The 10 Biggest Deus Ex Machina Moments In Film History, Ranked By How Crazy They Were
The direct translation of the phrase 'Deus Ex Machina' is 'God From The Machine.' It connects to the idea of an unexpected power, event, or person showing up to save the day in a seemingly impossible to escape situation. In the entertainment industry, the Deus Ex Machina has become a popular (& often controversial) way to concluding a plot or saving the life of a character.
We've taken a look at a variety of films and put together a list of the biggest Deus Ex Machina moments of all time, and ranked them by just how unbelievable they were.
10 Toy Story (1995)
Toy Story doesn't exactly seem like the sort of film that would be bombarded with plot issues. It's a film about living toys, after all, so disbelief has to be suspended somewhat. However, all seems lost for Buzz and Woody when they get stranded at a gas station. All of a sudden, they notice that a delivery driver for the exact restaurant Andy is at is filling up right next to them and they hop in!
9 Monty Python's The Life Of Brian (1979)
The only reason Life Of Brian is so low down on this list is that it is a bizarre, surreal comedy that can get away with a lot more craziness than most serious films. However, Brian accidentally falling off of a building and landing safely inside an alien spacecraft is one of the strangest things to have ever happened in film.
8 Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Slumdog Millionaire is a heartfelt story that touched the hearts of many and was, rightly, loved by millions around the world upon its release.
The whole point of the film is that the central character knows the answers to the questions throughout thanks to events scattered throughout his life. Rather disappointingly, the million-dollar question that concludes the film is nothing more than a lucky guess.
7 Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park has held up surprisingly well since its release in 1993, spawning a multitude of sequels of varying qualities. The original film remains a landmark in the fantasy genre, though, telling a violent story with amazing visuals and interesting characters. However, the entire plot hangs on a massive Deus Ex Machina at the very end: the characters are surrounded by Velociraptors and it seems impossible for them to escape. Without warning, the T-Rex shows up and attacks the Raptors, making escape suddenly possible.
6 Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Shaun Of The Dead is widely considered to be one of the best British comedy films of all time. It is a precursor to the manic work Edgar Wright would go on to produce in the following years and one of the best 'zom-coms' stories ever told. The ending, however, seems a little rushed and put together haphazardly. After an intense, emotional final scene, Shaun and Liz wander out of the Winchester only to be greeted by the army, who seem to quickly put an end to the zombie apocalypse.
5 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2002)
The Star Wars prequels aren't exactly known for their logical connections to the original trilogy, but Attack Of The Clones makes a few questionable continuity decisions. When Padme is facing certain doom in the droid factory, R2-D2 saves the day with a newfound ability to fly which had never been hinted at before.
4 The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
The Return Of The King houses one of the biggest Deus Ex Machina moments in cinema. The eagles are particularly prominent in their life-saving abilities throughout much of Tolkien's work, after all. Devoted Lord Of The Rings fans will be quick on the draw to attempt to explain why this wasn't possible, but there is no reason concrete enough as to why the Eagles only show up at the last possible moment.
3 Superman (1978)
Superman is full of plot-holes. The biggest one is the fact that, without warning, Superman is able to fly so quickly around the Earth that time is reversed and the events of the film's third act are undone.
If this power had been foreshadowed or explained before, maybe they could have gotten away with it. What the filmmakers shouldn't have done is make it completely illogical: if Superman could fly this quickly, he could have stopped the missiles, right?
2 The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
The Wizard Of Oz provides one of the earliest examples of Deus Ex Machina in cinematic history, while simultaneously delivering an early version of one of the most disappointing twists in film. After the crazy events audiences have just witnessed, the last thing they want is for every single second of it to be undone. The fact that Dorothy simply wakes up from her manic dream really ruins the impact of the story.
1 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter is full of magical Deus Ex Machinas that are suddenly introduced exactly when they are needed for the plot (Thestrals and Priori Incantatem, for example), but none are more glaring than at the end of Chamber Of Secrets. When all looks to be over for Harry and Ginny, Faux the Phoenix flies down into the chamber and gives Harry the sorting hat with the Sword of Gryffindor (allowing him to kill the Basilisk), cries on him (so that he doesn't literally die) while flying them out of the chamber (so they aren't all stuck down there). A triple-threat of Deus Ex Machina insanity from a very minor, non-human character.