I know a lot of people say they enjoy happy endings, but many of the films I love have dark or twisted endings. One of the best endings can be found in
1968's Planet of the Apes. Astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) thinks he landed on a strange planet where apes are the dominant species, not man, but in the end Taylor discovers he isn't on a different planet; he's actually on Earth. This is becomes apparent when Taylor comes across the top portion of the Statue of Liberty sticking out of the beach in the closing minutes. Tim Burton tried to duplicate that twist ending with his
Planet of the Apes remake, but it didn't have the same effect. When
Rise of the Planets of the Apes came out in 2011 many people expected director Rupert Wyatt to attempt a twist ending of his own, but he chose not to. He did have plans to reference that iconic scene, as shown in the concept art below. The images were created by concept artist
Brian Cunningham (via Film Sketchr).
It would've shown Caesar climbing the staircase inside of the Statue of Liberty and looking out from the top of it to witness New York City ablaze.
CLICK HERE - MORE ART AT FILM SKETCHR
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a revolution; an action-packed epic featuring stunning visual effects and creatures unlike anything ever seen before. At the story's heart is Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee who gains human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug. Raised like a child by the drug's creator (James Franco), Caesar ultimately finds himself taken from the humans he loves and imprisoned. Seeking justice, Caesar assembles a simian army and escapes -- putting man and primate on a collision course that could change the planet forever.