Whether good or bad, there are some movies that have left a mark in movie history as signaling the end of an era. The recent release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning seems to mark the end of Mission: Impossible, but also feels like the end of a certain era of stunt-driven action blockbusters that Tom Cruise has largely kept alive. There are also other movies on the horizon that look to be the end of an era.
Quentin Tarantino’s next movie has long been advertised as his final movie as a director, bringing the career of one of the most influential directors of all time to a close. Likewise, Spike Lee has suggested that the upcoming Highest 2 Lowest will be the last collaboration with Denzel Washington. From shifts in Hollywood moviemaking to the end of a career that defined a particular genre, looking back on these pivotal movies marks an ending that we didn’t necessarily know was coming.
10
The End Of Martin Scorsese’s Gangster Saga
The Irishman (2019)
Martin Scorsese’s career is filled with a wide variety of movies, but he has come to define the gangster movie genre in his own way. Just as The Godfather took these lawless crime figures and explored the humanity in them, Scorsese immersed audiences in the lives of these mobsters in movies like Mean Streets, Goodfellas, and Casino. It is also no coincidence that each of those movies also starred Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
It did feel like the culmination of the stories he had already told and left very little more to say.
Scorsese reunited with the two actors in The Irishman, which served as the end of his gangster saga as well as a farewell to the genre he had helped build. While Scorsese did not fully confirm that this was the final gangster movie he would make, it did feel like the culmination of the stories he had already told and left very little more to say.
9
Disney’s Final Hand-Drawn Animated Feature Film
Winnie The Pooh (2011)
Winnie-the-Pooh is one of the classic Disney characters whose legacy in the studio goes back decades. So it is fitting that this legacy character helped mark the end of an era for the legendary animation studio. The feature-length Winnie the Pooh movie was the final Disney movie to use entirely hand-drawn animation, and the studio and Hollywood in general pivoted to computer-animated movies.
While the disappointing box office of The Princess and the Frog likely helped to push along Disney’s decision to end 2D animation, it was Winnie the Pooh that marked the end of the approach. While the movie was not a box office bomb thanks to its modest budget, the comparisons to the 3D Disney movies around the same time, like Tangled, cemented that hand-drawn animation was done.
8
The Final Movie In The Fox X-Men Universe
Dark Phoenix (2019)
Even before Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the Fox X-Men movies helped to show the box office potential for superhero movies. The first movie in 2000 brought Marvel’s mutants to live-action for the first time, while also introducing some iconic portrayals, such as Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier. The franchise grew with spinoffs and new timelines, until the MCU came looking for their beloved mutant characters.
With the merger of 20th Century Fox and Disney, the Fox X-Men universe ended with Dark Phoenix as the final entry in the story. Unfortunately, the movie that should have been a farewell to the influential superhero franchise was critically panned and bombed at the box office. However, there is obviously still a lot of love for these movies as some of the cast are returning for Avengers: Doomsday.
7
John Wayne’s Final Western Movie
The Shootist (1976)
John Wayne’s Western movies helped to define the genre and delivered some of its most acclaimed hits. While the actor found success in other movies like The Quiet Man and The Longest Day, he became an icon thanks to his Western movies. It is fitting, then, that his final movie before his death was a Western, and The Shootist ended up being a perfect celebration of his contribution to the genre.
The movie treats the story as a culmination of Wayne’s career in Westerns, even opening with a montage of moments from his past Western movies.
In The Shootist, Wayne plays Booker, a famed gunfighter who learns he is dying of cancer and seeks a way to live out his remaining days in peace and to die with dignity. The movie treats the story as a culmination of Wayne’s career in Westerns, even opening with a montage of moments from his past Western movies. However, it also allows Wayne to show his vulnerable side in one of his best performances.
6
The Final Star Wars Movie From George Lucas
Star Wars: Revenge Of the Sith (2005)
The Star Wars franchise is such a mᴀssive pop culture phenomenon that it is hard to imagine they will ever stop making movies and shows set in this universe. However, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith was the final movie in the saga that came from its creator, George Lucas. The sixth movie Lucas made in the galaxy far, far away also marked the end of the prequel trilogy. However, we also didn’t know at the time that Lucas would bid farewell to this creation when he sold it to Disney.
It had been reported that Lucas had ideas for a new Star Wars sequel trilogy before he gave up the rights, and fans still wonder what might have been had he seen that vision through. While the prequel movies were met with mixed results, following Lucas’s exit, they have been regarded more favorably as still having his personal touch, which is lacking in the new Disney era of Star Wars.
5
Charlie Chaplin’s Final Silent Movie
Modern Times (1936)
Despite launching the concept of motion pictures, the silent era of Hollywood only lasted about 30 years before the use of sound in movies changed the kinds of stories that could be told. This shift saw a lot of stars of the era suddenly without a place in the new Hollywood, but the silent era’s biggest star, Charlie Chaplin, left with one of the best movies of this kind.
Modern Times was released in 1936, after the “talkies” had already been established with hit movies like King Kong and Scarface. However, Chaplin was confident he could still entertain the audience by returning to his old tramp character in this silent movie (although it does use sounds at times, just not dialogue). The result is a masterpiece, as well as a bittersweet farewell to a specific filmmaking style.
4
The Final Disney Movie Overseen By Walt Disney
The Jungle Book (1967)
Walt Disney remains one of the most iconic figures in Hollywood history and is responsible for some of the most beloved movies ever made. His risk-taking in creating the first feature-length animated movie with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs changed Hollywood forever, while failures like Cinderella nearly ended the company. Throughout his time, he was heavily involved in the production of every animated movie.
Following his death, The Jungle Book marked the last movie before a period of transition and uncertainty for Disney that took decades to overcome with the Disney Renaissance.
With his death in 1966, The Jungle Book marked the final movie in which Disney played a direct supervising role in the making. He was particularly behind the movie shifting away from the darker tone of the source material and aiming for a more upbeat story. Following his death, The Jungle Book marked the last movie before a period of transition and uncertainty for Disney that took decades to overcome with the Disney Renaissance.
3
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Last Great Action Movie
True Lies (1994)
Following his impressive career as a bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger quickly set his sights on Hollywood, breaking through with his star-making roles in Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator, then cementing himself as Hollywood’s biggest action hero in movies like Predator, Commando, and Total Recall. He was still at the height of his success with the release of the hugely entertaining action-comedy True Lies.
The movie reunited Schwarzenegger with James Cameron and was another huge hit for them. However, it also marked the last truly great action movie Schwarzengger would deliver. The rest of the 1990s were filled with lesser тιтles like End of Days and Eraser, while his early 2000s efforts were disappointing, leading to his transition into a career in politics. While Schwarzenegger did eventually return to action movies, none of them matched his earlier work.
2
The Final James Bond Movie Under Eon Productions
No Time To Die (2021)
No Time to Die was a notable entry in the James Bond franchise as it was the only time a Bond actor was able to bid farewell to the role rather than just being recast after the fact. However, it was not until recently that it became clear just how significant No Time to Die is for the James Bond franchise, as it marks the final movie overseen by Eon Productions, which has been making the Bond movies since the beginning.
With Eon selling the rights to the franchise to Amazon, No Time to Die marks the end of a long-running era and perhaps a drastic change in the beloved franchise. There is a lot of uncertainty in how Amazon will handle this iconic property, with many fans worried. However, it is fitting that the final movie of the Eon era of Bond was the only movie to kill off 007.
1
The Culmination Of The Infinity Saga And The End Of Iron Man
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed like a risky move when it first began back in 2008, but it proved many people wrong with its unprecedented success. Even with its amazing run, the fact that they were able to tie it all together with Avengers: Endgame was a tremendous feat. However, that culmination also marked a turning point in the franchise.
Many fans have argued that Avengers: Endgame was the last movie before the MCU’s decline. However, it was also clearly set up to be the end of an era. It brought to a close the Infinity Saga storyline, which had been building since the start of the cinematic universe. It also saw the exit of its two biggest names, with Iron Man and Captain America’s stories coming to an end. While the MCU might have lost direction after this, they at least ended this era on a high note.
