Deuce Ex Machina

[Kanadian_kev]

Otherwise known as the 'Gods from the Machine'. Ok, so this is a plot device that just seems to come from nowhere and solve the problem in a story. I've realized that the screenplay I'm working on right now sort of ends this way, I want to change it, but I just love the ending too much.

But aren't there plenty of examples of stories with endings that are sort of 'out of nowhere' but which work really well?

In one of my favorite Tales From the Crypt comics, this guy flies home from across the country because his wife has been killed. He hears she was killed by a vampire, so the guy goes hunting for the vamp. He finds somebody in a basement with a coffin and accuses him of being the vampire. He ties him up, and says "Ok, we'll wait until the sun goes down, if you change, you die." Since they're in a basement, he checks a calender and sees that sun sets at 7 or something and so he waits and waits. It's past seven, the guy hasn't changed, he unties him. That's when the guy changes and kills him, screaming "You forgot to set your watch back when you arrived in the city!"

Is this an example of Deuce ex Machina or is it just a clever twist? Maybe I can't tell the difference.

[X-Nightcrawler]

That's "Deus", not "Deuce".

Anyway, that's neither Deus Ex Machina nor a clever twist. It's a dumb twist.

Yes, in my opinion.

[Pestilence]

That's not an example of Deus Ex Machina.

As X has said, it's simply pretty dumb. I'm not sure if I would call it a "dumb twist", but the guy who gets killed must have been one hell of a dumb shit, and I'd probably laugh my ass off if I saw that ending.

[Kanadian_kev]

OK, bad example I guess. I'm just saying that there are plenty of coincidental endings that I (and I'm sure there are others) enjoy.

Time Enough At Last, a classic episode of the Twilight Zone. The ending is brought about by the guy tripping and breaking his glasses. I love that ending, but from what I remember it is a pure coincidence that it happened. You know what I mean?

[syxxpac]

Jurassic Park had one of the most implausible examples of this I've ever seen, but the movie still rocked my face off, and continues to do so.

[X-Nightcrawler]

I always thought that in LOTR 3, when the Eagles come out of nowhere to save Frodo and Sam when they're about to get killed was pretty Deus Ex Machina-y. Especially since apparently they could have used said eagles to take them to mordor, or at least closer to it.

But I'm not totally sure that's a good example of DEM either.

[Kanadian_kev]

The ending of War of the Worlds. At first I felt totally cheated, then I grew to accept it for some reason. It didn't change the fact that it was one of the best movies I'd seen all year.