13 Movies With Big Plot Twists Based On When They Take Place

The sci-fi filmPandorumThe film takes place in the future after Earth runs out of resources. A large ship goes into space as humanity's last hope.A large ship goes into spaceThe ship heads toward Tanis, an Earth-like substitute. The journey should take 125 years; most passengers sleep in pods the whole time.

Crews rotate to maintain the ship for the trip to Tanis. Crew members wake up to find the ship overrun by violent, mutated cannibals. The film suggests the 125-year trip, but the ship crashed on Tanis 800 years ago in the ocean. What looks like empty space is the dark alien sea.

Like all of theFinal DestinationThe fifth Final Destination movie begins with a premonition of the main characters’ deaths. Sam’s vision lets characters avoid fate initially, but death follows through tragic accidents and murders by friends.

Sam and his ex-girlfriend Molly eventually seem to survive. They initially aimed to survive the incident that killed their friends in Sam’s premonition, so they thought they were safe. The two board a plane to Paris at the end; this plane is the same one from the original.Final DestinationThe plane is destined to explode, killing everyone aboard. The twist that the film is a prequel harms Sam and Molly; they cannot leave the plane before death.

ArrivalArrival shows aliens coming to Earth. The conflict centers on understanding the visitors and their strange language, not violence. Linguist Louise Banks and physicist Ian Donnely work to communicate.

The movie shows flashbacks of Louise’s daughter who died young. The twist reveals Louise sees time like the aliens (heptapods) in a circle. What looks like flashbacks are flash forwards; Louise’s daughter is her and Ian’s daughter, born after the movie events. Louise still chooses Ian despite knowing the end.

M. Night Shyamalan, the king of twist endings, gave a time-specific twist in the 2004 filmThe VillageThe film The village initially appears to be a 19th-century period piece. Strange monsters hover in the surrounding woods, plaguing the small, isolated village. Village characters try to live normally, but the village leadership rejects them, warning that the monsters stop anyone from leaving.

The main plot twist seems to be that the monsters in the woods are village leaders in costumes. A second twist reveals the film takes place in modern times. The village was actually a cult commune, organized by those avoiding a world they see as corrupt.

Dark City sets the scene.Dark City is strange. Anachronistic design makes the city look both modern and like the 1940s. Nighttime fills the city. Strange pale people called “The Strangers” seem to control physical space and people’s memories.John Murdoch tries to return to his childhood town, Shell Beach, but no one helps him find it. He reaches a billboard, then breaks through it, revealing he and everyone are in outer space. The city is an experiment run by the Strangers, aliens trying to save their race by using humans as test subjects. This explains why the time period is hard to pin down; it is not a real city on Earth.

Throughout the film, protagonist John Murdoch keeps trying to return to Shell Beach, but no one helps him find it. He reaches a billboard, then breaks through it, revealing he and everyone are in outer space. The city is an experiment run by the Strangers, aliens trying to save their race by using humans as test subjects. This explains why the time period is hard to pin down; it is not a real city on Earth.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is on the list.This is an iconic comedy film from the British sketch comedy troupe. The film loosely connects scenes that parody Arthurian legend, suggesting the movie takes place in medieval times.

The one exception to this time frame is a running joke: two police officers investigate the violence left by Arthur and his knights. Before the final battle, police cars pull up to arrest Arthur and his knights. They walk up to the camera and tell the operator to turn it off. This makes the movie look like an over-the-top historical re-enactment by insane people, finally stopped by the police.

Many events in Jacob's Ladder happen there.Jacob’s Ladder are unclear to the audience. This puts viewers in Jacob’s (Tim Robbins) position as he seeks answers for the terrible hallucinations after returning from Vietnam.Jacob’s Ladder are initially unclear to the audience. This puts viewers in Jacob’s (Tim Robbins) position as he seeks answers for the terrible hallucinations after returning from Vietnam.

The film seems set in 1975, four years after Jacob returned from the war. Strange events lead Jacob to the answers he seeks. His military unit used an experimental drug meant to boost aggression, hoping for better fighters. Instead, this drug made them attack allies, including Jacob. As Jacob climbs a staircase with his dead son, the film shows it is actually 1971. The 'present' we see is just a hallucination. In reality, a soldier wounded Jacob and he died in a medical tent in Vietnam.

Charlie St. Cloud is in the list of 13 Movies With Big Plot Twists Based On When They Take Place.This drama centers on Charlie dealing with his younger brother's death. Charlie and Sam died in a car accident. Paramedics revived Charlie. After coming back, Charlie can talk to the spirits of the dead. Charlie changes his college plans to stay home with his brother's spirit.

Charlie starts a relationship with Tess, who plans a world trip. Near the end, Tess has already left. Charlie sees Tess as a spirit, not the real person. Tess is lost at sea and badly hurt, drifting between life and death. This is how Charlie communicates with her.

Following the first movie's success, Saw II followed.Saw is one of the 13 Movies With Big Plot Twists Based On When They Take Place.A high-budget sequel followed the first Saw movie. It added more characters and showed more reasons for the events. Like the first film, it showed why things happened.Saw II is one of the 13 Movies With Big Plot Twists Based On When They Take Place.The plot in Saw II includes a ticking clock. Characters in Jigsaw’s traps must escape before the timer ends and the building fills with a deadly nerve agent.

As the timer counts down, Detective Eric Matthews gets angry and attacks Jigsaw, demanding the house location. Matthews’s son is inside, and he does not want to wait for the game to end to get him. When Matthews reaches the house, the video footage of the game was recorded days earlier. The clock's countdown tested if Matthews had the patience to wait. Since he failed, he faced a new Jigsaw trap.

The opening to Vanilla Sky is in the list of 13 Movies With Big Plot Twists Based On When They Take Place.Vanilla Sky is in the list of 13 Movies With Big Plot Twists Based On When They Take Place.The opening to Vanilla Sky shows David talking to a psychologist about events before his current situation. Flashbacks show David disfigured when his girlfriend Julie intentionally crashed her car seeking revenge for David's infidelity.

David’s disfigurement miraculously cures, and he gains god-like control over his life. This strange event happens because David actually dreamt lucidly in suspended animation after the car crash. Life Extension, a company, keeps him alive until a cure appears. David slept for 150 years since the injury, leaving him the choice to wake or keep dreaming.

Trailers for Antebellum showed the film has time-bending elements.Antebellum features a time-bending element in its story.The film shows characters on a plantation during the Civil War also appear in modern America. Initially, the story's setup is unclear.

Audiences think there is time travel. Cell phones appear in the 1800s. The film reveals the story takes place in the modern day. A plantation is a reenactment park owned by a US senator. He kidnaps Black Americans for enslavement. This twist highlights the lasting legacy of chattel slavery.

Olivia Wilde appears again in the director’s chair.Don’t Worry Darling presents a story with a plot twist.The film shares hype with 1950s aesthetics. Many conversations focused on sex scenes.Florence Pugh faces trouble.The movie focuses on a central mystery. What work do the town men do daily?

Alice slips past neighbors to a domed building. The audience learns the truth. The film is set in the present day. Alice and other women are held hostage in a vegetative state by men wanting subservient partners. This twist lacks the shock of Harry Styles spitting on Chris Pine at the Cannes premiere, and the movie fails the hype.

2010’s films include Remember Me.Remember Me is a film included in the 2010’s.The movie presents a basic romance. One character pretends to date another before falling for them. Watching the film shows physical fights between characters. The ending includes a truly offensive time plot twist.

Near the end, everything seems set for a happy ending. Confusion about the main couple’s true intentions clears. They appear destined to reconcile, and Robert Pattison’s Tyler makes up with his father. But Tyler waits for his dad in his office. The camera pulls back. He is in the World Trade Center. The date appears: September 11, 2001. Making a film about the 9/11 attacks' impact is not new or disrespectful. Using a major national tragedy for a shock-factor plot twist works. This twist turned a simple romance into something much worse.