8 Big Movie Cliffhangers That Will NEVER Be Resolved

1. The World According To Aperaham Lincoln - Planet Of The Apes (2001)

Planet Of The Apes marked a turning point for Tim Burton. He moved from being one of the most interesting, unique directors around, to a guy who seems to say yes to any half-baked idea put before him. And while his take on Planet Of The Apes had a few merits, a shoddy script, poor direction and a lame performance by Mark Wahlberg sank it.

The original 1968 film has one of the most celebrated - and spoiled - twist endings in film history, so naturally the remake tried to come up with a fresh twist to shock everyone. And while the ending was heavily discussed, it wasn€™'t for the reasons the filmmakers intended. The new ending has Wahlberg return from the dreaded Ape planet, landing his space pod in Washington DC. His relief at being back home quickly turns to horror though, when he sees the Lincoln Memorial. And instead of Honest Abe sitting there, he sees an ape statue. Literally Aperaham Lincoln. Then some ape cops show up to arrest him, and the movie fades to black. At which point the audience erupts in showers of confusion.

Despite the film doing reasonable business there was a definite lack of enthusiasm - from both the audience and the filmmakers €“ to see that storyline continued. And of course, a decade later the series dusted itself off and relaunched with the commercially successful Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, ending any chance Burton could get the ape prosthetics out again. Which is probably for the best.

Are there any other unresolved cliffhanger endings that should to be included on this list? Share your picks below in the comments thread.