21 Mind-Blowing Films That Literally Changed People's Lives
Recently, Reddit user u/April222001 asked, "What movie legitimately blew your mind?" and there were so many great submissions. Here are some of the most mind-blowing films of all time!
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🚨🚨WARNING: TONS OF SPOILERS AHEAD!🚨🚨
1.Planet of the Apes
"In the early '90s when I was about 8 years old, I somehow caught the original Planet of the Apes on TV. Even by then, the movie was at least 25-ish years old, and the twist was old news...to anyone above a certain age. Being 8, I had never heard of this movie nor knew what to expect. Needless to say, when he comes upon the Statue of Liberty my mind was blown. I did not see that coming and was obsessed with the movie for like a month afterward."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its end reveal that they're on Earth.
Watch the iconic twist scene here:
2.Jurassic Park
"Seeing that movie in the theater for the first time when it came out was truly mind-blowing. It was just such a massive leap forward."
"The magic and awe I felt the first few times I saw that movie are deeply engrained [in me], and I’ve been chasing that movie high ever since!"
"The scene when they first see the brontosaurus and the music [is] rising — gives me chills thinking about it. Still stands the test of time, but it was great to experience it at that point in time."
Why it's mind-blowing: for the story and special effects.
Watch the above scene here:
3.The Truman Show
"I’d heard it referenced in pop culture a bunch and had built an image of what I thought it was. Needless to say, I was wrong, and it absolutely blew my mind."
"I think about/am haunted by this movie every day. I always feel like someone’s watching me now. IT’S SO GOOD."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its unique story about someone living in a TV show — only they don't know they're in a TV show.
Watch the trailer here:
4.Arrival
"As a multilingual, I have had experience of how knowing different languages changes your perspective and values. Arrival really resonated with me deeply."
"This movie literally blew my fucking mind. I actually had to go sit outside and contemplate the scope of what I had just seen."
"It's really the ending that makes the movie. When you realize what the aliens communicated to her, and her reaction to it, wow, gut punch. So subtle and yet so powerful. Good stuff."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its end twist that the little girl Louise sees are actually visions of her daughter — who will die young — in the future.
Watch the twist here:
5.Parasite
"I saw a very vague trailer when it came out. Didn't have any clue what was going on, but told my partner we HAD to see it. Fantastic movie!!! I wish I could experience watching it for the first time again."
"The fact that the tone shift works AMAZINGLY well for the whole class-warfare message of the film makes this one even more mind-blowing. Genuinely no movie like it."
"This one is a masterpiece, honestly. The growing tension and complete twist in genre are so well executed!"
Why it's mind-blowing: for its sudden tonal shift from mild comedy to horror.
Watch the moment the tone completely shifts here:
6.The Sixth Sense
"I saw this about 10 years after it came out, and managed to avoid knowing about the twist that whole time. [It] blew my mind. It’s was the first time I had experienced anything like that, and I’ve been chasing that thrill ever since. I didn’t go into it looking for a twist, so I was completely thrown."
"I completely understand ‘the chase’ — the chills I felt when I started to recognize, subconsciously, what was happening. I started getting teary-eyed with how good the reveal was. In fact, the scene with the mom was right before the reveal, and it was the one-two punch of back-to-back devastating scenes that hit so hard."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its twist that the hero has been dead the whole time.
Watch the movie's trailer here:
7.Memento
"I just watched it the first time after seeing the DVD in my dad's collection forever (watched it on my dad’s HBO Max account), and it was mind-blowing. You know from the get there’s a lot of shit to figure out, so the whole time you’re just spouting some wild theories, and it’s a fun watch."
"Just an incredible mental roller coaster."
"That ending that just hits like a sledgehammer once you realize the implications."
Why it's mind-blowing: both for the way it's presented in backward scene order and for its twist that Lenny is the one who killed his wife.
Watch the reveal here:
8.The Prestige
"The Prestige is the only movie I've immediately rewatched the second I first finished it."
"I remember watching this as a young teen thinking it was the wildest thing I'd ever seen. I remember at the time nobody cared, and I tried explaining it but couldn't, LOL. I still feel like it's a highly under-appreciated movie."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its twist that Borden is actually two people...
...and also for its stellar closing monologue.
Watch the ending scene here:
9.Fight Club
"The first viewing of Fight Club was awesome. I’d never seen a film with that kind of twist before."
"This is the one that affected me like no other film when I saw it in the theaters. So much so, I didn't want it to end."
"I remember watching it like two months ago and after finishing it, just going outside and looking at the sky with a completely different outlook on the world and modern society."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its twist that Tyler and the Narrator were the same person...
...and also its stellar closing line/mindfuck ending:
Watch the twist here:
10.Se7en
"The final 30 mins of this film had me completely perplexed. The ending was quite chilling and brutal. The fact that Kevin Spacey was not in the opening credits made him a huge surprise for me when he was shown."
"When I first saw Se7en, my wife was pregnant with our first child and was at her mom's for the weekend. After the end, I called her blubbering and asking if she was OK."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its stellar performances and ending, when David discovered his wife's head was in the box and that he was meant to fulfill the seventh sin.
Watch the famous "What's in the box?" scene here:
11.The Usual Suspects
"Another one which was completely mind-blowing; never saw the ending coming."
"Great film. [It] builds the characters and the tension. The ending was totally unexpected."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its twist that Verbal is Keyser Söze, which basically set the standard for movie twists and villain reveals...
...and its ending scene/line.
Watch the reveal and ending here:
12.About Time
"It isn't mind-blowing in the typical sense. There is some time-bending in there, but what blew my mind was how well they portrayed the notion that it isn't about the amount of time you have, but the how you spend your time that really matters. I watched it at a time I was feeling pretty low, and it very effectively reminded me that I needed to live life with more intention and not be an idle passenger watching time pass."
Why it's mind-blowing: for seamlessly blending sci-fi/time travel and comedy, and causing basically everyone to have an existential crisis.
Watch the trailer here:
13.Schindler's List
"Learning about it in school was one thing, but seeing it? It was heartbreaking. For the first time, I understood from an emotional empathy [standpoint] rather than an intellectual perspective."
"I saw it in theaters when I was in sixth grade. One of the only movies that has stuck with me for life."
"I can never watch this movie again. Watched it one time in history class in high school — I cried my eyes out. It is so good though."
Why it's mind-blowing: for being a devastating masterpiece based on a real person.
Watch the trailer here:
14.Inception
"There will never be another experience that comes close to watching Inception in theaters. I have since watched it at least eight times with friends and family. Don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it."
Why it's mind-blowing: its SUPER-trippy plot. It practically invented the word "mind-blowing."
Watch the trailer here:
15.Avengers: Endgame
"Not in an 'OMG, this is so well written' or 'I never saw that coming' type of way. But as a kid, I never imagined I would see a superhero movie like that. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but there were moments in the final act where I shed nerd tears of joy because it was so awesome. It blew my mind that they were able to pull such a thing off."
"And also just all the movies that came before it. It's like a series where every episode is a movie. Twenty years in the making, and they gave the fans everything they wanted."
Why it's mind-blowing: for being a) the highest-grossing movie of all time and b) the culmination of 21 MCU films.
Watch the trailer here:
16.Star Wars: Rogue One
"The heroes died at the end."
"As a huge Star Wars fan seeing it for the first time, it took me until Jyn's big speech to the Rebels for me to think, None of these new characters are in the Original Trilogy or even mentioned. I wonder how they'll explain that. Then like 10 minutes later, I was like, Oh shit, they're all going to die."
"This was like a glimpse of what Star Wars could be. It’s an entire fleshed-out and interesting universe, a backdrop for any kind of story."
Why it's mind-blowing: for reinvigorating the Star Wars series and for its devastating ending.
Watch the trailer here:
17.Gravity
"This blew my mind in the sense that it felt real. It was so damned intense I found myself holding my breath, and once she lands back on Earth it’s like a rebirth. It’s really beautiful."
What it's known for: being visually stunning and having a devastating (and stressful) climax.
Watch the trailer here:
18.Frailty
"Not sure how many have seen this movie. It blew my mind, and I am hoping there are people out there that will back me up."
"Almost no one has seen this movie. It's a fucking masterpiece."
"My fave is when he says, 'You're not a demon, are you?' Still gives me chills."
Why it's mind-blowing: for being an extremely underrated thriller.
Watch the trailer here:
19.The Matrix series
"I find it amazing how a movie can change one’s life entirely. For me it was The Matrix. Yes, all three of them, which is apparently an unpopular opinion. The second movie especially. Two quotes that really hit home and pulled me out from some particularly dark times in my life: 'I stand here before you now truly unafraid ... not because of the path that lies ahead of me, but because of the path that lies behind me … I remember that which matters most. We are still here!' And, “You didn’t come here to make the choice. You’ve already made it. You’re here to understand why you’ve made that choice.' Both of these are ideas that helped me turn my life around, reinvent who I am, and build a life I feel comfortable living."
Why they're mind-blowing: for being some of the best sci-fi films of all time.
Watch the trailer for the first film:
20.Children of Men
"I was blown away by the level of detail that was put in this movie. So many scenes with subtle background stuff happening that feeds into the overall plot/setting. The amazing long takes made a lot of these details possible, too, since it wasn't just some two-second cut in which they were visible."
"I was big into cinematography at that time because of skateboarding and my job. There's one scene in there that is like five minutes long, all one dynamic camera shot, and it is gloriously done. There are hundreds of extras; it goes across a few city blocks and then through a few floors of an apartment building. It really is otherworldly."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its cinematography, especially its long takes and the way blood splattered on the camera in scenes, which was kept in.
Watch the scene u/Savings_Inflation_77 was talking about:
21.And finally, Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope
"Star Wars on opening weekend back in '77. Now known as A New Hope. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. It was a glimpse into a universe we didn’t know existed. It wasn’t a movie. It was a new reality. A sense of 'otherness,' like this came from outside the human race. It was alien."
"When you think about what Lucas pulled off, it's amazing. If you forget all the movies you've seen since then, you realize how wildly innovative that was. And if you remember all the movies you've seen since then, you realize how transformative that was. It wasn't just the animation. It was the way the story, and the animation, and the acting all played off each other. It you watch literally any other movie from before Star Wars, you will see it."
Why it's mind-blowing: for its special effects and re-inventing the sci-fi genre.
Watch the opening sequence here:
What movie blew your mind and/or changed your life? Let us know in the comments!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
