1. "I Am Your Father" - Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Well, what else was it really going to be? Arguably the greatest and best twist in all of cinema history came in the form of a family revelation that shocked the movie-going world to its very core: that of Darth Vader's paternal connection with Luke Skywalker. Today, this revelation still holds about as much weight as it did back in the early 1980s - Vader's "No, I am your father" line has so much gravitas attached that it's hard to know where to start. So, of course, the impact came from the fact that - throughout the original Star Wars - we'd been led to believe that Darth Vader was the one who killed Luke Skywalker's father. And then, with Empire, George Lucas pulled something of a retcon (c'mon - he did!) and made Vader Luke's daddy in an inarguable stroke of genius. At the time it was controversial, whereas now it remains wholly iconic: it's unlikely such a brilliant twist will ever be beaten. Like this list? Which controversial endings have we missed? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
