10 Crazy Movie Endings You Didn't Believe

5. Return Of The Jedi

Switchblade Romance
Lucasfilm

Return of the Jedi is a film that throws up so many great memories for so many, with that closing leg of the original Star Wars trilogy still revered to this day.

The 1983 picture was a satisfying end to George Lucas' trio of 'a galaxy far, far away' efforts, and that was how things remained up until 2004.

Yes, the reason for Return of the Jedi's inclusion here is for the baffling decision to insert Hayden Christensen in place of Sebastian Shaw for Jedi's final moments when 2004 saw the film get a new DVD release.

In terms of needless changes, this is right up there as one of the most pointless in film history. And more so, it's a change that simply doesn't make sense.

If the ghost of the deceased Anakin Skywalker reverts to his prime physical form, why too doesn't Obi-Wan Kenobi? And if it's down to this being the visage of Anakin as a hero, surely the most heroic act Anakin ever carried out was eliminating The Emperor at Jedi's close? Which in turn would mean that we should get the Sebastian Shaw version of Ani!

Even amongst those who loved to pick holes with Star Wars, nobody was calling for Hayden Christensen to replace Shaw in Return of the Jedi's famed finale. But still, for some inexplicable reason, that was what we got - with fans in disbelief at what they were seeing with the 2004 do-over of Jedi.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.