One of the keys to making a movie enjoyable after multiple viewings is the use of foreshadowing. Even if you know the big twist at the end, suddenly you can admire it on a whole new level because of some small detail you missed initially. The following list of films contain such unassuming nods to future events that you may not have caught the first time around. **WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**
"The Cabin in the Woods" - The Wacky Whiteboard of Death
![movie foreshadowing, cabin in the woods]()
For a movie currently in the news for possibly (but most likely not) being stolen, we figured "The Cabin in the Woods" could use some support in terms of praising its originality. Prior to its release in 2012, you'd likely never seen a movie that literally gives away its big ending by the conclusion of the first act. Thankfully, even if you paused to check out the list of monsters awaiting our heroes in the film's epic conclusion, the actual payoff still exceeds your wildest imagination.
"The Avengers" - "That man is playing Galaga!"
![movie foreshadowing, the avengers]()
Who would have thought writer/director Joss Whedon would pull the same trick he helped co-write in "The Cabin in the Woods" less than a month after its release? Lo and behold, we were again treated to the foreshadowing of a major showdown with monsters when Tony Stark utters a seemingly throwaway line near the beginning of the "The Avengers" accusing a S.H.I.E.L.D agent of playing the video game Galaga instead doing their job. Sure enough, similar to the game, the film concludes with a giant battle between the good guys and an endless swarm of flying alien spacecrafts. A well-crafted joke indeed. If it in any way helped make the upcoming Adam Sandler movie "Pixels" a reality, though, we aren't laughing anymore.
"X-Men: First Class" - Money on My Mind
![movie foreshadowing, x-men first class]()
Jumping superhero ships, The Avengers aren't the only team using subtle hints to drive their endings home. The use of an enemy's photo as a dart board device is nothing particularly fresh, but it finds new meaning when it actually applies to how said enemy is vanquished later on. When we are first introduced to Erik Lensherr (aka Magneto) at the beginning of "X-Men: First Class," he is using an artist rendering of his adversary Sebastian Shaw as a coin pincushion. When the two finally confront each other at the conclusion of the movie, Shaw's actual cranium suffers the same fate as the sketch. Perhaps Magneto should switch to shuffleboard.
"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" - Apples and Bananas
![movie foreshadowing, ace ventura pet detective]()
Sometimes the clues to a major plot twist aren't talked about, but hidden in plain sight. One classic example involves three carefully placed pieces of fruit and a former Dolphin's kicker named Ray Finkle in the 1994 comedy "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Anyone familiar with the film's ending will instantly see the writing on the wall now, but unless you are one to carefully analyze every detail of Jim Carrey movies, this one probably slipped past you time and time again.
"This is the End" - The "Pineapple Express 2" Ending
![movie foreshadowing, this is the end]()
If you do happen to need a comedy you can pick apart for clues involving future plot developments, you'll have much more fun with the 2013 apocalypse bromance "This Is the End." The crafty nods in the first half of this movie concerning major events at the end are almost too many to count, but one that stands out as the film's best is a conversation between James Franco and Seth Rogen about a possible "Pineapple Express" sequel. We are not simply referring to the fact that they eventually shoot the movie later on, but Franco's proposed ending which sees Danny McBride's character killing and eating Franco's. In a strange turn of events that can only be seen to be believed, this is the exact fate the real Franco suffers in the closing minutes.
"Back to the Future" - Back in Pines
![movie foreshadowing, back to the future]()
The "Back to the Future" franchise is also littered with constant bits of foreshadowing. However, it's the subtle but incredibly significant sign change during the original film's mall parking lot scene that takes the cake when it comes to flying under the radar. Only a truly eagle-eyed viewer would catch something so small even after multiple viewings, but during Marty's trip to 1955, he runs over one of two pine trees that serve as the namesake for the future Twin Pines Mall. During the films conclusion, although you aren't aware whether Marty was able to change the future and warn Doc Brown of his impending death, you should already know something worked since the sign now reads Lone Pine Mall.
"Reservoir Dogs" - Orange You Glad I'm Not a Rat?
![movie foreshadowing, reservoir dogs]()
Whenever secret traitors are involved, any good film will always have minor hints peppered throughout as to their identity. Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" is no exception, as there are numerous winks to the color orange. With Mr. Orange being the code name of the man who winds up being a cop, this is pretty par for the course as far as foreshadowing goes. Regardless, you probably never noticed that during the diner tipping scene, Orange is the one who immediately blurts out Mr. Pink's name when Joe asks who didn't throw in. Once a rat, always a rat.
"Jurassic Park" - "Life Finds a Way"
![movie foreshadowing, jurassic park]()
Many of us saw "Jurassic Park" for the first time as children, so sly hat tips to concepts that were already over our heads were lost on us anyways. Hence, you may have never realized the true significance behind the seemingly natural response Dr. Grant has when faced with the challenge of two female ends of a seat belt buckle during turbulence. It is later revealed that in order to stop the dinosaurs from reproducing on their own, they are engineered to be all female. And yet, in the end, they end up mating with each other still, proving the foreboding words of Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm should have been taken more seriously. Maybe if he'd scatted them instead, he would have gotten some respect.
"Skyfall" - A Walk Among the Tombstones
![movie foreshadowing, skyfall]()
Considering she'd played the character of M since the "GoldenEye" era of the James Bond franchise, no one could have suspected the unfortunate demise of Judi Dench's character in 2012's "Skyfall." Or could they? The opening credits may have been the most captivating to date, and likely the reason you didn't catch onto the chilling placement of her name in the sequence.
"Final Destination" - Everybody Dies
![movie foreshadowing, final destination]()
Speaking of giving it all away in the credits, the entirety of the first "Final Destination" is essentially spelled out in the intro. From glimpses of a toy hanging by its neck to a historical guillotine photo, many of the deaths which wind up taking place later in the movie are laid out from the jump. In fact, this entire first movie could even be considered a massive foreshadowing of just how trite and formulaic the series would become by the end of its four-sequel run.
"The Cabin in the Woods" - The Wacky Whiteboard of Death
For a movie currently in the news for possibly (but most likely not) being stolen, we figured "The Cabin in the Woods" could use some support in terms of praising its originality. Prior to its release in 2012, you'd likely never seen a movie that literally gives away its big ending by the conclusion of the first act. Thankfully, even if you paused to check out the list of monsters awaiting our heroes in the film's epic conclusion, the actual payoff still exceeds your wildest imagination.
"The Avengers" - "That man is playing Galaga!"
Who would have thought writer/director Joss Whedon would pull the same trick he helped co-write in "The Cabin in the Woods" less than a month after its release? Lo and behold, we were again treated to the foreshadowing of a major showdown with monsters when Tony Stark utters a seemingly throwaway line near the beginning of the "The Avengers" accusing a S.H.I.E.L.D agent of playing the video game Galaga instead doing their job. Sure enough, similar to the game, the film concludes with a giant battle between the good guys and an endless swarm of flying alien spacecrafts. A well-crafted joke indeed. If it in any way helped make the upcoming Adam Sandler movie "Pixels" a reality, though, we aren't laughing anymore.
"X-Men: First Class" - Money on My Mind
Jumping superhero ships, The Avengers aren't the only team using subtle hints to drive their endings home. The use of an enemy's photo as a dart board device is nothing particularly fresh, but it finds new meaning when it actually applies to how said enemy is vanquished later on. When we are first introduced to Erik Lensherr (aka Magneto) at the beginning of "X-Men: First Class," he is using an artist rendering of his adversary Sebastian Shaw as a coin pincushion. When the two finally confront each other at the conclusion of the movie, Shaw's actual cranium suffers the same fate as the sketch. Perhaps Magneto should switch to shuffleboard.
"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" - Apples and Bananas
Sometimes the clues to a major plot twist aren't talked about, but hidden in plain sight. One classic example involves three carefully placed pieces of fruit and a former Dolphin's kicker named Ray Finkle in the 1994 comedy "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Anyone familiar with the film's ending will instantly see the writing on the wall now, but unless you are one to carefully analyze every detail of Jim Carrey movies, this one probably slipped past you time and time again.
"This is the End" - The "Pineapple Express 2" Ending
If you do happen to need a comedy you can pick apart for clues involving future plot developments, you'll have much more fun with the 2013 apocalypse bromance "This Is the End." The crafty nods in the first half of this movie concerning major events at the end are almost too many to count, but one that stands out as the film's best is a conversation between James Franco and Seth Rogen about a possible "Pineapple Express" sequel. We are not simply referring to the fact that they eventually shoot the movie later on, but Franco's proposed ending which sees Danny McBride's character killing and eating Franco's. In a strange turn of events that can only be seen to be believed, this is the exact fate the real Franco suffers in the closing minutes.
"Back to the Future" - Back in Pines
The "Back to the Future" franchise is also littered with constant bits of foreshadowing. However, it's the subtle but incredibly significant sign change during the original film's mall parking lot scene that takes the cake when it comes to flying under the radar. Only a truly eagle-eyed viewer would catch something so small even after multiple viewings, but during Marty's trip to 1955, he runs over one of two pine trees that serve as the namesake for the future Twin Pines Mall. During the films conclusion, although you aren't aware whether Marty was able to change the future and warn Doc Brown of his impending death, you should already know something worked since the sign now reads Lone Pine Mall.
"Reservoir Dogs" - Orange You Glad I'm Not a Rat?
Whenever secret traitors are involved, any good film will always have minor hints peppered throughout as to their identity. Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" is no exception, as there are numerous winks to the color orange. With Mr. Orange being the code name of the man who winds up being a cop, this is pretty par for the course as far as foreshadowing goes. Regardless, you probably never noticed that during the diner tipping scene, Orange is the one who immediately blurts out Mr. Pink's name when Joe asks who didn't throw in. Once a rat, always a rat.
"Jurassic Park" - "Life Finds a Way"
Many of us saw "Jurassic Park" for the first time as children, so sly hat tips to concepts that were already over our heads were lost on us anyways. Hence, you may have never realized the true significance behind the seemingly natural response Dr. Grant has when faced with the challenge of two female ends of a seat belt buckle during turbulence. It is later revealed that in order to stop the dinosaurs from reproducing on their own, they are engineered to be all female. And yet, in the end, they end up mating with each other still, proving the foreboding words of Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm should have been taken more seriously. Maybe if he'd scatted them instead, he would have gotten some respect.
"Skyfall" - A Walk Among the Tombstones
Considering she'd played the character of M since the "GoldenEye" era of the James Bond franchise, no one could have suspected the unfortunate demise of Judi Dench's character in 2012's "Skyfall." Or could they? The opening credits may have been the most captivating to date, and likely the reason you didn't catch onto the chilling placement of her name in the sequence.
"Final Destination" - Everybody Dies
Speaking of giving it all away in the credits, the entirety of the first "Final Destination" is essentially spelled out in the intro. From glimpses of a toy hanging by its neck to a historical guillotine photo, many of the deaths which wind up taking place later in the movie are laid out from the jump. In fact, this entire first movie could even be considered a massive foreshadowing of just how trite and formulaic the series would become by the end of its four-sequel run.