And then he realized that it was all in his head. The End
This is a typical twist. The main character either (a) dreams or (b) imagines everything. Either that or (c) they find out that their friend partner is not actually their friend at all.
The problem with Shutter Island is that not just one of these typical twist endings occurred. All of them did.
I really looked forward to seeing the film. And I must admit, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Perhaps because I sat in the back, but I did not find it nearly as scary as I feared, but the plot was actually interesting, along with the menacing music that always seemed to find its way into the background.
But did it have to have a twist? Maybe if I had not known that a twist would show up, I would have found that choice bearable. But as soon as the film came out, everyone raved about how the twist completely shocked and surprised them.
As soon as I heard that there was a twist, I knew that I could never have the same experience. A twist always means a drastic change in perception. So it did not take very long to assume that t, since the movie took place at a mental institution, he main character must have mental problems without realizing it (although I must admit, the different identities of the characters in his story surprised me quite a bit).
However, I mean to say that for a film known for the big twist in the end, I found it painfully predictable. If too many movies have a ‘big twist,’ then none of them actually have a twist at all because the twist has become cliche.
Have we reached a stage in movies that they must become disturbingly perverse to conjure surprise?
(Note: does anyone know any movies that have a unpredictable plot twists without becoming outright disturbing?)
(Note 2: Literally five minutes after I typed this (but before I could post it), I went back to reading a book and found out that someone who everyone thought was a friend was actually a spy. The irony of this did not pass me)
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