Sometimes in a good story, the only way for others to make it through is if someone sacrifices themselves for the rest. This year saw lots of characters give their lives for others. Here are 5 that took us by surprise. Naturally, Spoiler Alert is in effect. You’ve been warned.
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Eggsy’s Father Dives On A Grenade
Eggsy’s Father Dives On A GrenadeFilm: Kingsman: Secret Service
The Moment: To start the film, during a raid at an unnamed Middle East terrorist cell headquarters, Kingsman special agents and trainees interrogate a suspect while a firefight rages on outside. Led by Harry Hart (Colin Firth), codename “Galahad,” they fail to get answers and the suspect is able to pull a pin on a concealed grenade. One trainee pushes Hart away and leaps onto the explosive device, sacrificing himself for the others. Turns out that the trainee is the father of a little boy named Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), who seventeen years later will be recruited by Hart and join the elusive secret service team. That’s keeping it in the family.
Henry Pushes His Son Up The Cliff
Film: The Good Dinosaur
The Moment: Another dad. This time, it’s little Arlo’s father. Arlo is a timid Apatosaurus who hasn’t found the courage to make his mark in the world. Teased by his siblings and too afraid to take any risks, he is feeling left out of the family unit. His father, Henry, encourages him to push past his fear and one day, while taking him beyond the meadows of their home in search of a “Critter” (human) that is stealing their food, a sudden storm brews and causes a flash flood in the ravine. Unable to save himself, he prods Arlo up the steep side, sacrificing himself to ensure his son will survive. It’s a lot like Simba and Mufasa, with a giant wave of rushing water standing in for the stampede of wildebeests. And no Scar.
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Sheriff Franklin Hunt Lies In Wait
Sheriff Franklin Hunt Lies In WaitFilm: Bone Tomahawk
The Moment: Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) and three others go on a desperate search to find the kidnapped town doctor, the wife of Arthur O’Dwyer (Patrick Wilson), who is in the posse. She and one other, a petty criminal, have been taken by a tribe of vicious cannibals called Troglodytes who live in caves and communicate in horrifying guttural sounds made by slits in their windpipes. As the gang fights on to reach the doctor, they are soon captured, and marked for death. Unwilling to die without a fight, Hunt take and opportunity to strike, and mortally wounded, tells the others to run. Unable to move, he has a rifle with three rounds. Three cannibals remain. It’s a haunting, emotional last stand. Watch the trailer below. Read the review.
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Quicksilver Takes The Bullets
Quicksilver Takes The BulletsFilm: Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Moment: When Ultron uses a machine with vibranium–a highly rare metal used in the construction of Captain America’s shield–to lift an entire city into the air, intending to crash it back to the ground and cause a global extinction, the Avengers swing into action, working past their differences to join as a single force against this, their greatest challenge. With them are two new allies, Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and her brother Pietro Maximoff, aka Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). As the battle rages on and things become desperate, at one point Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) sees a child among the rumble and right in the path of a gunship that is mowing down victims with its powerful spread of bullets. He clutches the child and turns his back on the ship, ready to give his own life, but Quicksilver, who can move at tremendous speeds, jumps in front of the fire and takes the hits, sacrificing himself for his new friend. His last words, “Bet you didn’t see that coming.” No, good sir, we did not. We did not.
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Nux Flips The Truck
Nux Flips The TruckFilm: Mad max: Fury Road
The Moment: As Mad Max (Tom Brady) and Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) decide to head back to Joe’s Citadel, which is undefended as Joe and his horde are in pursuit, the last battle begins as Joe throws everything he’s got at the ferocious ragtag team who keep escaping his clutches. On Mad Max’s side is Nux (Nicholas Hult), once one of Joe’s War Boys, who has fallen into the good side and smitten by the love of one of the stolen wives Furiosa has freed from Joe. There is a bottleneck in the canyon road that the crew plan to block before Joe’s men can reach them, but they are nearly too late and ashope seems to face, Nux makes a choice and spins his big rig onto its side in an heroic sacrifice, slamming into the narrow rock opening and causing the pursuing vehicles to slam behind him in an epic explosion of fire, metal, and blood. His last word to the women he loves, “Witness me.” Curse, you heart for being so tender.
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Bing Bong Jumps Off The Wagon
Bing Bong Jumps Off The WagonFilm: Inside out
The Moment: When Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) loses her core memories because Sadness (Phyllis Smith) knocked them out of the loop, it’s up to Joy (Amy Poehler) to find them and bring them back. As she travels about with Sadness, they collect the memories but need to return to Headquarters, ending up in Long-Term Memory where they discover Riley’s long lost imaginary friend Bing Bong haplessly wandering about the aisles. He has some ideas on how to get back, but the plan stumbles and Joy and Bing Bong fall into the Memory Dump, a deep, dark chasm of lost thoughts that are forever forgotten. Undaunted, the two come upon a scheme to use Bing Bong’s wagon rocket to escape the high walls of the Dump, but when it becomes clear that he is too heavy for the jump, he stays behind, sacrificing himself so Joy can restore Riley’s memories. His last words, “Take her to the moon for me, okay?” Cue the tears.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below.