21 of the Best Times the Rules of Storytelling Were Broken
The original theater run of ‘Clue’ had three different endings
The rules of storytelling — the hero’s journey, the three-act structure, happily ever after, etc. — may feel like cliches, but we’d be pretty unsatisfied if any of them were missing. Sure, there are people who make movies about a guy sleeping or watching paint dry, but we call them performance artists and don’t invite them to parties.
On the other hand, when a rule is broken carefully by the deft hand of a master and the pieces formed into something better, it can be even more satisfying. That’s why user JimCalinaya asked r/AskReddit, “What is your favorite subversive ‘fuck you, traditional storytelling’ moment in movies, TV, and books?”
Game of Thrones
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Breakfast of Champions
Collateral
The Dark Knight
No Country for Old Men
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The Departed
Maleficent
Captain America: Civil War
Josie and the Pussycats
How I Met Your Mother
Clue
Atonement
Into the Woods
Attack on Titan
House
Funny Games
The Mist
Watchmen
The Sopranos
