I often read screenplays where the climax has not been properly thought through. The good guy defeats the bad guy (not always the case) but in such a way that it feels almost meaningless. Whatever the ending, whether it be positive (the hero succeeds) or negative (the hero fails) it marks the end of the arc of your central character. If your protagonist has learnt from their mistakes/overcome their failings, they will win. If they are still flawed/haven’t learnt their lesson(s) then they will lose.
The role the mid-point has to play in how to end your story shouldn’t be underestimated. If the midpoint is a high for the protagonist then the climax usually mirrors this. Likewise if the midpoint is a low, then the film ends on a low.
The midpoint also foreshadows the climax in a more literal sense. For instance, in Seven, the midpoint is where Somerset and Mills bust into John Doe’s apartment. Somerset tells Mills not to do it, but Mills cannot keep a check on his emotions and disregards the order. He kicks the door in. This is his weakness. His inability to control his emotions – and we see it throughout the film. The scene ends with Mills on his knees and John Doe holding a gun to his head.
The film climaxes in the desert where John Doe has Mills’ wife’s head delivered to them in a box. Doe then reveals that she was pregnant before she died. Doe is on his knees and Mills has a gun to his head – a complete reversal of the situation at the midpoint. Under normal circumstances we would want Mills to kill Doe but in a sense Mills has already lost. His family have been killed. Importantly Doe wants Mills to kill him to complete his set of murders. Somerset tries to talk him down, mirroring the midpoint. But Mills cannot harness his emotions and kills Doe, thus fulfilling his wish.
Another example can be found in The Dark Knight rises. At the midpoint, Batman is set up by Selina Kyle and gets physically destroyed by Bane in a physical confrontation. Batman has met his match physically for the first time. At the climax of the film, these three characters meet again and the outcome is very different. Batman manages to exploit Bane’s weakness (his mask) and manages to defeat him in a fight. It is the culmination of everything Batman has learnt from the midpoint. Chiefly, that anger is not the solution. Fear is the solution. Fear of failing the city he loves and the people within it. The same fear he had of the bats when the story began in Batman Begins. Selina Kyle also completes her character arc by showing up out of the blue and killing Bane just as he is about to off Batman. She had a chance to leave but instead fought for the man she loves. Actions define character and it’s a redeeming action that shows her character growth since the midpoint.
The Matrix also links its midpoint to its climax effectively. At the midpoint Neo is told that he is “The One” by the Oracle. He doesn’t believe her. She also tells him that either he or Morpheus will die by the end. Trinity also has an exchange with The Oracle but she refuses to tell Neo what she was told. Flash forward to the climax and all of these ends are tied up. Neo is shot by an agent and dies. The prophecy has been fulfilled. But then Trinity reveals what The Oracle had told her. That she would fall in love with “The One”. Neo suddenly comes back to life. He finally believes. He then goes on to destroy the agents.
Although some writers choose not to focus too much on the mid-point, it can be a very effective plot point in a story. It is where the groundwork is laid down for the climax. Where you, the writer, set up the ending of your story. Ignore the midpoint at your peril.
RB
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