MovieChat Forums > The Canyon (2009) Discussion > The end ruined the whole film for me (sp...

The end ruined the whole film for me (spoilers)

posted 14 years ago by jenword
25 replies | jump to latest

I really felt cheated by the ending. As soon as she started smothering him, I KNEW a rescue was imminent. It was so predictable. I would have found the entire movie worth my time, if not for that ending. It would have been way more cool if she had decided to die with him, and allow the wolves to get them, and then just as they are surrounded by the wolves, the helicopter scares them all away. They could have done the rescue in slow motion, then fade to black. Then fade back in to her and her husband in the kitchen, painting it "pumpkin...or brick red," and she could be teasing him about not helping, and he could point to his prosthetic foot and be like "I'm doing the best I can!" Yeah, yeah, I know...that's a nice, happy ending...but...still...it's better than she smothers him, then the helicopter arrives, LITERALLY 30 seconds later....that was so manufactured, and a sucky ending that left me feeling completely unfulfilled. Anyone else want to re-write the ending on here? Let's hear some more ideas!!!

[–] alesisqs61 14 years ago

Seems like they watched The Mist, except that was good.

http://www.vimeo.com/1986276
http://www.youtube.com/user/alphazoom

[–] MaxXx1911 14 years ago

totally agree with you...i mean yeah happy endings are very common but hell we all like them...
the movie frankly was good in my opinion but the end just ruined it...
i can't help but think that the writer was high or something when he wrote the end...
i myself would've enjoyed the movie so much more if they both survived

[–] Alex-273 14 years ago

How do you think I felt!? My father thought this was based on a true story and I spent the last minute of the movie in total horror as the helicopter flew over literally seconds after she (mercy) killed him. I kept yelling at the screen "Its not too late, do CPR! Why aren't they doing CPR!!"

I will say aside from yelling at their stupid choices throughout the movie, I thought all in all it was fairly good and if anything could help people prepare better and make smarter decisions if they were ever in that situation.

I am definitely very relieved to discover it wasn't a true story. The guilt that person would have felt would be unbearable.

[–] MaxXx1911 14 years ago

i tried to hold my breath for 30 seconds(about the time it took her to kill him)
and surprise...it's not hard at all...i think if i tried harder i would've managed to hold it for 1 minute...they tried to make it real at the end but they just failed...
gosh i hate the end...

[–] Niikkii 14 years ago

Well she was in shock and couldn't talk so they had no idea how long ago he stopped breathing.

______________________________________
Time destroys everything

[–] fatbastard41 14 years ago

Slight difference here Max is if you know and a are planning on holding your breath your going to take a much deeper breath! If someone was just to walk behind you and cut of your breathing during a normal breath, it would be much harder to hold it. Throw in the fact if you haven't really ate/drank is a couple of days in the middle of grand canyon and your leg has been cut of, I'd be interested to see how long you could hold your breath lol!

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] gunlock 14 years ago

I actually think the ending isn't bad. Although it might have been better if he asked/begged to be killed. If they both survived the movie would have lost all its impact.

[–] one-123 14 years ago

Alex, you are dead on about the CPR. His situation was exactly the reason CPR was invented and is still used. Drowning victims are resuscitated after being underwater for a lot longer than this guy was dead. He had no injuries that could not have been healed (in terms of his living a functioning life), unlike, say, a gunshot would to the head or heart.

The end ruined it for me for this reason, and because it was predictable (that the rescue would come shortly after the mercy killing) and was a blatant ripoff of The Mist. I thought the camera work, directing, and especially the acting was very good. The problem was totally in the script, and I think it started when they didn't take the knife in the first place. I mean, come on, do these people want to survive or not?

As far as re-writing the ending, why not simply throw in the CPR. Have her devastated and going into shock (as it is now) and the rescuers sort of shove her aside, perform CPR, and just as the audience is thinking, "Stupid ending. They ripped off The Mist," he sucks in a big breath. His eyes snap open and the camera pulls back into the sky.

[–] fanpuck33 14 years ago

Yeah, the ending was pretty bad.

[–] styo2 14 years ago

I agree with everyone...should have done CPR. some scenes i couldnt even watch like the amputation. the begining was slow paced. i gave it a 5/10. I thought the girl did a decent acting job...she reminded me of marsha brady..lol

[–] shadowman1115824 13 years ago

She's the star of the television comedy Chuck and she looked like she lost weight for this movie.

[–] teppo-2 14 years ago

I agree the ending was the worst part. The ending... yeah. I knew, too, that rescue is imminent once she kills him. Would've been ok if they died. Or if they both got rescued. Or if she got rescued much (at least hours) later, with him already dead. But this way made no sense. He had been dead for just a minute or two, they could've brought him back - although in his condition, he might not have survived anymore even in a hospital. Still doesn't make sense to not even try, however. And hell, she should probably have been able to hear the chopper from farther out, anyway.

Overall the movie was watchable even with the crappy ending, but certainly a better ending would've served the movie much better, even with its other flaws.

[–] fitfemfetale 13 years ago

That chicky was pretty darn skinny - I thought that right away in the first scene where she gers out of the car at the hotel and you see those skinny legs. It's ironic because being thinner you would have thought would have made her the weaker link - especially considering her husband dared to eat the rattle snake at least. She ate even less than him, and I'll be damned the skinny bitch was still going strong at the end!

The ending really did sadden me because she tried SO hard to keep her husband alive. And I think she was doing the merciful thing by killing him before the wolves could tear him apart, but to have the helicopter land right then - I was literally shouting at the movie - No! That's not fair! The Mist ending ended up being repeated. If both of them would have died, then Open Water would have been repeated, so that doesn't leave much to be different. I can't think of how I would have wanted this to end. Can't say I really wanted him to survive. It was his fault they ended up in that situation in the first place, but I wanted her to live and live guilt free.

[–] netrek 13 years ago

Agreed! The ending was stupid, literally 1 or 2 minutes after she MURDERS her own husband she is rescued! And it's not as if he asked her to help him die. She unilaterally and coldly decided to do that (I think for selfish reasons.)

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[–] squatpuke 13 years ago

.
.
I've hiked many times in the canyon....you can hear a helicopter MILES away....

(In fact, it's all you hear on the Hermit/Boucher trail....)

She had plenty of time to stop killing her husband...

What I wanna know is she did tell anyone she killed him...maybe she becomes a psychopath snuffer in "The Canyon 2"

[–] grinch031 12 years ago

Agreed! The ending was stupid, literally 1 or 2 minutes after she MURDERS her own husband she is rescued! And it's not as if he asked her to help him die. She unilaterally and coldly decided to do that (I think for selfish reasons.)

I'd hardly call any of her actions selfish. She killed him because she knew she lost the battle with the wolves. It was either they eat him while he's still alive, or they eat his dead body. I think she thought it was more humane if she ended his suffering so he didn't have to get eaten alive. Without the helicopter overhead, it was just about impossible for her to save him, and she would've surely died if she stayed with him and fought the wolves.

[–] creegah-3 12 years ago

He deserved to die. She deserved to live.

Come and get one in the yarbles, if ya have any yarbles - Alex DeLarge