a common enemy in assistant principal vernon at the end of the film vernon reads an essay written by brian summarizing what the students have learned together as simple minds don't you forget about me plays the students part ways the future might be uncertain but they've made new bonds and a lifelong memory john's fist pump in the last shot says it all does that answer your question [Music] sincerely yours the breakfast club number 16 feather on the wind forrest gump he might not be the smartest but he's got a huge heart and throughout his life forrest gump's positive attitude leads him to have numerous unique experiences the one constant however is his love for his childhood friend jenny from that day on we was always together jenny and me was like peas and carrots his joy at them finally reuniting and getting married is sadly tempered by jenny's untimely death from illness but it's plain to see that in their short time together they brought each other a lifetime's worth of happiness moreover it's incredibly heartwarming seeing forest be a father to their son the image of a feather blowing in the breeze might be open to interpretation but as forrest sends his son off to school viewers can't help but feel their spirits soar with it number 15 dynamite unleashed django unchained a revisionist western focused on the title character's quest to rescue his wife from slavery django unchained builds to the moment beautifully hey little troublemaker just as jango and schultz's initial attempt to rescue broom hilda looks poised to succeed it all goes horribly horribly wrong schultz is killed django is tortured and sold to a mining company things look bleak however jango manages to outwit his captors and fight his way to freedom returning to the plantation with dynamite he blows the whole thing to smithereens then rides off with his wife satisfaction and style what more could you ask for a little troublemaker hey big troublemaker number 14 a friend for dinner the silence of the lambs one of the most frightening thrillers ever made the silence of the lambs has two related story arcs clary starling's pursuit of serial killer buffalo bill and her interactions with dr hannibal lecter i'm offering you a psychological profile in buffalo bill based on the case evidence clarisse is able to capture buffalo bill after enduring one of the most harrowing suspense sequences in cinema meanwhile lecter manages to escape his bonds and calls to congratulate agent starling on her victory ominously telling her that he's having an old friend for dinner i do wish we could chat longer but i'm having an old friend for dinner unlike clarice viewers can see that he's eyeing the psychiatrist who was in charge of him while he was imprisoned it's an ending that leaves audiences happy about clarissa's success and also intrigued by the prospect of dr lecter being at large number 13 where is my mind fight club what begins as an excuse for men to beat the crap out of each other eventually turns into something even darker she knows too much i think we're gonna have to talk about how this might compromise our goals tyler durden leads the unnamed narrator and their gang into becoming domestic terrorists perhaps more disturbing at least for the narrator is the fact that tyler is actually the other half of his fractured psyche it all comes to a head when the narrator armed with this knowledge shoots himself in the mouth effectively killing tyler then looking out over the horizon with his romantic interest marla they watched the city explode it's terrifying and mesmerizing all at once plus the song choice is amazing you met me at a very strange time in my life number 12 you already have star wars episode vi return of the jedi the finale of the original star wars trilogy sees multiple battles play out simultaneously our heroes take the fight to the empire on endor and in space around the second death star while luke faces his father their epic duel is interrupted by the emperor whose attempt to kill luke drives vader to protect his son and kill his former master becoming mortally wounded in the process although luke laments that he wasn't able to save his father an unmasked anakin skywalker assures him that he already has i'll not leave you here i've got to save you you're ready this is driven home by seeing him made whole when he returns as a force ghost during the victory celebrations seeing a villain redeemed is always rewarding and hey who doesn't love a party number 11. what alfred sees the dark knight rises the conclusion of the dark knight trilogy sees batman seemingly sacrifice himself to toe a bomb away from gotham city the city and especially alfred mourn him and pay tribute to the hero while the torch is seemingly passed on to a new potential crime fighter when the dust settles alfred visits a cafe in florence where he sees bruce wayne seemingly alive and well with selena kyle to be fair this could very well just be an alfred's imagination the butler actually described just such a fantasy to bruce earlier in the film i had this fantasy [Music] that i would look across the tables and i'd see you there with a wife and considering the end of inception we wouldn't put it past director christopher nolan regardless it's still gratifying to see the hero who sacrificed so much get a happy ending number 10 truman escapes the truman show oh and in case i don't see you good afternoon good evening and good night truman burbank's entire life is a carefully controlled tv show his gradual realization of that fact leads him to try and leave the town he's lived in all his life eventually setting sail across the ocean despite a fear of water after crashing into the edge of the world truman discovers a door leading outside as he prepares to leave his show's creator and director begs him to stay however truman has had enough and his only response is to deliver his catchphrase bow to the camera and walk out the door in case i don't see you good afternoon good evening and good night [Music] yeah as pleasant as truman's surroundings were he was a prisoner all his life for the entertainment of others so his escape feels extremely rewarding number 9. maximus wins gladiator a former roman general maximus is forced into slavery after his wife and son are murdered becoming a gladiator maximus works his way up to the colosseum by making a name for himself and winning over the people he eventually gets the opportunity to face the man who betrayed him the emperor commodus in single combat do you think i'm afraid i think you've been afraid despite commodus cheating by stabbing him beforehand maximus manages to defeat his foe and win although he dies soon afterwards it's a glorious death and one that reunites him with his family at last but after all that maximus has endured it's fulfilling to witness a hero not only get justice but also peace and happiness in the afterlife number 8 hunting for happiness good will hunting will hunting is a talented genius but his personal and professional lives suffer because he consistently sabotages himself you know what the best part of my day is for about 10 seconds from when i pull up to the curb when i get to your door because i think maybe i'll get up there and i'll knock on the door and you won't be there afraid of failure he pushes people and opportunities away this includes jobs and his girlfriend skyler who asks him to move to california with her after unearthing some personal trauma and dealing with it will rejects many of the job offers he's received however this time it's because he's going in pursuit of skylar and happiness instead of running from potential pain if the professor calls about that job just tell him sorry i had to go see about a girl well while it's bittersweet for the friends he leaves behind we can't help but be happy that will is finally going after what he wants number 7 neo flies away the matrix the climax of this cyberpunk action blockbuster sees neo attempting to leave the matrix after saving his mentor mr wizard get me the hell out of here got a patch on an old exit wabash and lake before neo can escape however the deadly agent smith delivers a killing blow to our valiant hero fortunately his love interest trinity is able to restore him with a kiss he proceeds to not only rise from the dead but live up to his status as the one blowing smith up from the inside the ending sees him telling the machines that he'll free the human still trapped before flying away signaling his new mastery over the matrix a world where anything is possible where we go from there is a choice i leave to you after watching neo and his friends barely survive against their foes his promise to take the fight to them is awesome number six a new day groundhog day phil connors hates groundhog day and punxsutawney two baddies trapped in both it's groundhog day it's still just once a year isn't it stuck repeating the same day over and over again phil lives years in one day although sometimes suicidal phil eventually comes to love the town and its people and becomes a better person by doing good for others every loop after his co-worker rita falls for him and they get together phil is initially disappointed that the day appears to be repeating itself but then he discovers that february 3rd has finally come and that rita is still with him do you know what today is no what today is tomorrow it happened you're here it's a long strange trip that phil goes on and it's wonderful to see him come out of it enlightened and happy let's live here number five adrian rocky the quintessential underdog rocky gives it his all preparing for a fight against heavyweight champion apollo creed so all i want to do is go to distance nobody's ever gone the distance from creed while he doesn't think he can win he still tells his girlfriend adrian that he wants to go the distance and indeed he does rocky's bout with creed is one for the ages rocky survives for 15 rounds against the more experienced fighter and endures a lot of punishment along the way the fight ultimately ends without a knockout but creed is declared the victor by split decision for rocky though it doesn't matter sometimes it's not about winning or losing but proving yourself and rocky showed us all how he declares his love for adrian and she for him and the world cheers [Applause] number four sunset indiana jones and the last crusade indiana jones shared quest with his father for the holy grail sees them compete with nazis to attain this sacred object i never expected to see you again i'm like a bad penny i always turn indy is able to save his father's life by selecting the correct cup but an attempt to leave with the cup causes the temple to collapse although indy nearly dies pursuing it his father convinces him to let it go [Music] indiana let it go dr jones chooses wisely and decides that life is more important along with their companions they make it out and after some banter ride off into the sunset for more adventures literally after you junior yes sir [Applause] [Music] what better way to end an adventure than with a lesson learned and the promise of adventures to come number 3 rosebud citizen kane this famous and hugely influential film begins with the death of charles foster kane whose last word rosebud leads to much speculation and investigation through those that knew him we get glimpses of cain's rise and fall generally speaking the picture that's painted isn't an especially flattering one and it's only in the final minutes of the movie that were shown that rosebud was the name of his childhood sled with this one detail everything changes it illustrates that however much the man changed kane still valued the innocence of his youth like any good mystery once it's solved there's really nothing else left to say number two you bow to no one the lord of the rings the return of the king sure some would argue that there are more endings to this movie than there are rings of power but to those people we say go back to the shadow because they are all great we'll be focusing on one in particular though with sauron defeated and frodo and sam rescued there's a tremendous relief as the world has been saved not only that aragorn and arwen get together at last best of all though when the hobbits go to bow to them the newly crowned king bows to them instead and everyone follows suit it's tremendously satisfying to see our heroes get the recognition they deserve finally judged by the strength of their convictions rather than their short stature before we unveil our most epic number one pick here are some honorable mentions solo whiplash drumming has never left us this breathless okay eternal sunshine of the spotless mind some things are worth a little pain and i'll get bored with you and feel trapped because that's what happens with me okay okay rudy gets to play rudy watching people achieve their dreams is always satisfying [Music] [Applause] one last ride furious 7 a beautiful tribute to the late paul walker i used to say i live my life a quarter mile at a time and i think that's why we were brothers because you did too so make it a good one back to the future part three great life advice and a flying train what's not to love where are you going now back to the future nope already in there before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos you'll have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them if you're on your phone make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications number one reunion the shawshank redemption i hereby order you to serve two life sentences back to back andy dufresne has a rough go of it in prison for a crime he didn't commit however his stay there is made easier by his friendship with fellow inmate red one night andy enacts a daring and successful breakout attempt leaving for mexico meanwhile red has to wait to be paroled but andy left behind money and a note instructing red to come find him at a place they once discussed although the escape in itself is among the most cathartic moments in all of cinema seeing these two friends reunite on a beach is pretty dang heartwarming too i hope the pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams i hope [Music] and that is how you end a movie do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from watchmojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos

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Keywords: most satisfying movie endings all time, satisfying movie endings, best movie endings, happy movie endings, movie endings, best conclusions in film, awesome movie endings, movies happily ever after, characters who got happy endings, avengers: endgame, tony stark, iron man, mcu, marvel, robert downey jr, lord of the rings: the return of the king, the matrix, star wars: episode vi - the return of the jedi, Film, Movies, Action, watchmojo, watch mojo

Id: qmhKjMoc-LI

Length: 20min 5sec (1205 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 20 2020