CLIFFFFFFF!!!!!
- Thread starter Dizzi
- Start date
was thinking this was gonna be about clifford lmfao
cliffhangers are frustrating honestly
I think sometimes leaving out a tease hinting at a certain outcome and/or leaving room for potentially more media is fine
but straight up giving out an unfinished ending at the climax for the sake of making sure we watch the next season/movie is absurdly unethical and annoying
cliffhangers are frustrating honestly
I think sometimes leaving out a tease hinting at a certain outcome and/or leaving room for potentially more media is fine
but straight up giving out an unfinished ending at the climax for the sake of making sure we watch the next season/movie is absurdly unethical and annoying
Mikey the Moblin
sushi is a suspicious hello
a great example of cliffhangers is loki where every single episode (even the last one) "ends" on a cliffhanger so nothing ever feels resolved
it never actually got me invested in the show and I legitimately forgot that a new episode was out some weeks
terrible show
it never actually got me invested in the show and I legitimately forgot that a new episode was out some weeks
terrible show
I guess I'm fine w/ it if it's guaranteed to be followed up on and the wait isn't too long, otherwise you end up w/ Mega Man Legends 2 w/ no sequel in sight and an ending forever unresolved
No.
I like a story to resolve the main plot and then say, "But then this happened!" I don't like it when a movie or show deliberately ends on a cliffhanger to entice viewers to tune into the next installment. It's the big reason why I have such a distaste for how Loki ended. Even though I could see the minutes of the final episode crawling by without a proper resolution, I kept hoping it would pull something out of its butt.
Instead it ended like an episode of Steven Moffet's Doctor Who.
I like a story to resolve the main plot and then say, "But then this happened!" I don't like it when a movie or show deliberately ends on a cliffhanger to entice viewers to tune into the next installment. It's the big reason why I have such a distaste for how Loki ended. Even though I could see the minutes of the final episode crawling by without a proper resolution, I kept hoping it would pull something out of its butt.
I like cliffhangers if done correctly, and sparingly. Oftentimes certain episodic media are structured for every episode to end on a cliffhanger, and that can be bad execution. I don't mind one episode ending on a cliffhanger every now and then, there is a balance that has to be found so that certain narrative devices don't get worn out in the story.
Now for a large scale piece of media, like a movie, to end on a cliffhanger, that can be extremely annoying. I feel like even if the movies are just parts in a tied plot, each one should still work individually by ending at a point that both makes people look forward to what will come, but also with some kind of resolution to whatever the main struggle of that film was.
I'll use The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as an example. Bilbo Baggins joins a group of dwarves who are trying to reclaim their Mountain that a dragon stole long ago, they embark on their journey, and the rising conflict is that they are being hunted by a group of orcs lead by Azog the Defiler. Towards the end, the climax occurs after the group escapes the Misty Mountains but ends up getting caught and cornered by Azog and his group of orcs. To make this a cliffhanger ending, the movie could cut off with Bilbo and the dwarves stuck in the tree they climbed that is being uprooted, Thorin unconscious from battling Azog, and Bilbo and a few other dwarves trying to save Thorin but their chances of survival are slim to none. Ending the film here certainly would have viewers wondering how the group will escape that situation, but it doesn't resolve any of the issues the film has brought up so far: mainly Thorin not considering Bilbo as a productive member of the group, and Bilbo's own doubts as to whether he is really being helpful at all.
The way the movie really ends is much better, the eagles swoop in to save them, Thorin finally acknowledges Bilbo and thanks him for leading the rally to save him from Azog, and then the group spots the Mountain in the distance. Some things are resolved for now, but the Mountain signifies what lays ahead.
Now for a large scale piece of media, like a movie, to end on a cliffhanger, that can be extremely annoying. I feel like even if the movies are just parts in a tied plot, each one should still work individually by ending at a point that both makes people look forward to what will come, but also with some kind of resolution to whatever the main struggle of that film was.
I'll use The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as an example. Bilbo Baggins joins a group of dwarves who are trying to reclaim their Mountain that a dragon stole long ago, they embark on their journey, and the rising conflict is that they are being hunted by a group of orcs lead by Azog the Defiler. Towards the end, the climax occurs after the group escapes the Misty Mountains but ends up getting caught and cornered by Azog and his group of orcs. To make this a cliffhanger ending, the movie could cut off with Bilbo and the dwarves stuck in the tree they climbed that is being uprooted, Thorin unconscious from battling Azog, and Bilbo and a few other dwarves trying to save Thorin but their chances of survival are slim to none. Ending the film here certainly would have viewers wondering how the group will escape that situation, but it doesn't resolve any of the issues the film has brought up so far: mainly Thorin not considering Bilbo as a productive member of the group, and Bilbo's own doubts as to whether he is really being helpful at all.
The way the movie really ends is much better, the eagles swoop in to save them, Thorin finally acknowledges Bilbo and thanks him for leading the rally to save him from Azog, and then the group spots the Mountain in the distance. Some things are resolved for now, but the Mountain signifies what lays ahead.
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Cliffhangers are just a narrative tool and a plotting tool.
Done well, they can keep someone invested into the story at least until the next installment/chapter/book/movie/game/what have you.
Done poorly, and it can feel unnecessary and ham-fisted.
Usually examples of the former understand that the cliffhanger, like any tool of the narrative or plotting, has its time and place, and good examples of great cliffhangers tend to recognize when it's good to leave the audience hanging a bit.
Examples of the latter is when people tend to throw in cliffhangers without any knowledge or context when it's appropriate, because, "tHaT's WhAt My FaVoRiTe StOrY dId!"
We can replace the cliffhanger with any other narrative tool, like, for example, the twist ending, and there would be both great examples and terrible examples.
It just really comes down to storytelling craft. Some people just know how to tell and write good stories, and some don't.
Done well, they can keep someone invested into the story at least until the next installment/chapter/book/movie/game/what have you.
Done poorly, and it can feel unnecessary and ham-fisted.
Usually examples of the former understand that the cliffhanger, like any tool of the narrative or plotting, has its time and place, and good examples of great cliffhangers tend to recognize when it's good to leave the audience hanging a bit.
Examples of the latter is when people tend to throw in cliffhangers without any knowledge or context when it's appropriate, because, "tHaT's WhAt My FaVoRiTe StOrY dId!"
We can replace the cliffhanger with any other narrative tool, like, for example, the twist ending, and there would be both great examples and terrible examples.
It just really comes down to storytelling craft. Some people just know how to tell and write good stories, and some don't.
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I do like them IF they get resolved. It's a big suspense-builder and when done correctly it is great!
One example of a cliffhanger that was done really well, but didn't get any payoff is from My Name Is Earl, as they ended the fourth season on an amazing cliffhanger, but then sadly the show got canceled...
Mainly bad luck there I'd say, as the show was doing good. No idea why it was canceled.
One example of a cliffhanger that was done really well, but didn't get any payoff is from My Name Is Earl, as they ended the fourth season on an amazing cliffhanger, but then sadly the show got canceled...
Mainly bad luck there I'd say, as the show was doing good. No idea why it was canceled.