After watching M. Night Shyamalan's Glass, I was reminded of the importance of where a film's climax takes place. I'm not entirely sure what Shyamalan was going for in terms of narrative expectations, but Glass's climax was set in a mental institution parking lot. I felt the location was visually flat, especially as a conclusion for his trilogy of films (Unbreakable and Split), two films that I so much enjoyed.
Glass (2019). Parking lot fight.
Maybe someone will argue that Shyamalan was trying to de-construct the comic book genre. So be it. But there was a scene in Glass where a character enters a comic book store that had a section for "Villains" and "Heroes." Say what you will, but I've been in a lot of comic bookstores and have yet to see those signs. Anyway...I loved Unbreakable and Split. I'm even a big fan of The Village, a film that was not well-received.
After watching Glass, this led me to think about the importance of setting or mise-en-scene (what's put in the frame) in creating an exciting film climax. I thought of some great settings used in movie climaxes (mostly from well-known movies). Interesting to note - many film climaxes often occur in high places. For a great reading on this topic, see Kristen Whissel's article: "Tales of Upward Mobility: The New Verticality and Digital Special Effects."
NATIONAL or ICON PLACES
North by Northwest (1959). Mount Rushmore
X-Men (2000). Statue of Liberty
BRIDGES
TALL BUILDINGS or SKYSCRAPERS
Die Hard (1988). Nakatomi Plaza
A MAZE
The Shining (1980). The Maze climax when Jack chases Danny.
THE OCEAN
Jaws (1975). I highly recommend The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb
A CHURCH
The Godfather (1972). The symbolic importance of the famous baptism scene.
John Woo's The Killer (1989).
CREEPY HOUSES
Psycho (1960).
THE SKY
Air Force One (1997). I wasn't a big fan of the film. But the ending was kind of cool.
And I'm sure there are plenty of other settings that can contribute to exciting climaxes in films. Though, I'm not sold on a parking lot yet.
