MovieChat Forums > The Butterfly Effect (2004) Discussion > Directors cut ending was so much better ...

Directors cut ending was so much better than the theatrical ending.

posted 13 years ago by Humanity_Youve_Failed
117 replies | jump to latest

Theatrical ending was alright...makes you pretty sad to see them walking by one another when you want him to just hurry up and talk to her.

But the Directors Cut ending was absolutely amazing. I think it was one of the most sentimental endings of any movie I've came across. The fact that it just ends after everyone's happy, leaving behind no trace of Evan (since he never existed) just makes you stop and wonder, "How would things be different if I had not been born?"

Really depressing, but let's be honest... Those are always the most meaningful endings.
I love this movie to no end, but I do wish the DC ending had been in the theatrical version. It seems that it would have pulled in the audience, and left them with a better feeling than the theatrical version.

[–] mrpops238 9 years ago

Suicide fetus was one of the best endings of all time.

The lame walking last each other sucked.

[–] TexasJack (12516) 7 years ago

I never saw the Director's cut but if the implication is that he intentionally killed himself while in the womb...sorry, but that is just too ridiculous.

[–] movienchill31 (225) 7 years ago

Yes. The DC versions not only implicates that he went back in utero to kill himself, but that his 2 older brothers did the same( the scene outside the psychic's office where she tells him she had two previous miscarriages and that he was her miracle baby).

[–] movienchill31 (225) 6 years ago

Call me crazy but I'm not a fan of suicide and he pretty much committed suicide. I know the fortune teller lady told him he had no lifeline, but who is she to predict someone's life. I think the theatrical version is the best. There is more than one way to solve something, he didn't have to kill himself so Kayleigh could have a better life.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 6 years ago

The movie didn't give Evan a choice - his only way to travel back was with a home movie that he, himself, didn't take.

So if you're saying that Evan could've chosen a different solution, he couldn't

If you're saying the filmmakers could've chosen a different solution, they did - after the producers made them change it.

The DC is the "original" version. Evan's own name, "Treborn," suggests he's the third-born. In the DC, he's confirmed to be the "third child," after his older brothers learned, same as he did, that some abilities aren't safe for humans to wield.

Even the theatrical version has his father telling him he can't "fix" the present by changing the past, and that he shouldn't play god. He tells Evan, "there is no 'right'," as in, Evan doesn't have the right to wield this power, and there's no "right" way to do so. He goes on to say, "you can't change who people are without destroying who they were."

I prefer the DC because it carries that conceit to its logical conclusion: you can't play god no matter how good your intentions, and if you cannot avoid hurting people with your power, you're better off not existing at all.

It's depressing, but it's true to the theme and heck even the TITLE of the film. Since the "butterfly effect" will always lead to unwanted outcomes, it's better to leave the butterfly alone entirely.

Oh and one last theme occurs to me: Evan sacrifices himself to save all the others. Very messianic conclusion - given the power of a god, and he makes the sacrifice of a god, whether it's prometheus, jesus or whoever

[–] movienchill31 (225) 5 years ago

I'm implying that the theatrical version was better to me because at least in that ending he can still live his life and Kayleigh and everyone can still live theirs. He didn't have to kill himself.

[–] sardonyx (40) 6 years ago

I absolutely agree with you. The theatrical ending was way too Hollywood (which of course is why they used it), it made the move end on a romantic dramatic note, as opposed to the alternate ending which was so dark, depressing, and existential.

[–] P3RP3TRAT0R (12) 6 months ago

The Director's Cut ending is the TRUE ending: the writers/director's of this movie said that Evan sacrificing himself in the womb was their original vision for how the film would end, but they were forced to re-shoot a different ending for the film's theatrical release and were told "You can put the 'real' ending on the DVD." The writers/directors were not at all happy that they had to slap on that cheesy ending of Evan and Kayleigh walking by each other on the street.

I honestly feel that it's fucked up that they were forced to change the ending, but a scene where a fetus strangles itself to death is just too dark, bizarre and depressing for most people. I personally prefer the DC ending even though it's extremely tragic. It fits best with the overall tone of the film and I found the sentiment behind it quite thought-provoking. The protagonist making the ultimate sacrifice (himself) so that the people he cared about could live happy, fulfilling lives... even if it meant he could never be a part of them.