January 14, 2014 by Vinnie Leduc
We love watching movies, and regardless of whether they hit the spot or end up sucking, most of us (especially here in ‘MURICA, the glorious land of excessive consumption) want more by the time the credits roll. Sometimes we want more thrills or more laughs as extensions or bonuses of what we’ve just enjoyed. Other times we want a more complete explanation or more insight that might tie up some loose ends or answer lingering questions.
And then there are Marvel movies, which have done wonders over the past decade to popularize and evolve the use of cinematic stingers, often while setting up the next films in the comic book universe with combinations of cliffhangers, intrigue, surprise, and humor. They’ve taken the honor of Best Movie Stinger for 2012 and 2011, and with a trio of stinger-laced blockbusters (each with highly user-rated extra scenes) in 2013, Marvel was primed for the three-peat win.
Keep reading to find out whether Stan Lee’s creations pulled it off as we go through the 13 best movie stingers of 2013, as voted on by the MediaStinger team. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
13. Now You See Me
We’ll kick things off with Now You See Me‘s extra scene. “Wait, but I left the theater early because your app said there was nothing to see!” That’s because it was one last illusion by the Four Horsemen. Didn’t you learn anything from the movie? Look closely… Duh! Okay, actually you’re right; we didn’t report anything for this back in May because there really wasn’t anything in the theatrical version.
However, the extended version exclusively released on Blu-ray included an extra scene, which wasn’t particularly mind-blowing or anything (now that would’ve been cool), but the decision to throw in an 11th hour stinger on video is one we welcome with open arms.
12. The Internship
Sure, the movie wasn’t good and probably a half-decade too late, but this two-hour Google advertisement continued the video-exclusive trend by including a “Lost Cosplay Scene” along with more T&A and F-bombs in the unrated version only found on Blu-ray. The sizable scene itself features the return of a favorite comedy vet who had a good cameo earlier in the film, and the background extras that led up to the extra scene were actually pretty cool, too.
A lot of movies have gimmicky, but empty, “extras” that aren’t truly extras during the credits, such as generic background art or recycled images and clips, but The Internship presented theirs in a way that was neat and relevant to the film (or as one final two-minute Google commercial, if you want to suck the fun out of it).
11. Despicable Me 2
Like its predecessor, the mega-blockbuster featured probably the best 3D of any stinger last year and more of what fans have come to love most, those jabbering and bickering minions. Speaking of which, bonus points for alluding to the upcoming spin-off prequel. BEE-DO! BEE-DO! BEE-DO!
10. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
When it comes to Jackass movies, we usually can’t get enough of the tear-inducing hilarity. Bad Grandpa is no exception, as it plays behind-the-scenes extras and bonus clips throughout the entire credits that show you just how much fun it must’ve been on set. Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine definitely know what their fans want, and their video releases typically have enough bonus scenes that could make up another feature-length film. Now why didn’t the guys behind This Is The End do something like this?
9. Movie 43
Say what you will about what’s considered one of the worst movies of all time, but I actually enjoyed it (at least try giving it ten minutes). We’re giving Movie 43 credit for possibly the longest uninterrupted stinger ever with an entire sketch embedded in the credits, and this even comes after a blooper reel, too.
8. Iron Man 3
2013’s first Marvel movie, Iron Man 3, blasted off at the box office, and so did its post-credits extra scene on our list of user ratings. The lighthearted therapy session fail featuring Tony Stark and Bruce Banner continued the underrated comedic nature of the film, became the second-highest user-rated stinger of the year, and is currently #3 all-time.
7. Kick-Ass 2
“Don’t go! Don’t go!” pleads the Motherf@#$er as the credits are about to end. Moviegoers who stuck around or listened to him were rewarded with a post-credits stinger that revealed the villain’s fate in an appropriately Kick-Ass way. Great stinger.
6. Evil Dead
Fans of the horror cult films rejoiced as the credits of this Evil Dead teased them with franchise-relevant extras that crescendoed to the ultimate teaser and cameo they had been waiting for the entire time. The stinger is currently on the top 10 user-rated list of all time, and now fans have got their fingers (and tongues) crossed as they hope that Ash will make an appearance in the crossover sequel that’s in the works. Groovy!
5. Pacific Rim
Director/writer/producer Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim wowed most critics and audiences worldwide, then the monster-mech mash hatched one last crowd-pleasing stinger during the credits. The extra scene revealed, and reversed, the fate of a character played by frequent collaborator Ron Perlman, hopefully for a sequel down the line.
4. Thor: The Dark World
The Thunder From Down Under sequel had it all, and similarly the credits of the Marvel movie didn’t disappoint either because fans were treated to a double stinger of more Thor. You can even call the second one a 2-for-1! The first bonus scene, which plays during the credits, is a meaningful and mysterious introduction of a future character played by an Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro. Geeks and fanboys, discuss. Then after the credits we’re served a couple of crowd-pleasing extra scenes consisting of one sweet reunion and one creature callback.
3. The Hangover: Part III
The comedy franchise has a history of hilarious amnesia–curing stingers, which some consider the funniest parts of the films. This remains the case for the third Wolfpack adventure, whose sequence of extra scenes was the most popular stinger of 2013 as it shot up to #2 all time on the user-rated list.
Maybe this had something to do with the stinger’s nostalgic and partially redeeming quality because many people were disappointed with the actual movie, which ditched the formula of its predecessors. Or maybe fans really want to see further redemption in a possible Part IV, which has been set up perfectly by the trilogy’s ultimate stinger. As the aftermath of yet another wedding-related party is gradually uncovered, you wonder, “What else could they possibly do to poor Stu? How can they top his missing tooth and the tribal tattoo on his face?” And then they do.
2. The Wolverine
Bryan Singer, who directed the first two X-Men movies, is returning to direct the upcoming seventh film in the Marvel franchise. That’s already exciting news. But wait, there’s more. In The Wolverine‘s mid-credits stinger, which lasts two minutes, just the mention of Trask Industries alone should get fans pumped since it opened up the possibility of seeing a Sentinel in the series. Then, the appearance of both older Magneto and Professor X tells you, “Hey, we’re here because the next film is going to be that big.”
Yes, it’s going to be Sentinel-sized big because this summer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past isn’t just a sequel to three movies… It marks the convergence of two different X-Men timelines. To borrow from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, this is f@#$ing awesome.
1. Fast & Furious 6
So what could possibly be more awesome enough to spoil a Marvel three-peat for best stinger of the year? The impact and brilliance of the extra scenes of Fast & Furious 6, which prove that this series has plenty of gas left despite a half dozen exciting episodes already in the books. On the surface of this excellent stinger is the explosive introduction of international action star Jason Statham, who’ll fit perfectly into the blockbuster franchise, and it’ll be very interesting to see this new addition, who usually plays a protagonist or one of the heroes, in a villainous role that’s more unfamiliar to audiences.
This will undoubtedly attract more fans to the burgeoning franchise, but the real kicker is how longtime Fast & Furious fans can appreciate how director Justin Lin has essentially fixed the troublesome timeline issue he contributed to when he joined the series for The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift. Up until the end of Fast 6, everyone thought that the franchise would go on as is, squeezing in as many adventures as audiences would allow, while jokingly glossing over the existence of Tokyo Drift and Han’s fate. Instead of reviving Han with the same trick he had pulled to re-introduce Letty during the credits of Fast Five, Lin was able to officially dismiss a key character from the series, swiftly wash away any pain with the dramatic entrance of a new cast member, AND tie it all back to Tokyo Drift like this was all part of his master plan!
Even if you knew what this stinger was going in, just the sheer scope of it is still pretty damn impressive. For Circle of Life-ing the Furious franchise together in one helluva way to say farewell (for now?) as Lin hands the series off to horror vet James Wan and takes over the next Bourne instead, we’re overlooking the fact that this stinger begins so early in the credits and honoring it as the Best Movie Stinger of 2013. How could this not be the stinger of the year?
Honorable Mentions: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Grudge Match, A Haunted House, The Kings of Summer, Machete Kills, Monsters University, No Instructions Included, The Purge, Scary Movie 5, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Texas Chainsaw, Turbo, We’re the Millers
What do you think? What was your favorite movie stinger of the year? Let us know in the comments.
