Summary

• Deus Ex Machina examples in movies are often seen as lazy writing, providing a quick fix without much explanation.
• Some of the most controversial moments in movies involve a convenient power or event saving the day.
• Despite the overuse of the trope, it can still elicit a strong audience response, either positive or negative.

One of the most controversial tropes in storytelling, some of the most obvious Deus Ex Machina examples show how this plot device affects a story and the audience's response. The direct translation of the phrase "Deus Ex Machina" is "God From The Machine." It connects to the idea of an unexpected power, event, or person showing up to save the day in a seemingly impossible-to-escape situation. When it comes to movies, the Deus Ex Machina trope has become a popular (and often controversial) way of concluding a plot or saving the life of a character.

Movies continue to use the Deus Ex Machina trope technique as a quick fix to save a protagonist or to move the story along without necessarily explaining what happened — something many viewers count among the most frustrating movie clichés. These are convenient moments in a movie that quickly and easily solve everything. Many Deus Ex Machina examples are also moments that movies were accused of lazy writing as a result. Whether the movie gets away with the bold choice or the story falls apart because of it, these moments sought the most convenient route.

20 The Princess Bride (1987)

Wesley Had Conveniently Been Building A Resistance To The Exact Poison Vizzini Used

The Princess Bride is a fantastical fairy tale movie so this Deus Ex Machina doesn't feel as out of place as it would in a more realistic world. The heroic man in black, Westley, faces off against Vizzini, so he can save his beloved Princess Buttercup. Vizzini says that one of the two goblets of wine has a deadly poisonous iocane powder fully dissolved, and they'll play a battle of wits to see who survives.

Vizzini drops dead, and Westley suddenly reveals he had been building up a tolerance against that specific poisonous powder his entire life, so he was fine after ingesting the poison. As Vizzini says in The Princess Bride, the explanation is inconceivable, but the over-the-top dashing heroics of Wesley makes it easier to accept.

19 Monty Python's The Life Of Brian (1979)

Brian Is Saved From Death By A Pair Of Aliens

Life of Brian is another movie that has some more forgivable Deus Ex Machina examples because, like other Monty Python movies, the comedy is barely based in reality and is more a series of silly gags. When Brian accidentally falls off of a building and lands safely inside an alien spacecraft, it is easy for audiences to roll their eyes at the ridiculousness of the situation. Of course, that reaction seems to be exactly what the movie is going for by including such moments.

18 Toy Story (1995)

The Pizza Planet Delivery Driver Has Unbelievably Impeccable Timing

Toy Story doesn't exactly seem like the sort of movie that would be bombarded with plot issues. It's a movie about living toys, after all, so disbelief has to be suspended somewhat. However, all seems lost for Buzz and Woody when they get stranded at a gas station. All of a sudden, they notice that a delivery driver for the exact restaurant Andy is at is filling up right next to them and they hop in. Perhaps as a way of acknowledging the improbable coincidence, the Pizza Planet truck has popped up in every Pixar movie since then.

17 Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)

Without The Inclusion Of Aliens The Robot Bill And Ted Would Have Won

The Bill & Ted movies contain a fair few Deus Ex Machina examples, but arguably the craziest comes Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Two evil robot versions of Bill and Ted have been wreaking havoc and the real Bill and Ted are at a loss about how to stop them — that is, until they are conveniently introduced to intelligent aliens who are able to build good robot versions of them to defeat the villains. Like Life of Brian, the random inclusion of aliens is perplexing, but the silliness of the movie allows for some absurdity like this.

16 The Karate Kid (1984)

Mr. Miyagi's Reiki Skills Were Far Too Convenient

Although The Karate Kid established that Mr. Miyagi had the ability to use Reiki to help heal injuries quicker, it was still a dramatic Deus Ex Machina in the climactic tournament scene. A Cobra Kai member purposefully kicks Daniel's knee to take him "out of commission" for the final fight. It looks like Daniel's too injured to compete against Johnny, but Mr. Miyagi is able to temporarily fix the knee he couldn't walk on moments before.

Reiki has several health benefits, but it isn't magic.

Reiki has several health benefits, but it isn't magic. Not only does this miraculous healing treatment harm the Karate Kid ending, but the famous Crane Kick has also been heavily debated both in of it supposedly being an ultimate karate move and the legality of using it in the match.

15 Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

The Army Saved The Day A Little Too Easily

Shaun of the Dead is widely considered to be one of the best British comedy movies of all time, and introduced many to the energetic work of filmmaker Edgar Wright. Though the movie is brilliant in its subverting of expectations and tropes of the zombie movie genre, the finale feels a bit rushed to give a happy ending that is not common in the genre.

After an intense, emotional final scene, Shaun and Liz wander out of The Winchester expecting certain death, only to be greeted by the army, who seem to quickly put an end to the zombie apocalypse. There is a funny sequence after this that shows how life has changed in the aftermath, including using zombies as contestants for game shows. However, this easy conclusion lacks some of the wit of the rest of the movie.

14 Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Jamal Winning The Competition On A Guess Betrayed The Movie

Slumdog Millionaire is a heartfelt story that touched the hearts of many and was, rightly, loved by millions around the world upon its release. It follows a young man named Jamal (Dev Patel) who comes from the slums of Mumbai to appear on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The whole point of the movie is that the central character knows the answers to the questions thanks to events scattered throughout his life.

This Deus Ex Machina example feels like incredibly lazy writing that also seems to betray the central message of the movie.

Jamal's purpose for being on the show is not to win the money, but to reach his long-lost love. Still, it is rather disappointing that the million-dollar question that concludes the movie is nothing more than a lucky guess. This Deus Ex Machina example feels like incredibly lazy writing that also seems to betray the central message of the movie.

13 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2002)

R2-D2 Revealed His Ability To Fly At An Unbelievably Opportune Moment

The Star Wars prequels aren't exactly known for their logical connections to the original trilogy, but Attack of the Clones makes a few questionable continuity decisions. It also contains one of the franchise's most blatant examples of Deus Ex Machina. When Pe is facing certain doom in the droid factory, R2-D2 saves the day with a newfound ability to fly which had never been hinted at before.

It is hard for the many fans of the franchise to not then look back on the previously released movies and think of all the times when R2's ability to fly would have come in handy.

12 Jurassic Park (1993)

The T-Rex Decides To Play The Hero At A Suspiciously Opportune Moment

Jurassic Park has held up surprisingly well since its release in 1993, spawning a multitude of sequels, including the Jurassic World 4. The original movie remains a landmark in the fantasy genre, though, telling a violent story with amazing visuals and interesting characters. However, the entire plot hangs on a massive Deus Ex Machina at the very end.

One of the biggest complaints about this is that the movie made it clear that the T-Rex's approach was very noticeable, with its footsteps shaking the ground.

The remaining survivors find themselves are surrounded by velociraptors. and it seems impossible for them to escape. However, just as the raptors are about to strike, the T-Rex appears out of nowhere and attacks the smaller dinosaurs, giving the humans time to escape. One of the biggest complaints about this is that the movie made it clear that the T-Rex's approach was very noticeable, with its footsteps shaking the ground. Yet somehow, in this critical moment, the giant creature approached without a sound.

11 War Of The Worlds (2005)

H.G. Wells Created One Of The First Examples Of Deus Ex Machina

The alien invaders of War of the Worlds seem impossible to beat throughout most of the movie, no matter what the humans of Earth try to do to defeat them. However, it turns out that the invaders were doomed the moment they arrived on Earth. The aliens are exposed to the bacteria of Earth outside their ships and, all of a sudden, they shrivel and are easily defeated.

It's revealed that bacteria on Earth can weaken the aliens enough for them to be defeated, and it seems like everything goes back to normal after humanity figures this out. This is one of the earliest Deus Ex Machina examples in fiction as, despite how convenient it seems, it stays true to the original novel by H.G. Wells.