I would for example want to know how the plants can move so rapidly, how they can mimic sounds, how they can hear what they mimic, what part of this plant could make the dission to make just the cell phone noise of all the sounds it could have mimiced to lure them down there and what this “part” of the plant could be? Something even more horrible.

There. With an ending where everybody dies and the plant is left just as it was in this movie would be enough for me. But I would really want to know more. It was such an original horror movie that I just can’t be satisfied with just this.

And that was it for me. Thank you.

“… If you must argue, please debate intelligently.”

Now, I have no problem with being encouraged to debate intelligently, but my initial reaction to the qualifying phrase “if you must argue” is not a pleasant one as it sort of dismisses what the term “argument” objectively denotes and instead focuses on a limited, negative connotative aspect of it, implying that arguments are something that we would be better off not having. Sorry, but as a reasonable, intelligent individual I find this attiude rather lazy and condescending.

Ah, but I digress…

I take umbrage witht the studio executives and/or movie producers and distributors who lack the courage and integrity to deliver audiences an ending to a movie that might offend their delicate sensibilities as a result of being weened on cookie-cutter formulaic tripe. I guess you can see where this is going, eh?

Scott Smith’s novel, The Ruins, was one of the most harrowing stories I’ve had the “pleasure” to read in some time. It’s steadily progressing fatalistic bleakness culminating in an uncompromisingly bleak ending is what makes the story so memorable. Surely Mr. Smith, who adapted his own novel in writing the movie’s screenplay (which was admirably faithful up until the ending) knew this. And I cannot believe that the decision to alter the novel’s ending in favor of one more favorable to “mainstream” (i.e. less sophisticated) audiences was Mr. Smith’s.

Whatever happened to the bygone days of the late 60s and 70s, at the advent of the R-rating in America (which was originally, briefly an M for mature), which began with Bonnie and Clyde? Back in those heady days of cinematic creativity, filmmakers intent on making movies FOR ADULTS shockingly treated their audiences LIKE ADULTS (what a concept!!!) and refused to pander to childish sensibilities that needed to be placated and ENTERTAINED by the fantasy that every story must have some semblence of a happy ending.

There’s a reason that tragedies are not referred to as comedies. And we would do well to keep this in mind.

To anyone who remembers the travesty done to The Vanishing when it was remade for American audiences, we can add the alteration of the ending of Stephen King’s Cujo when it was adapted for the screen, the injustice done to The Descent when the original ending was trimmed for American audiences to give it the illusion of a happy ending. And now, of course, The Ruins is ruined by meddlesome studio executives tampering with a classic genre story in the hopes of generating some extra revenue from word of mouth by movie goers who might recommend the movie to others based on the fact that they didn’t leave the theater entirely depressed by the ending? This is the ultimately soulless effect of unbridled capitalist greed, people: If there’s even the thought that an extra nickel of box office can be procured by compromising the integrity of a movie, you can be sure that some greedy-ass studio executive will push to do just that.

And for that reason, let me end my rant by tipping my hat - so to speak - to both Frank Darabont and Michael Hanecke who I’m sure fought valiently with corporate coxsuckers AND WON in staying true their respective visions regarding the endings of The Mist and Funny Games [remake] respectively. These men are heroes in an age where the rule is that people will gladly compromise their vision and give into greedy, soulless corporate interests for the promise of a hassle-free pay day.

Again, Frank Darabont and Michael Hanecke, I salute you. I only wish that I could be saluting Scott Smith as well. At the very least here’s hoping that a faithful alternate ending appears on a collector’s edition DVD in the future.

Peace.

Yeah, but did you really think Cloverfield would have such a bleak ending a la BWP? I didn’t, but in that case, yes, I thought the ending was ideal. As for happy-ending zombie films, what about Night of the Comet?

Well, it worked for Cloverfield, and it largely works for zombie movies (though someone usually survives).