15 Sci-Fi Movie Endings That Would Have Changed Everything

11. Blade Runner (1982)

Despite now being regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was not a hit on release. The film, which follows retired blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) as he is pulled back into service to hunt down a gang of humanoid replicants, flopped at the box office and was almost consigned to the back shelf of movie history. Although audiences enjoyed the darker tone of Alien, they struggled to connect with Blade Runner, not least because it starred one of Star Wars’ leads and explored philosophical concepts – like what it means to be human – that weren’t easily digested with popcorn.

There are few popular films that have had as many versions as Blade Runner, with Scott’s tinkering embarrassing even George Lucas, but over the years two key versions have emerged in opposition. The Final Cut is widely regarded as the definitive version, and its opposite is the original theatrical cut. And the biggest difference between the two? The ending, of course.

Warner Bros. made Scott add a terrible voiceover narration that overexplained the world and plot, alongside a happy ending scene showing Deckard and replicant Rachel (Sean Young) driving away from future LA into their carefree new life. Audiences hated it, and eventually the director got to put out his own ending: a cryptic visual metaphor of an origami unicorn outside Deckard’s apartment, throwing into question his humanity and the possibility of a happy life with Rachel.