And then Gandalf and the Eagles swoop down and carry them off to safety, just in time. First, let's look at the Eagles at the end of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.Īs Sam and Frodo lie on the side of the mountain, lava from Mount Doom spreads around them. So I figured we would go through some of the most famous. There are lots of examples that define deus ex machina in movies. That's a fun origin, but let's look at what it means today. They were lowered in toward the end of the play to determine the ending and bring resolution for the audience. At the time, a wooden crane brought the actors who were playing gods in over the stage. The term is Latin for “god from a machine.” The term comes from Ancient Greek and Roman plays. The official way to pronounce the term is 'dei-uhs eks maa The deus ex machina has become a popular, and even controversial, way of concluding a plot or saving the life of a character.

You have an unexpected power, event or person show up to save the day. It's all about matching the tone of your project. You can use deus ex machina for grand dramatic or comedic purposes. It’s a situational resolution that usually takes the main character out of danger or solves their problems without them having to face what they have wrought. Some would say this plot device is an easy way to get characters out of difficult situations. So let's define deus ex machina in those terms.Ī deus ex machina describes a hopeless situation that is solved abruptly by an unexpected occurrence that was usually not hinted at beforehand. The term 'deus ex machina' might have arisen from literary origins, but today I wanted to extrapolate it as we see it in movie examples and television. What Is the Deus Ex Machina Meaning in Movies and TV? 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' Credit: New Line Cinema So today, we'll spend some time talking about the term, looking at examples across entertainment, and figuring out the pros and cons of using it in your own writing. You spend the time getting your characters into trouble in your stories, now it's time to see one of the ways you can get them out of trouble.

But it turns out, understanding what a deus ex machina is, as well as how to pronounce it, can help you with your film and TV career. In fact, it wasn't until I picked up a super useful contemporary literature degree at Penn State that I ever heard the term again. I grew up playing the Deus ex Machina video game, and I will tell you that I had no idea what that title meant.

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