10 Bleak Movies With Unexpectedly Happy Endings
9. The Matrix
Anyone who thinks that the first Matrix movie isn't bleak as hell needs to take another hard look at the actual setup here. Robots have taken over, anyone who isn't dead are stuck in pods that trap them in eternal simulations that aren't even that interesting. Seriously, give people a jetpack or something and there's nothing Morpheus would be able to offer to make them want to leave.
No matter what Neo and friends do against the machines, each film makes it clear that there's no way to bring back what has been lost. The rest of humanity is either dead or vegetables in the robots' simulation goop. However, that doesn't mean that victory is unattainable.
Like before, the ending to this film is about as happy as it can get with the setup that this franchise has to work with. Neo embraces his new identity, defeats Mr. Smith, confesses his love for Trinity, and sets out to free more humans from the matrix and eventually overthrow the robots.
When you really look at the movie, it's hard to call the heroes' situation anything other than bleak. But at least the ending makes it clear that things are going to get better.
Shame that the following films proved even that to be a dirty, dirty lie.