A film always builds up for an exciting finale, and these films gave audiences battles that bring the story to a cinematic crescendo.
17. Battle at Central Park — Anchorman 2
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When he gets ambushed by Jack Lime on his way to his son's recital, Ron and his news team unite to battle their rivals in Central Park. But they are all quickly joined by many other newsgroups in a sea of blood and cameos galore. We've got sports. We've got historians. We've got the ghost of Stonewall Jackson. There's even a minotaur and Harrison Ford transforming into a were-hyena. What more could you ask for?
16. Steve and Bucky vs. Tony — Captain America: Civil War
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After learning Bucky had murdered his parents, Tony becomes filled with rage and tries to kill the Winter Soldier. Knowing his friend was brainwashed by HYDRA, Steve teams up with Bucky to take down Iron Man. Rather than a grand and explosive finale, the film shows us a small but bitter battle centered around two friends-turned-enemies. Though Steve succeeds in saving his friend, he still loses another, as his victory over Iron Man means losing him and the Avengers.
15. Spider vs. Goblin — Spider-Man: No Way Home
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After curing the rest of the Sinister Six (I mean, Five), Peter faces off against the Green Goblin after he flies in and nearly destroys the Statue of Liberty. Fighting atop a giant replica of Captain America's shield, Peter releases all his rage towards the Goblin for murdering his Aunt May. Though the fight between the three Spider-Men and the other villains was definitely spectacular, Peter and Norman's final showdown stood out for the emotion and intensity between both adversaries. Peter almost goes over the edge by murdering the Goblin, but thanks to his variants, he chooses to spare and cure his foe.
14. Luke vs. Vader — The Empire Strikes Back
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As Luke tries to save his friends from Darth Vader, he is forced to put his Jedi training to the test in a battle against the Sith Lord. Though young Skywalker holds his own against Vader and evades his traps, the latter clearly toys with him until there’s nowhere to run. While it isn’t the greatest battle in the franchise, it is still memorable for the suspense and emotional weight it carries, especially when Vader reveals that shocking truth to Luke.
13. The Bride vs. O-ren — Kill Bill Vol.1
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While the beautifully bloody battle against the Crazy 88 is a noteworthy sequence, the duel between the Bride and O-Ren was technically the real final battle of this Tarantino film. Cotton Mouth and the Black Mamba face off in a snow-covered garden, where each bloody wound stands out amongst the white powder. Also, the bamboo water foundation fitting the ground builds up the tension with each thump until the final blow is dealt.
12. One Ugly Motherf***er — Predator
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In a final battle between Predator and prey, Dutch catches the alien hunter in multiple traps and disables his cloaking device. Though the Predator gains the upper hand, he sees Dutch as a worthy opponent and decides to give him a fair fight. After removing his helmet and weapons, the alien faces off against Dutch in hand-to-hand combat. In the end, Dutch deals a fatal blow to his opponent and emerges victorious. But not without evading the Predator's self-destruct bomb.
11. Sully and Neytiri vs. Quaritch — Avatar
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Sully and Quaritch lead both their armies in an epic war through the skies of Pandora in this film's third act, but it all comes down to the two of them fighting each other face-to-face on the ground. Even after Neytiri comes riding in on a wild thanator, Sully is forced to fight Quaritch, who pilots a giant mech suit. It's a true David and Goliath battle as Sully takes on this metal behemoth, and while he is nearly executed by the evil colonel, Neytiri gets to shoot Quaritch dead with a couple poisonous arrows.
10. Nuking the Shark — Jaws
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After Quint is eaten and Hooper fails to kill the shark, Brody is forced to defeat the great white on his own as their boat sinks beneath him. Having thrown a scuba tank in the shark's mouth, Brody tries to shoot it in a last-ditch effort to blow up the beast. All the odds were against Brody in this scene, but in a one-in-a-million shot, he sends the shark to kingdom come in an explosive victory of man against nature.
9. Apollo Creed vs. The Italian Stallion — Rocky
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Who doesn't love a good underdog story? This iconic sports film was building up to Rocky's battle with Apollo Creed in a real clash of titans. Going for a full fifteen rounds, Rocky keeps fighting even after taking all of Creed's punches and getting his eyelid slit open. Though it all comes down to Creed's victory by a split decision, everyone knows that Rocky was the real winner of this fight. This was truly the "greatest exhibition of guts and stamina in the history of the ring."
8. Ripley vs. The Alien Queen — Aliens
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This scene showed us all how much of a badass Ellen Ripley really is. Though she, Newt, and Hicks escape from LV-426 before its destruction, the Alien Queen sneaks onto their ship and tries to slaughter them all. Donning a giant exosuit, Ripley brawls with the beast to protect Newt. While both fighters are evenly matched, Ripley wins by forcing the alien out of the airlock like in the first movie.
7. Steel Mill Showdown — Terminator 2: Judgment Day
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After getting cornered in a steel mill, Sarah, John, and the T-800 face off against the regenerating and shape-shifting T-1000. The Terminator is easily overpowered by his more advanced counterpart, and the evil cyborg nearly succeeds in killing them all. But in the last moment, the Terminator defeats the T-1000 by driving it into a vat of molten steel, which made for one of the most memorable death scenes in cinema.
6. Graveyard Showdown — The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
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After finally reaching Sad Hill Cemetary, Blondie and Tuco encounter Angel Eyes, and the Man with No Name challenges them all to a shootout for the gold buried there. Surrounded by an audience of the dead, the three gunslingers spread out across their arena, getting ready to draw their weapons. Though there isn't much action, this scene has become legendary due to the heart-pounding buildup brought on by each man's stares and Ennio Morricone's epic score.
5. Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul — The Phantom Menace
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This one took lightsaber duels to a whole new level. In the battle for Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are forced to battle Palpatine's apprentice, Darth Maul. Wielding a killer double-bladed lightsaber, the Sith Lord takes on both Jedi in an epic duel filled with outstanding acrobatics, glorious visuals and a haunting score by John Williams.
4. The Battle of Helm's Deep — The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
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So it begins. Through the entire third act of this fantasy epic, Aragorn and his allies fight to protect the people of Rohan from Saruman's army at Helm's Deep. With countless Orcs marching in from the rain, charging in wave after wave, you really get the sense that Death is barging through the heroes' door. Though Aragorn and his soldiers are nearly overwhelmed, they are saved by the arrival of Gandalf and his army. This isn’t the last battle they have against Sauron’s army, but it is hands-down one of their greatest.
3. Back to the Citadel — Mad Max: Fury Road
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Like the battle at Helm’s Deep, the third act of Fury Road is one long, drawn-out battle. As Max and his allies ride back to the Citadel, they face off against Immortan Joe’s army in an explosive, high-octane fight through the Wasteland. Though the heroes are mostly limited to one vehicle, they still blow through Joe’s War Boys until the Immortan is dead. Truly a battle worthy of Valhalla.
2. Obi-Wan vs. Anakin — Revenge of the Sith
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After seeing that Anakin has fallen to the dark side, Obi-Wan is forced to fight his former apprentice on Mustafar. Both men go through Hell itself as they battle their way across the molten planet, exploiting all their tricks and surroundings to try and win. But in the end, there is no winner, as Obi-Wan loses his brother to the darkness while Anakin loses his family, completing his transformation into Darth Vader
1. The Avengers vs. Thanos — Avengers: Endgame
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Though they gathered all the Infinity Stones from the past and undid Thanos's snap, the Avengers must still battle the Titan's past counterpart for the fate of the universe. Even without the Stones, Thanos and his army nearly overpower them all, but once the Avengers get an army of their own, their battle erupts into a war for the ages.