Entertainment
10 Greatest Blockbuster Movie Climaxes, Ranked
The film industry changed forever after Steven Spielberg released Jaws into the world. Typically regarded as the very first true blockbuster in history, this creature feature gave way to the creation of big-budget films aimed at mass markets, usually designed to generate tremendous box office returns. Ever since 1975, several of the world’s greatest movies have fallen into the blockbuster category.
A good, emotionally effective climax is essential to virtually any kind of movie, but it’s particularly important for blockbusters. Unsurprisingly, it’s precisely the kinds of blockbusters that have received the most critical acclaim and have had the most financial success over the years that tend to have the most exciting climaxes. Whether they’re action-packed, suspenseful, emotionally stirring, or all of that and more at the same time, they’re a masterclass in how to execute a third act with staying power.
There are spoilers ahead!
10
‘The Avengers’ (2012)
Nowadays, the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs no introduction of any sort. The franchise sparked by Iron Man back in 2008 is today the highest-grossing film franchise in history. But it all had to start somewhere, and even though it was Tony Stark that gave origin to the series, it was arguably Joss Whedon‘s The Avengers that really proved this formula for interconnected films could really work at a mass scale.
Before Infinity War proved MCU climaxes could be heartbreaking, and before Endgame went all-out with what’s perhaps the biggest climax in blockbuster history, the best MCU team-up movie practically invented the formula for MCU climaxes back in 2012. Never before had the world seen a final battle quite like this one in a film, and even as MCU climaxes have only gotten bigger and more epic, this one has nevertheless aged the best out of the bunch.
9
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Christopher Nolan is no stranger to making films with heart-pounding climaxes, but the best of them all is arguably the one from his most acclaimed movie: The Dark Knight. Praised by most as the greatest comic book film ever made, this is far more than just a superhero blockbuster: It’s one of the greatest action thrillers of all time, a gripping crime tale that has aged like fine wine.
Another one of the reasons why The Dark Knight is so highly acclaimed is that it has one of the best climaxes of any thriller. This finale transcends typical superhero story tropes by focusing on thematic weight, psychological tension, and cathartic payoffs. First, testing Batman’s moral compass against the Joker’s sense of chaos; and then, forcing the Dark Knight to face the downfall of Harvey Dent, Nolan creates what may just be the best climax of any Batman movie ever made.
8
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
Australian cinema and low-budget action cinema were never the same again after George Miller released Mad Max in 1979. The franchise led all the way to the somewhat-underwhelming Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985, and it would take a whopping three decades for Miller to finally return to the fascinating world of Max Rockatansky’s wasteland. Thankfully, not only did Mad Max: Fury Road live up to expectations, it set a new gold standard for the genre as a whole.
Indeed, this is one of the most perfectly-made action movies ever. Miller directs the endless chase of the film’s first two acts with exhilarating imagination and over-the-top energy. The movie’s only quiet moment is a turning point for the characters, who realize that salvation lies not in escape, but rather in heading back home. The adrenaline-pumping climax that cements Fury Road as a truly perfect masterpiece is a thematic subversion of everything that’s come before, and it’s as exciting as it is unexpectedly emotional.
7
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)
James Cameron is one of the greatest visionaries in the history of cinema. That said, however, not everyone is as huge of a fan of his work as most people tend to be, but if there’s one bit of praise for Cameron that’s absolutely undeniable, it’s that the man knows how to lead up to a flawless climax. Case in point: Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which has one of the best climaxes of any action movie.
Relentless action, cutting-edge special effects, thematic closure, and emotionally stirring character work are all the reasons why Terminator 2‘s thrilling final moments are as effective and timeless as they are. A story about a machine learning to be human is a fascinating enough concept on paper, but the masterful way in which Cameron executes such a concept culminates in a climax that makes it shockingly difficult not to shed at least a couple of tears.
6
‘Aliens’ (1986)
Terminator 2 has a truly irresistible climax, but Cameron arguably delivered an even stronger third act five years prior, in 1986’s Aliens. It was always going to be hard to follow up a horror sci-fi classic of a stature as legendary as that of Ridley Scott‘s Alien, but the genre switch that Cameron executed by taking the franchise in the direction of an action epic was absolutely seamless.
Aliens has one of the best climaxes of any sci-fi movie, where Ripley faces the Alien Queen in a final showdown aboard the Sulaco spacecraft to save Newt. It’s basically the Alien climax on space steroids, cementing Ripley as a mech-riding action movie icon and showing why Sigourney Weaver made it all the way to an Academy Award nomination with this performance.
5
‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ (2018)
Even with the tremendous acclaimex that it received upon release and is still showered with today, Mission: Impossible — Fallout somehow still doesn’t receive enough credit as one of the greatest action movies ever made. It’s the pinnacle of the Mission: Impossible franchise, setting Ethan Hunt and his team in their highest-stakes adventure yet.
Ethan’s chase of Walker on a helicopter culminates in the hero and villain engaging in a brutal fistfight at the edge of a cliff.
Fallout is one of the most exciting thrillers of the 21st century, and that’s largely thanks to how immensely exciting its climax is. Ethan’s chase of Walker on a helicopter culminates in the hero and villain engaging in a brutal fistfight at the edge of a cliff, all against the clock as a nuclear weapon is mere minutes away from blowing up. The stakes are nail-bitingly high, the practical stuntwork is as life-defying as it is delightful to watch, and Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill‘s performances are top-notch. It’s 21st-century action filmmaking at its climactic best.
4
‘Titanic’ (1997)
Who else but James Cameron? Who, if not the Canadian legend, could have turned a period romance drama set aboard a doomed ship into one of the very few films ever to make more than $2 billion dollars at the box office? Titanic is one of the biggest phenomena in the history of cinema, and quite fittingly, it has one of the best climaxes of any epic movie.
Watching the Titanic sink is one of the most emotionally rousing sequences in the history of the Seventh Art. It’s gut-wrenching, tragic, romantic, technically flawless, and full of cathartic moments. While the vast majority of blockbusters have climaxes that are action-packed and largely reliant on a feeling of excitement, Titanic‘s climax sets it apart as one of the most unique blockbusters the world has ever gotten.
3
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
It’s anyone’s guess whether George Lucas had any semblance of a clue back in 1977 that what he was creating would soon become the biggest transmedia franchise in history. Star Wars as a whole is an icon of cinema, and fans and non-fans of the series alike tend to agree that the question of which film from the galaxy far, far away is the best of the bunch has an easy answer: The Empire Strikes Back.
It’s one of the best movie masterpieces of the last 50 years, concluding in a good old-fashioned Hero’s Journey climax atop Cloud City. Luke’s confrontation against Vader culminates in what’s perhaps the most iconic plot twist in movie history, paralleled by the Millennium Falcon’s crew daring escape from the claws of the Empire. What makes this whole climax all the more effective is the fact that, unusually for blockbusters of this nature, it’s full of loss and tragedy for our brave heroes.
2
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers isn’t often regarded as the best installment of the trilogy, but there’s one bit of praise that virtually anyone who’s ever seen this adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s work agrees on: The Two Towers has by far the best climax of the series. The Battle of Helm’s Deep is far and away the best battle of The Lord of the Rings, and even one of the best in movie history.
This entire sequence, brilliantly intercut with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum at the edge of Mordor, is cinematic excitement in its purest form. You can experience the full spectrum of human emotions by watching The Two Towers‘ climax and third act: There’s tragedy, suspense, cathartic triumph, a sprinkle of poignancy, and some of the most eye-popping action of the 2000s as the cherry on top.
1
‘Jaws’ (1975)
It was Spielberg’s Jaws that fathered the concept we now understand as a summer blockbuster, and fittingly, it has what’s still the best climax of any blockbuster in history. It’s not as big as The Two Towers‘ final battle, nor as emotion-driven as the sinking at the end of Titanic, but it’s its small scale and taut nature that makes it one of the greatest third acts in the history of cinema.
Jaws is one of the most exciting movie masterpieces ever made largely because of this climax. It’s a sequence that’s pure survival horror in its most terrifying, technically faultless, and tautly-written form. The escalation of the whole sequence is relentless, from the shark beginning to destroy the boat to Quint’s tragic death. It’s a masterclass in how to pace a climax, and it’s proof of why Steven Spielberg is the most important name in the history of blockbusters.
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