Comments

• • StevePotter

    Aug 9th 2012, 6:21

    Ok, kinda have to b***h about your inclusion of "Return of the King." They included that because that's from the book! The "shabby" ending was supposed to symbolize the Witch King's arrogance, overlooking people like women and Halflings, thinking that they can't kill him. Killed by his own hubris, man! Ok, fanboy whining over.

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  • StevePotter

    Aug 9th 2012, 6:34

    Gotta agree with you on X-Men: First Class, though. What was the point of including the character with the most badass power if you were going to kill him off before the battle?!

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  • gwales

    Aug 9th 2012, 7:01

    @StevePotter - Fair point, although in the book Tolkien makes it more explicit that Merry's blade is enchanted, and not just some common or garden penknife!

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  • garyu2

    Aug 9th 2012, 7:31

    It would be great if you did not criticise Predator or The Thing in any way, they are some of the best films of their genre ever made.

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  • jared3710

    Aug 9th 2012, 7:56

    Perhaps the most "pointless" top 50 Total Film has ever done. I can only assume a certain tongue in cheek attitude by the editors on this. Otherwise...not cool, guys, not cool!!!

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  • Hadouken76

    Aug 9th 2012, 8:27

    When the Terminator is terminated, surely that means John Connor is erased from exsistence?

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  • ChrisWootton

    Aug 9th 2012, 8:35

    Do you mean pointless as in the whole nature of dieing? or are you referring to the way it affects the plot... if it's the latter then you are just moronic. What's going on over there? Have you been taken over by a bunch of idiots who are just going to attack films now? Most of these deaths are integral to the film's success. I mean, Layer Cake? That's the whole f*****g point of it.. it's like Carlito's Way.. he hasn't covered all the angles and his arrogance is his downfall. If you're just going to do this s**t you may as well not bother.. just keep the site static for a couple of days. Poor job.

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  • starbuck

    Aug 9th 2012, 8:45

    What, just the one mention of a Christopher Nolan Batman movie? is The Dark Knight Rises suckathon over?

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  • SiMan

    Aug 9th 2012, 8:54

    @Hadouken - you know in all these years i'd never even considered that. Thats always a big issue with time travel movies - pretty much every film falls into a similar 'Paradox' trap. If they do a new Terminator film, they should make that part of John Connor's story arc - if he saves the world, he will no longer exist.

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  • andrewwylie

    Aug 9th 2012, 9:34

    Totally agree with entry number one killing off maul was just another mistake that makes you wonder how lucky lucas musta been with the first trilogy. To get it so right then so wrong the second time round is beyond belief. I would definetly have loved to have seen at least one more fight scene with maul

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  • StevePotter

    Aug 9th 2012, 9:48

    Also, The Dark Knight Rises entry feels a little... weird, I guess? The henchman wasn't vital to the story, and his death was done to show how ruthless Bane is and how devoted his men are. And yeah, the men kind of screwed up, so they needed some punishment. If I were to include something from that film, I would *SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOILEEEEEEER* have included Bane. Although I guess "pointless" could have many meanings. I think these features should have paragraph introductions as opposed to sentences.

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  • ScaryWardrobe

    Aug 9th 2012, 10:26

    Agent Coulson in the Avengers?!?!

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  • FBMRichardson

    Aug 9th 2012, 10:40

    Darth Maul would have had to die anyway to allow Dath Vader to exist, Sith rules are one master and one apprentice only

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  • bencobra

    Aug 9th 2012, 10:53

    Spot on with Haldir's death. An absolutely pathetic attempt in trying to recreating a moment from the previous movie

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  • gwales

    Aug 9th 2012, 11:23

    @ChrisWootton With the Layer Cake example, my argument is that it's necessary in a narrative sense to have him come unstuck, but the fact that it's his love life that undoes him undermines the relevance of his death.

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  • GGJ93

    Aug 9th 2012, 11:24

    Have to disagree with your choice of Wash in Serenity. For starters Book's death seemed much less essential to the plot and in Wash dying (and he is the second crew death) Joss Whedon is showing us that any of them can be killed at any point. His death creates a sense of genuine danger.

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  • ChrisWootton

    Aug 9th 2012, 11:44

    If they matter in a narrative sense then they cease to become pointless surely?

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  • MikeyRix

    Aug 9th 2012, 11:45

    **SPOILERS** With #18, I thought you were talking about the man himself. After all that work in the first 2 acts of the film, then that rug-pull, the man's FURTHER undermined by his g*****n death. Seriously, Nolans. What were you thinking?!!

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  • thwippingboys

    Aug 9th 2012, 11:48

    Hate to be someone that adds more negativity, but you gotta balance "pointless" with faithful. Johnny Cage died in the games during Shao Kahns invasion of earth, so if he didn't you'd have people crying foul (it is one of the few things that film did correctly.)

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  • thwippingboys

    Aug 9th 2012, 11:50

    Sorry, didn't finish my last post, and can't seem to edit. Having Shao Kahn dispatch Cage so easily, when Cage was able to trump the badass of Goro in the first film was a way to establish the power of Shao Kahn and the "you think the first film was hard? yeah right" idea. Like I said, one of the few things they did right, and part of a decent enough opening 5 minutes.

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  • unityhodges

    Aug 9th 2012, 12:07

    Seems like a pretty pointless top 50 really.

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  • gwales

    Aug 9th 2012, 12:15

    @chriswooton perhaps that one should be a pointless manner of death then. The way he dies and the person pulling the trigger renders it pointless. :)

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  • JohnGun

    Aug 9th 2012, 12:32

    I saw Return of the King at the cinema three times and the line "I'm no man" got a cheer every time. Corny, it might be but it was a great moment.

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  • JohnGun

    Aug 9th 2012, 12:36

    Oh, if Rose would just have got in the bloody lifeboat in the first place...

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  • MoodyMonkey

    Aug 9th 2012, 13:25

    @TotalFilm - appreciate this is not the most appropriate forum for this but could you do a '50 best Bob Hoskins list'? One of our very best actors and he has just announced his retirement due to Parkinsons Disease sadly...

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  • ChrisWootton

    Aug 9th 2012, 13:25

    Hmmm, tenuous at best there Mr Wales.. definitely agree with one of these and that's ALien 3. All the others are part of the story.. you may as well say that Edward Woodward's death in the Wicker Man is pointless.

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  • MoodyMonkey

    Aug 9th 2012, 13:25

    forgot 'PLEASE'

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  • MoodyMonkey

    Aug 9th 2012, 13:28

    Damn it for no edit button! '50 best Bob Hoskins MOMENTS'. I'll go away now...

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  • stiltz82

    Aug 9th 2012, 13:38

    Number 31 isn't totally true, Boba Fett doesn't die in the Sarlacc but escapes many years later.

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  • davemcwish

    Aug 9th 2012, 13:49

    @FBMRichardson @andrewwylie Even with the Sith rule, Lucas could have extended the character to the end of Revenge with a straight fight between Darth Maul & Anakin where the winner becomes the apprentice.

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  • suprduprsam

    Aug 9th 2012, 15:44

    The Iron Giant had to die so I could have those feels.

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  • Simmy

    Aug 9th 2012, 16:12

    Thanks for Carnosaur. Been saying that for years.

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  • Simmy

    Aug 9th 2012, 16:12

    I thought the characters survived in Cloverfield?

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  • marc96

    Aug 9th 2012, 16:15

    i have a problem with the death in phantom menace, in phantom menace darth maul is killed by obi wan jumping over him from below then slicing him, yet in revenge of the sith obi wan tells Anakin that he can win as obi wans got the higher ground, so when anakin tries jump over him he loses... so surely darth maul should have defeated obi wan (im not a geek i promise) ..... and wash's death in Serenity was brilliant! killing off one of the favourite characters showed that anyone could die, although i dont think the picture of alan tudyk is from serenity looks more like dale & tucker vs evil

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  • marc96

    Aug 9th 2012, 16:16

    oops was meant to say cant win... god my english was terrible in that comment, i apologise :D

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  • ismaelomer

    Aug 9th 2012, 16:57

    What about THE MIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????????????

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  • writerdave87

    Aug 9th 2012, 17:27

    Agreed, the fact that the Mist isn't number one on this list renders the whole thing... pointless. Although, the idea of a 'pointless' death is stretched pretty badly here. Craig's 'death' in Layer Cake isn't pointless at all, it's showing the consequences of his actions can still lay him low. It's not even shown that he dies- in the book, it's implied heavily that he lives.

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  • jennyhughes

    Aug 9th 2012, 17:51

    Pay It Forward was heart breaking but still it needed that ending, I mean seriously could you imagine a soppy happy ending to that film? It wouldn't have made the impact it did without the death.

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  • nickellis

    Aug 9th 2012, 18:00

    The picture for #11 is actually from Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, not Serenity.

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  • StevePotter

    Aug 9th 2012, 18:54

    @nickellis- I thought so! It really confused me.

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  • cc1129

    Aug 9th 2012, 19:25

    The way Darth Maul was all over the place before Phantom Menace came out, I thought he was gonna be the Vader of the new series.

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  • AlfredsDream098

    Aug 9th 2012, 20:53

    Seems like TF have hired a cynical movie hater. Oh and the T-800's death wasn't pointless, T3 was pointless.

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  • Pearceyy96

    Aug 9th 2012, 22:12

    Don't quite know the real term behind "Pointless" but TDKR has two for me! SPOILERS Banes death was one and then when the captain dies in the epic battle at the end! not a single bit of blood or wound on him! hes just there dead, could of had the send off, of a hero? But banes was very badly rushed!!!!!!!!!

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  • writerdave87

    Aug 9th 2012, 22:30

    I thought Modine's death was heroic- you couldn't really show him getting riddled with bullets in a 12A. As for Bane's... I know what you mean, it was a bit of an anticlimactic moment but I thought that was what was so good about it. If you think about it, there wasn't many other ways he could have gone out.

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  • Toph80

    Aug 10th 2012, 0:39

    sorry but i'm gonna get all geeky fanboy now as well where it concerns the lord of the rings entries on the list... They all had their places in the books, and so had to be part of the films, esp the Witch King and Gandalf ones. With out the "pointless" death of Gandalf he wouldn't have become the "man" or wizard he had to become for the trails that were to come, and with the Witch King like someone else said it was included becase they had to show that someone could defeat him. Ok geeky rant over now :P

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  • Senver

    Aug 10th 2012, 12:16

    The Terminator isn't Sarah Connor's protector.

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  • Senver

    Aug 10th 2012, 12:21

    and this article is f***ing s**te

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  • phantomYETI

    Aug 10th 2012, 14:45

    A small mistake with No 38. Data's "replacement" in the film is called B4 not D2.

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  • tinadee

    Aug 10th 2012, 16:38

    Stop reading after LOTR. What a stupid list.

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  • TinEar85

    Aug 10th 2012, 20:19

    You missed a few. The bird from Kes, the couple from Jules and Jim, or half the people in the Departed.

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  • johndagenham81

    Aug 11th 2012, 16:17

    Bane. 'Nuff said.

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  • Seedorf

    Aug 12th 2012, 11:46

    The inclusion of some of these deaths in this list, is stupid. Especially the T-800's death. It was pointless because T3 happened? Really? Cameron really should have known better then, that someone at some point would make a third film, rendering the death of the T-800 in T2 pointless. Facepalm.gif

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