Top Heroic Sacrifices and Satisfying Deaths in Movies

Alright, I admit I've been watching the Jurassic Park trilogy again for the thousandth time. But I love it because the death scenes in them are just so oddly satisfying or really heroic. It got me wondering what everyone else's favourite death scenes are, so...

Top Heroic: Eddie from Jurassic Park: The Lost World (yeah, you probably saw this one coming). Malcolm, Sarah and Nick are stuck in a trailer about to go off a cliff, which was pushed by T-Rexes. Eddie comes to the rescue and struggles his damn best to secure both the trailer and the rope holding the three. As the trailer slides through the mud about to go off, Eddie gets in his SUV and puts peddle to the metal to try and pull it back up. However, the T-Rexes come back and attack him. Despite being assaulted from both sides and having the car torn apart around him, he still tries to pull the trailer up. Ultimately though, he's plucked from the car and torn in half, but his efforts helped to save the others.

Top Satisfying: EVERYONE that died in The Ruins. This was a terrible, terrible horror movie with logic holes big enough to jump a T-Rex through (that'd be so cool). The cast fails at every turn by getting outwitted by a plant. That's right - A PLANT OUTWITS THEM. It's even funnier when they decide to leave the wounded guy right next to the plant despite knowing what it does, and he ends up getting dragged away by it right in front of them.

For me, this has got to go to the puppy-eyed, albino man-alien from Alien Ressurection.

The story is daft, the film is nonsense and the aforementioned final boss is just retarded... BUT...

It gets sucked through a hole in a spaceship window barely an inch in diameter, and goddamn if the film doesn't make it clear the thing suffers! Even its monstrous howls kinda sound like a pleading "No! Oh God no!" as its spine breaks just before its stomach contents empty out onto the floor only to be sucked back through to be ejected into space.

Fucking awesome!


ETA: Oh, and let's not forget Gino/Zilla's cameo from Godzilla Final Wars.

The long-awted confrontation between the true king of monsters and that gender-confused giant animal from the hollywood remake.

One tail-whip into the Sidney Opera House and a short blast of atomic fire later and: end of Gino!

Not to mention the controlling villan's tantrum, followed by the line: "Stupid, tuna-eating monster!" afterwrds, which was just the cherry on the top for Godzilla fans...

Again, shame the rest of the film sucked!

WD40 wrote:

ETA: Oh, and let's not forget Gino/Zilla's cameo from Godzilla Final Wars.

The long-awted confrontation between the true king of monsters and that gender-confused giant animal from the hollywood remake.

One tail-whip into the Sidney Opera House and a short blast of atomic fire later and: end of Gino!

Yes, that was awesome considering I was so disappointed by the US remake.

(And psst, it's Sydney, not Sidney)

Most Satisfying: From The Great Raid. Towards the end of the movie, the Americans are raiding the prison camp with the help of the Filipinos, as they were setting up to do for two and a half tedious hours of film before hand. During the raid, one of the Rangers and the Japanese officer who ran the camp, and had spent the movie being built up as a total asswipe who deserved nothing but a swift death, end up in a confrontation that resulted in them wrestling around on the ground.

The Japanese took the Ranger's knife out of his vest and tried to stab him with it. The Ranger blocked the stab with one arm, took the officer's pistol with the other and shot him. That doesn't kill the officer, just stops him. The Ranger pushes the officer off of him, stands up, then shoots the officer three more times.

I was watching this in some auditorium at some camp. The reaction was priceless. When the Ranger shot the officer again, the place erupted.

Watch it towards the end of this video.

No one has mentioned the T-800 being slowly lowered into the furnace while John Connor cries like a kitten yet?

Shouldn't this be under one of the Antidote boards, since it mostly refers to good film-making? The Ruins-style satisfaction is the exception, obviously.

Delcat wrote:

Shouldn't this be under one of the Antidote boards, since it mostly refers to good film-making? The Ruins-style satisfaction is the exception, obviously.

I couldn't decide, but maybe you're right. D:

The Unoriginal wrote:

No one has mentioned the T-800 being slowly lowered into the furnace while John Connor cries like a kitten yet?

John wasn't alone crying at that point...

And the thumbs up at the end...

The Unoriginal wrote:

No one has mentioned the T-800 being slowly lowered into the furnace while John Connor cries like a kitten yet?

I was channel surfing one day and came across that exact scene. I had never seen any Terminator movie before and I remember my brief moment of confusion about why the dude being lowered into smoldering metal didn't seem to be in any pain and why that little boy and his mother were just standing around and letting him do this. I had nightmares about lava pits for a few nights after that. To this day, "falling into a furnace" still ranks pretty high on my list of irrational fears.

Another of my fave killin' scenes:

Old man: "Dick... You're FIRED!!"

Robocop: *Bzzt* "Thankyou!"

Gorman going back for Vasquez in Aliens...

"You always were an asshole, Gorman!"

Heroic: probably Boromir in Fellowship of the Ring.

As for satisfying: Deep Blue Sea is full of satisfying deaths. To the point that the two characters that survived were the only ones who didn't get on my nerves in some major way.

KelinciHutan wrote:

Heroic: probably Boromir in Fellowship of the Ring.

As for satisfying: Deep Blue Sea is full of satisfying deaths. To the point that the two characters that survived were the only ones who didn't get on my nerves in some major way.

Interesting note here:

Saffron Burrow's character was origionally supposed to live, but in test screenings audiences hated her so much that the ending was re-written to have her die...

WD40 wrote:

Saffron Burrow's character was origionally supposed to live, but in test screenings audiences hated her so much that the ending was re-written to have her die...

Americans must always hate us, the English person never survives. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

KelinciHutan wrote:

As for satisfying: Deep Blue Sea is full of satisfying deaths. To the point that the two characters that survived were the only ones who didn't get on my nerves in some major way.

As much as I love Samuel L Jackson's character in that, when he went to give that inspirational speech and then the shark attacked him midway, I thought that was one of the greatest movie moments ever.

Not technically a movie, but...

Antono Refa's death in Babylon 5.

*Massive spoilers*

Long, long story short: He's a genocidal bastard (Space-Hitler, if you will) who, with the help of some otherworldly, demonic creatures, has the power to do what he's always wanted to do: commit genocide, wipe out the entire Narn race. And so he begins this.
In order to get some revenge (for Refa fucking with his love life) and further himself politically, his "friend" Londo initiates a big frame-up. He lures Refa to the Narn homeworld, where he is led to believe that G'Kar, leader of the Narn resistance, is being held captive. As it turns out, Londo has made a deal with G'Kar; G'Kar and his comrades can do whatever they want with Refa.
When they arrive, G'Kar tricks Refa into bringing his men and chasing him down into a cavern. Once he seems to be caught, G'Kar plays a holographic message from Londo telling Refa that his men are loyal to him, and that Refa is thoroughly fucked. A bunch of other Narns step out of the shadows, and "Refa's" (Londo's) men leave. At that point, Refa starts to run.
Now, at this point, the scene is cutting back and forth between this, and a church scene with some other characters. Once Refa starts to run (in slow motion, no less) a gospel song starts up. Every direction Refa runs, he gets cut off by silent, angry-looking Narns. They finally grab him, and G'Kar stops them... only to put a data-crystal in Refa's coat pocket and tell his men, "Keep the head reasonably intact. They'll need that to identify him." Then he walks away, and the Narns beat Refa to the ground - all while the gospel music continues to blare.
Later, the Centauri government (which Refa was part of) discovers the remains (it's implied that he was literally ripped apart) and the data-crystal that was planted on him, which contains a bunch of bogus documents showing evidence of Refa helping the Narns.

I dunno... Words don't do it justice. The scene (especially with the set-up) was just so fucking badass when it happened, and you really grow to hate Refa as the story progresses, so you wanna cheer when this happens.

Satisfying: Captain Vidal's death in Pan's Labyrinth.

If you've seen it you know what I'm talking about

Darth Vader's death in Return of the Jedi.

Mafiosa wrote:

Satisfying: Captain Vidal's death in Pan's Labyrinth.

If you've seen it you know what I'm talking about

"He won't even know your name."

Bad. Ass.

Azzandra wrote:

I had nightmares about lava pits for a few nights after that. To this day, "falling into a furnace" still ranks pretty high on my list of irrational fears.

You'd better not watch the LoTR trilogy then. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

KelinciHutan wrote:

Heroic: probably Boromir in Fellowship of the Ring.

Gandalf as well, sure he came back but still doesn't make the fact any less epic.

Lapin wrote:

"He won't even know your name."

Bad. Ass.

THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS

Also while we're talking about Spanish cinema...The Orphanage.

MASSIVE spoilers ahead.

Spoiler:

Goddamn it I loved that movie.

Spock in Star Trek II

"Don't grieve, Admiral. It is logical."

Thread bump, yay!

The ending of Smokin Aces. Yes, it's not the best film in the world, but goddammit I love it so, and it has what is probably my favourite film endings of all time.

Spoiler:

Ryan Reynolds' acting, the music and the cinematography all add up to moment which is at once tragic and extremely satisfying.
And Lord knows I really wanted that fucker to kick it. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Here it is. Needless to say, spoilers ahead.

DarthDarthington wrote:

Antono Refa's death in Babylon 5.

That was a great scene, and the choice of No Hiding Place Down Here was perfect.