M. Night Shyamalan Reveals the Classic Movie Twist That Blew His Mind

M. Night Shyamalan has shared which classic movie twist left the biggest mark on him as a filmmaker. Speaking to NME, he named the original Planet of the Apes from 1968 as his favorite. “My favourite twist in someone else’s movie? Certainly Planet Of The Apes, the original one is profound,” he said.

“I remember it blossoming in my head as I was watching it and it echoing after the fact. It was profound, ironic, all of those things. Even to this day it’s the standard for me.”

The twist comes at the very end of the film. Astronaut George Taylor, played by Charlton Heston, finds himself on a planet ruled by intelligent apes while humans are enslaved. For most of the movie, it feels like a distant, alien world. But in the final scene, Taylor and a companion stumble upon the Statue of Liberty half-buried in sand on a beach.

Suddenly, it becomes clear that he has been on Earth all along. The shocking reveal changes the entire story in an instant.

“Oh my God,” the captain cries. “You finally did it. You blew it all up. Damn you – damn you all to hell!”

Shyamalan explained why the twist works so well. “It was a profound social commentary… but suddenly it became this really apocalyptic movie,” he said. “It’s all in the angle of the story. That’s a wonderful example of an apocalyptic movie [told from an angle] that had never been done before.”

The twist succeeds because it completely reframes what the audience thought they knew. For almost the entire movie, viewers believe Taylor is on a distant planet. The reveal that it is actually Earth is both shocking and ironic, making the story more meaningful and intense.

It transforms a story about survival and discovery into a cautionary tale about humanity’s own mistakes. The final shot lingers in the mind because it ties a strong visual image, the buried Statue of Liberty, to a profound emotional and intellectual impact.

Shyamalan, known for his own twist-filled films, clearly admires how Planet of the Apes uses this technique. It isn’t just a surprise for the sake of shocking the audience; it deepens the story, adds commentary, and leaves a lasting impression. For him, and many film lovers, that combination of clever storytelling, social critique, and emotional resonance makes it the standard for a perfect twist.

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