Butterfly 1 endings - The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006) Discussion

[–] jchristie1 17 years ago

Actually I did not like the happy theatrical ending at all. Remember, each time he went back in time to “correct” something, he damaged his brain. The next-to-last scene in the psyche ward shows a doctor discussing an MRI with his Mom which shows half of his brain is irreversibly damaged and he will have to be institutionalized the rest of his life. To be consistent, he should not be walking smartly down a city street in nice clothes, he should be a raving maniac in a mental hospital like his Dad ended up, and maybe seeing a happy Kaliegh out the window. They had to ignore a lot of their own logic to make the ending happy for both Evan and Kaliegh, but that's Hollywood.

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[–] lucy-amor 17 years ago

This is the best point yet i feel jchristie

So after reading these points I think the Womb Ending made it a better film

it was such amazing because it made you think. So this ending weaves in with the who phsycological idea.

The happy ending was still satisfying and I can see why they made it. It was still a good film but less depressing

So it depends what you prefere

You can stick to the happy ending if that is what you want

But you have that option to see the more disturbed, shocking and inventive ending

Which i thought worked really well and fitted in far better with the story

xxx

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[–] gcarras 13 years ago

jchristie1:(Oct.8, 2007):
"Actually I did not like the happy theatrical ending at all. Remember, each time he went back in time to “correct” something, he damaged his brain. The next-to-last scene in the psyche ward shows a doctor discussing an MRI with his Mom which shows half of his brain is irreversibly damaged and he will have to be institutionalized the rest of his life. To be consistent, he should not be walking smartly down a city street in nice clothes, he should be a raving maniac in a mental hospital like his Dad ended up, and maybe seeing a happy Kaliegh out the window. They had to ignore a lot of their own logic to make the ending happy for both Evan and Kaliegh, but that's Hollywood. "

I disagree. I sw the original showing on opening day and enjoyed it. The whole thing in my opnion (very, very long spoilers follow)had been a dream, ending with the last "flashback", and then it turns then Lennie and Evan are college best friends and by the lift bridge [this was filmed in Vancouver, BC, Canada] outside burning the pictures was because of this nightmares, and that Tommy AND Kayleigh had been friends with him, and then when he walks through Seattle, he and her see each other, and then past fade-out he's following her to Starbucks's - Seattle's Own, to Oasis's "Stop Crying your heart out".

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[–] vicky_lc2001-1 17 years ago

Killing himself in the womb is the stupidest thing I've ever heard! It doesn't make any sense at all! Although it is possible for a baby to unconsciously choke themselves, it is another thing for a fetus or whatever stage he's in to recall his memories & remember - let alone be aware enough of his past deeds - to actually commit suicide! He's still developing, whatever consciousness he has in that womb is not the same as that of a 5, 10, 15, 20 year old. & what about his girlfriend? What exactly would stop her father from molesting & raping her without Ashton's character or someone to protect her?

Oh, what a big man you are! Hey let me buy you a pack of gum, I'll show you how to chew it

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[–] witewolf 17 years ago

Kayleigh never stayed with her father, because the only reason she chose to stay was that she loved Evan and wanted to be with him. With Evan dead and out the way she would have chose to live with her mother instead and would have had a happy childhood. Tommy would also grow up to be normals as well, without his father around to twist him.

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[–] ftremblay 17 years ago

And everytime Evan goes back in the past, he is self-conscious of his future, or past, or whatever, so the fetus would be too.

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[–] kseifner 17 years ago

I thought the one ending where he simply walks past her was kind of sad, because he had only known her for a short while when they were growing up, and then to just ignore her so his life wouldn't get any more messed up made me kind of emotional. The other ending I liked, was the one where he basically threw his life in turmoil so he could see his best friend he had not scene in so many years, I was thinking of the 2nd ending where he meets his friend years later as a possible ending when I was watching the first movie in the theater. When I later watched The Butterfly Effect on dvd, I was surprised to see that the ending where he meets up with his friend years later was actually real.

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[–] agb7373 17 years ago

To add my opinion:
I watched the DVD director's cut which ends with the baby suicide which I thought was painful, disturbing but fitting with the whole concept of him realising that his medalling was not making anyone else feel better. Someone above said that this is cruel for his mother who has already lost several children BUT during the flash scenes which show what life would have been like if he'd killed himself in the womb, we see an image of his mother and father holding a baby (girl I think) and smiling - so clearly things turn out alright for his parents.

This DVD has two alternate endings,
1) He walks past Kayleigh in the street, recognises her, and starts following/stalking her to the tune of 'stop crying your heart out - oasis'
2) He and Kayleigh recognise each other (she doesn't know how she knows him, but he knows her name) and they go for coffee to the tune of 'in my place - coldplay'. When I watched these two alternate endings I really liked them but the more I think about it, as much as it is nice to see a 'hollywood-happy-ending', the original one was the most fitting for the tone of the film.

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[–] Allybubba 17 years ago

What people are saying with the original ending makes sense, that all the other kids had gone through what Evan had, and killed themselves in the womb, and whatnot. (agree with the coincidental comment, though)

But I just didn't like that ending, lol.
It was kind of a cheap cop-out in my opinion.

To make a movie to just say, hey.. nevermind, there's no point, i'm just going to kill myself.

Silly.

I liked where he sees her, and they both just walk away. (theatrical ending)

And I just saw the other two endings.
The one where they go for coffee is actually interesting.. because it leaves you thinking, oh god.. is he going to f up everything again?
Same with when he follows her, like.. he's going to start the cycle all over again.

I don't know, the womb one was just odd.
Pointless, really.

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[–] Andre00 15 years ago

the point was that the world was better off without him.

It ties in better with the fact that there were miscarriages in the past, eluding to the fact that each of the other 'children' came to the same realization.
The 'killing himself in the womb' was the ending the directors wanted but apparently didn't do to well in test screenings so they went with a more upbeat ending.

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[–] Haynerator 17 years ago

I've only seen the film once, i saw the ending where he walks pasts her, pauses and carries on.

When i heard the death ending i laughed, i mean it might happen but it just sounded a bit extreme, i don't see why you would kill youself before your born just to save the life of the woman you love.
Love isn't everything, and it was shown in the ending i saw that he had a perfectly successful life, and it seemed stupid to me to ruin that just because of a woman.

See, I'm not a monster...I'm just ahead of the curve.

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[–] gunner-00 16 years ago

I think it comes down to which ending you watched first because watched the movie and then came on this bored and read the fetal suicide one and thought it was really dumb. Then I thought about it and realised that that would have also been a cool ending maybe even a better one that would suit the resst of the film better. But i wrote downin my journal right before i watched the move so im going to go back in time and watch the fetal suicide ending.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway

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[–] paisley1 15 years ago

I liked the uncut full version with him dying in the womb. At least this way, he doesn't put Kayleigh in danger but neither does he put any other girl/woman in danger for knowing him. He was born with an amazing ability just as his father did. It worried his mother literally to her grave.

The fact that she would ultimately become tired of having a husband in a mental institution opens the door for her to remarry and have kids with the knew husband who doesn't possess these tweaked genes.

I much rather liked the ending where he kills himself in utero just as the previous child had done before him. It was my interpretation that the little girl the mother had after the stillbirth of her last son was free of any of the craziness and alternate reality visions of her middle child or even her first child and that's saying the first child made the choice to die in vitro as well rather than cause harm to others. It gives the mother a life without fear of what her child will experience with no manner or way of helping him.

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[–] lovingthelie 16 years ago

See what I mean? So many people thing the abortion ending is the real one. I don't know why they pushed that one on dvd, I thought the original with them walking past each other was great though bittersweet.

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[–] kersus 15 years ago

The real sacrifice ending (too disturbing for theaters) was amazing. The theatrical ending sort've took away from the whole point of the movie to get closer to that Disney feel Hollywood likes.

In fact everyone I've met who hated the movie, suddenly loved and understood the movie better when I showed them the dramatic true ending.

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[–] wight1984 15 years ago

Agreed with the OP.

Killing yourself in the womb not only seems rather impractical but also a stupidly extreme choice. I get that the director wanted it and tried to foreshadow it with the stillbirths thing but it's just not an idea that I find impressive (probably because I see no reason why someone with these abilities should be fated to die).

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[–] horrorfanatic94 15 years ago

Heaps of people were telling me that this movie was amazing, so i bought and i watched it with my friend (it was the directors cut) it had the womb scene..obviously. and i have to admit, i actually thought it fit so well. This movie is not a happy movie, so when i watched the alternate endings i was kinda confused, the whole movie was about Evan not repeating his mistakes. I agree with what alot of people are saying, most people love the ending they see first. :) This movie is amazing btw :)

Im impressed....Well im in love. :)

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[–] Andre00 14 years ago

not fated to die but never intended to be born at all. And in them being born everything they touch has a negative effect.

He realized the world was better off without him. He inadvertently was the reason for the pain in his family/friend's lives.

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[–] wight1984 14 years ago

That distinction doesn't really change anything for me.

It still strikes me as a silly plot point.

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[–] AlexMorgan13 14 years ago

strangling himself in his mother's womb?? WTF??

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[–] Simulpec 14 years ago

All you people talking about how you loved the miscarriage-suicide ending, no doubt in a lame attempt to make yourself look deep and mysterious, are overlooking one glaring reality. It simply doesn't work with the rest of the film. For him to go back to a certain time Evan had to be reflecting on some sort of image or written reccolection from it? What does he have that he can reflect on that can take him back to the womb?? It doesn't nake sense. The better ending is the one where he sees her walking on the sidewalk and doesn't say anything to her.

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[–] Paradox93 14 years ago

how can you say it doesn't work when this was the ending intended. i personally prefer this one because it is darker and with the fortune teller scene it fits

Where we're going we don't need..roads.

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[–] Andre00 13 years ago

haha @ wanting to look deep/mysterious on the internet.
He watches video of him mom in labor and flashes back.
video/pictures/journals were his vehicle to time travel.
Nakes perfect sense.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] gcarras 13 years ago

lovingthelie said almost five years ago(!!!!!!!):
"I know this is the wrong place to start this thread BUT..

did anyone else think the original theatrical ending Of Butterfly Effect 1 where Evan burns his diaries and walks past Kaleigh but lets her go cause he doesnt want to ruin her life was SO much better than the stupid alternative ending where he kills himself in his mother's womb? "

Not at all the wrong place..given what I am about to say what this could be:
Evan walks away from Kayleigh ["In our LAST movie"..:)] in Seattle, Wash., and then EVERYTHING from the FIRST flick cometh back to haunt him--Tommy somehow mugs him, then his and Kayleigh's mutual dad, comes mugs him, so he writes quickly in a journal, flips back..and..:)

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