10 Best Sci-Fi Movie Cliffhangers

Although Terminator 3 is no question a much lesser film than its two predecessors, it does have some great things in it, one of which is its terrific cliffhanger ending.

The first and second films both end with the possible judgement day - in which the machines will take over, and destroy humanity - being eradicated, with the second film, in particular, ending on an image of hope and wonder for humanity and the future.

The third film, however, ends very differently - after the T-800 and John Connor attempt to stop Judgement Day again, their efforts are revealed to be futile. The apocalypse soon begins, with various nuclear missiles launched all over the world. With no hope left, John and his future wife, Kate prepare for war.

What’s very intriguing about this cliffhanger is just how downbeat it is. It feels very bold for a big studio movie to end a film where the heroes lose, and the villain comes out victorious. There are some other examples of this, like Avengers: Infinity War and Empire Strikes Back (which don’t worry, we’ll get to), but rarely do we see such a big movie end on such a dour and gloomy note.

There’s no doubt that this film is a very flawed piece of work, but it’s ending is particularly successful.