10 Huge Movie Deaths That Totally Fell Flat
When pivotal death scenes just don't work.
There are few major blockbuster movies where death isn't a factor, and where franchises are concerned, it's simply expected that characters will die, either to maintain the dramatic stakes or make room for a host of new, younger heroes and villains.
A meaningful and emotional death scene will stick with viewers for years, decades, even for life, yet as effortless as some filmmakers make it look, it's incredibly difficult to pull off even when all the ingredients are there.
It's sadly far more common for character deaths to feel a little off or, in the case of these 10 cinematic dirt-naps, fall completely, embarrassingly flat.
Again, giving a notable character a big-screen demise worthy of their station isn't easy, and these films all promptly dropped the ball for one reason or another.
Perhaps a goofy editing choice ruined everything, the writing just wasn't where it needed to be, or the actor in question couldn't even pretend to give a damn about what they were filming. Hell, perhaps it's a fatal combination of all three factors conspiring together.
Whatever the reason, these 10 huge movie deaths were all massively deflating...
10. Javert - Les Misérables
Inspector Javert's suicide in the stage version of Les Misérables is one of its dramatic high points - a tragic and devastating moment in which a man at the end of his rope hurls himself into the river Seine.
But as operatic-with-a-capital-O as Tom Hooper's big-budget screen adaptation of the hit musical was, this moment landed with only unintentionally comical impact - in the most literal sense.
Even ignoring the justifiably mixed reviews for Russell Crowe's vocal performance, in the very least he's clearly pouring his heart into the dramatic meat of the scene, of conveying Javert's inner turmoil and desperation.
But what sinks the moment in record time? The completely ridiculous bone-crunch sound effect that's deployed after Javert sails through the air and makes contact with the fountain below.
That it's all scored by intensely dramatic music only makes this cartoonish piece of Foley feel that much more jarring in an otherwise classy and meticulously crafted movie.
Despite being widely mocked online, though, the scene didn't stop the film from receiving a Best Sound Mixing Oscar nomination.