Once in a while the topic of extra scenes or footage shown during or after the credtis comes up. This summer was especially significant because of the important one shown at the end of Iron Man. My friend Kris over at InContention put up an interesting post talking about these “Stingers”, including a list of what he thought were the best ones of all time:
1) Iron Man
2) X-Men 3
3) Pirates of the Caribbean
4) Masters Of The Universe
5) Constantine
My feelings on these extra scenes swing back and forth a little. On the one hand, getting bonus stuff is always a treat in a film… and that little scene at the end of the Iron Man credits with Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury was great… BUT….
At the same time, I’d feel ripped off if I missed them. After all… I paid for the movie (in theory), I sat through it… why hide stuff from me? If I didn’t know about the Nick Fury scene at the end of Iron Man and found out later I missed it, I would have been PISSED OFF. Why leave it until AFTER the credtis? Why not just throw it in 5 seconds after the credits start so that people wouldn’t be all the way out of the theater yet?
So yeah… surprises are nice… but I’d be pissed if I missed a part of the movie I paid to see.
What are your thoughts?
I also had no clue there was an extra scene on the end of Constantine and I’ve watched the DVD a few times. Thanks for pointing it out, it is quite cool.
Although I don’t like putting the disk in my player as it forces that annoying, patronising and hateful “You wouldn’t steal a car” video down my throat every time I put the disk in. Arggghhh! Makes me want to just download a none broken version of the film instead.
i think they rip you off. because i left before the stinger of iron man, i still feel ripped off
If people leave before the credits are over and then miss something, boo-hoo.
Like someone else mentioned…you left BEFORE the movie was over. Here’s a clue – the credits are part of the movie. I ALWAYS check for stingers now at the end of movies (either in theaters or on DVD).
Also, if you’re worried about it, ask an usher. They’ll tell you whether there’s something at the end of the credits or not.
Someone mentioned it being an elitist feeling to find a stinger at the end when everyone runs out…damn right.
A lot of people will run out, then notice other people are still sitting there, then turn back and wait to see if there IS something they were about to miss.
:( I hate the so called stingers and I have always hated them!!! I want them to be removed forever!!!
I tend to go to late screenings at the cinema, and because of where my friends live it’s always a long drive home…you know what, when those credits roll I am already gone, halfway out the door and in the car park. Do I get annoyed that I miss things? No, not really.
If it’s not important enough to be in the main movie then there’s probably no reason for it to be there.
oh! never mind! sorry i just read johns comment.
and btw john chaz wasnt an arch angel all along he turns into an angel when he dies and goes to heaven (i read the book)
wait…..constantine has an after credits scene? what is it?
When I saw Iron man for the first time, I sat and waited till the end no big deal and like others I enjoy the down time to contemplate. The second time 1 week later, different theatre they had taken the stinger and moved it before the credits! there was a black screen pause and then boom.
p.s. the Ferris Buller stinger is still in my top 3…classic.
Wow, I always knew you were not the smartest, but this post is the most pathetic one so far…
“Why leave it until AFTER the credtis? ”
BECAUSE EVERY REAL MOVIE FAN WATCHES THE CREDITS ANYWAY??
What kind of a fucking pathetic question is that?
I like them but hate waiting to the very end of the credits. I think Hancock got it right on its stingers.
They didn’t hide it. It’s in the body of the movies. You said you watched all of the movie. If that were true then you would not have missed it. The movie isn’t over when ther credits start. Make a habit of waitinf untill it is over. You get a nice chance to decompress after all the excitment you’ve just seen, you don’t have to stand in line to leave the teater or the parking lot, and if there is a stinger you won’t miss it. What’s your hurry anyway. Relax. Slow down. Enjoy.
I think a lot of ppl missed one of the best stingers in Harold and Kumar 2. A lot of ppl were pissed that NPH gets blasted by those whores next to the bunny ranch and thought that he died.
Well, after the credits, he gets up with blood spilling out of his mouth and he screams, “FUUUUUCCCCKKKKKK!!!” and he just gets up and walks away.
people should be staying for the credits anyways. the “below the line” people and other workers on the film deserve just as much credit as anyone else. besides, everyone finds those extra clips online anyways haha
@movievampire…
Yeah, forgot about Michael Clayton. Probably the best closing credit scenes of last year.
As for this year, I’d say it goes to Wall-E so far.
I like the viewpoint that the extra scene at the end is maybe a reward for the people who care enough to see all the names of people involved in the movie. The scene is usually not essential to the movie itself. It’s just a little tip of the hat to the people who stay all the way through. If you’re dedicated enough in your support, then you are rewarded. If you aren’t then don’t complain that you didn’t get a reward. You chose not to care.
Kevin C,
The stinger at the end of Masters of the Universe was Skeletor coming out of a pool, still alive, hissing “I’ll be back”
In the case of Iron Man I am glad that they threw it at the end of the credits. Honestly I do not think that most of the movie going audience would have understood the point or meaning of the scene. I think it would have been out of place and a loose end, especially considering that the closing moment was perfect.
and yeah you have no right to be pissed if you “miss” a part of the film. You left before the film was over.
That runtime listed in the lobby? That includes the credits. The film is not over until they are so its your choice to skip out.
Thats all part of the trick. The whole point of putting them at the very end is so people will hear about it and it might drag them back for a second viewing. Thats why this only happens on these kind of repeat viewing films.
You see x men 3…you like x men 3…you might go and see it again. then you hear you missed a scene at the end and thats the decider…off you go.
Its all about getting people talking and getting people back.
I love them myself. Think they are great.
I think “stingers” are almost inherently tacky. Generally the closer to respectability a movie is the less likely it is to have one. Would you expect a stinger at the end of No Country for Old Men? Hell no. And I’ll bet there won’t be one at the end of The Dark Knight either.
I do think waiting through credits can be a worthwhile thing, but waiting for a five second inside joke is not the right reason to do it. I would sit through credits more often if A. they weren’t turning into twenty minute ordeals and B. The theater didn’t have the janitors in the front of the theater staring at me the whole time with the lights completely illuminated.
Better uses of credit time:
1. Having some subtle movie image continue in the background (E.G. Michael Clayton, Silence of the Lambs)
2. A cool credit design (E.G. 300 or Se7en)
I tend to enjoy sitting through the credits anyway, gives me time to talk about the movie. I -really- didn’t like what they did with Hulk because that last shot of Edward Norton with the countdown resetting was -totally- the way that film should have ended, and when the movie cuts back in a few seconds later that thrilling tone that they set to leave you with through the credits was lost.
John,
About the Constantine stinger, I took it that Shia actually ‘became’ an angel after he died, not that he was an angel all along. Now I’m plain confused.
@ john
oh thanks.
i did see that.
didnt remember it being after the credits.
One of the commenters above mentioned Ferris Bueller. How that did not make the list is beyond me. (In fact, it should be number ONE-sorry Incontention.!)
I also nominate: Kung Fu Joe (the late Steve James) coming into the action a lit late in “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka”.
As far as the “stingers” themselves, of the list given, the only one that really had me pumped was the Barbrossa cameo at the end of ‘Pirates of Carribbean 2 Dead Man’s Chest”.
The “X3” stinger: it’s fine, but it’s so brief you can’t understand the context and if you did, (I did-so please don’t go there) we still await X4 or X-Factor or X-Force or X-acto Knife or whatever they should call it.
Iron Man: it’s good and should be #2.
But the best ones are those that either crop up after a minute or so after creds roll (such as Bullseye in Daredevil) or a gag reel, such as those in Jackie Chan’s films.
The ones I HATE however, are the “teaser” for the next film because it is really pointless (Matrix Reloaded; Back To The Future II)
I am also the one all of my family and friends turn to ask if there’s anything after the credits. I actually like staying and watching and waiting for them, for nothing else than to silently say, “Nah Nah Boo Boo” to the people who leave ultra fast and don’t stay to enjoy and pay respects to the thousands of people who worked on the film.
Is it just me, or do you ever get that small feeling of superiority as you comfortably stay seated as the rest of the “mainstream” crowd rushes out to their SUV’s? It kind of makes you feel a little good about knowing a little something that not everyone does.
Maybe that’s just me.
You would have NO RIGHT in being PISSED OFF.
I sit trough all the credits.
People who rush out of movie theaters IMMEDIATELY AFTER the credits begin like their house was on fire are idiots!
I think that many of them are great, the only problem is that credits are getting longer every year (we were lucky that peter jackson put nothing after “the return of the king”).
One that sucked was cloverfield, which was a “voice-only” stinger that lasted two seconds and it was a sentence spelled backwards
Watching movie credits is part of your ticket price. Sit thru it.
OMG! John you are soooooo right. You hit the nail right on the head.
what happened at the end of constantine?
i cant rent it again cuz keanu and those dumb half skull things pissed me off.
Hey Jason,
At the end of Constantine you Keanu is at Shia’s grave and says “Good job kid” and then starts to walk away… then Shia appear with giant wings… turns out he was an Arch Angel all along.
The thing about these “Stingers” is there insignificant to the plot of the movie. Yes they change the overall story of the saga, but without the little twist the stingers provide us, we’ve still seen the same movie. It’s also a marketing ploy. If say, someone doesn’t know of a stinger of great film they just watched, and miss it, then hear about it from a friend a few days later, that brings second showings. Perhaps it’s for the movie geeks that’ve heard about the little stinger previous to the movies release.
&btw, wats @ the end of Constantine? I dont recall that 1. Id watch the dvd, but I’ve since traded it in.
I usually like to sit through the credits if I enjoy the score to the movie.
I’m an avid fan of James Newton Howard so if he scores a film I tend to stay after the movie is done so I can hear his End Credit Suite.
Love the stingers, but I’d be pissed if I missed them… they should put a warning in the beginning or something
Here’s my problem with cliff hangers in general… If you’re going to throw in a cliff hanger like the one in X-Men 3, don’t do it unless you know for a fact (or are more than 90% sure) you are going to follow up with another movie. I hate that Bryan Singer kept fans on the edge of their seats with that X2 ending and then never followed through with X-Men 3… If he thought he was going to be leaving the franchise behind (or even if he wasn’t signed on yet to do the third one), he should have given X2 closure. It is a tragedy what happened with the third movie under that Rush Hour guy. Just shameful…
So that’s my thought… Don’t do that shit unless you fully intend to back it up with another movie. It’s like writing half of a term paper and turning it in… If your professor doesn’t get the other half, your ass fails that term paper.
Don’t get me wrong, I dig extra bits after credits or whatever, but I felt with Iron Man, that scene was VERY important as it’s going to play a part in The Avengers movie. They didn’t bother playing it 1 minute into the credits, but 10 minutes I sat as I waited for the credits to end. By that time the lights are back on and people have begun to clean the screen. So not only do I have to sit for 10 minutes I gotta watch it with lights and a rush going on.
Sometimes the credits are quite entertaining. “The Simpsons Movie” springs to mind. Also “Ferris Bueller”. The Wall-E credits were fantastic!!
I enjoy sitting through the credits. Like DJ above, I like the mood in a quiet theater and the time it allows to reflect on what I saw (yes, I generally see movies worth thinking about – i.e. not “Fool’s Gold” or “Witless Protection”). I also generally like to listen to the score or soundtrack and check out musical performance credits near the end.
I hate shuffling out with the crowd. I hate it when the crowd all get up to leave, realize, “oh there’s more?” and then just stand there like deer in headlights while I’m still comfortably in my chair and they’re in my way or crowding the exit hallway. People are sheep. Sit down and watch some of the credits. Is it really that boring for you?
I loved the running joke with John Ratzenberger during the end credits of Pixar’s Cars: “Hey… they’re just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?”
I see your point John. but…
Those little extras are like the bonus easter eggs on DVD’s, they’re a treat for the dedicated watcher.
And, it’s a great way to get the viewer to watch the credits. After all there are hundreds of folks working on a film that we never know anything about, and maybe we’ll see their name on the screen and they get that little bit of credit that they deserve and never see. Joe public knows all about the glory-jobs, like the lead actors, director, producers, writers, etc but (and you’ve been to movie sets so you know how many folks work there) none of us regular folks knows a thing about who the First A.D. was, or who catered the set. So maybe we can suck it up for an extra 8 minutes to learn about some of the other people in the movie and possibly get a little extra treat.
I guess in the end it’s a matter of opinion, and mine is that waiting an extra ten minutes to see some extra stuff isn’t that bad, especially if you’ve already waited in line to get the ticket, waited in line for food, and got there early to get a good seat. What’s your hurry – you’ve already burned an hour outside the film just to see it?
They fucking suck, especially when the credits start and the last subway of the evening leaves in 10 minutes. I liked the way Narnia and Transformers did them, after the CAST credits when you most likely haven’t gotten out the doors yet
I dont get these comments about manners at the theater. Sorry if I dont feel like sitting through 10 minutes of everyone and their cousin getting credit for the tiniest of involvements. I doubt the assistant grip will care if I read his name on screen or not.
Next time I watch a movie on cable, should I put on my suit and tie and make sure not to change the channel until after the credits finish rolling?
Mitch, how many years ago was that? ;)
What happened at the end of Masters of the Universe?
That X-Men 3 one was horrible. Why have “shocking moments” in a movie only to reverse them post credits.
There was a time, not that long ago, when the viewing public treated going to a movie as an special, entertainment event much like going to the theatre or a concert. Theatre etiquette dictated that one stayed through the end of the performance, that is, through the ending credits. Ergo, one would never miss a stinger if they simply minded their manners.
Hey, people used to applaud at the end of film…Remember?
I would’ve seen the Nick Fury scene in the theaters, but the dang power went out and they wouldn’t turn the credits back on.
I think sitting through the credits is a sign of respect to everyone who worked hard on the film. I would sit through them more often, but by the end of a film usually a restroom break is needed, especially when I have the kiddo with me. Also, others I go to the movies with don’t feel the same way and want to leave.
If I did and then find out later that I missed a bit, yes, I would feel a little cheated and definitely disappointed. So now I either go see the flick again or search for the scene online. Of course, I tend to read enough movie news that I go into a movie with the knowledge that there is a scene at the end of the credits.
I think people are doing too many of these and it’s gotten to the point now where every time I go to the movies, my friends look at me once the credits start to roll and say “Is there anything at the end or can we leave?”
It all stemmed from “Cloverfield” when I heard there was something at the end of the credits. Turns out it was so subtle, most of my friends were pissed I made them sit through the credits.
I’m the guy that usually sits through the credits. It’s not a “Getting my money’s worth” thing, I just enjoy being there in a dark theater for a minute or two and think about the movie I just saw.
Anyway, I like things hidden at the end. It makes you feel like you found something or were let in on a secret.
I think they want to encourage you to stay and see the credits. My friends and I stay for credits most of the time and we like reading off the names that we see go by. It’s fun for us, but for everyone that the studio manages to “trick” into playing this kind of game because they are waiting for the extra scene, it also gives a few seconds of credit to the people who worked hard to make this film happen.