26

Given how the movie was hyped as being a faithful rendition (and, for the most part, it was), what was the reasoning behind making such a radical change to the ending?

I've seen statements from Zack Snyder discussing why he felt the end was as good as the original, as well as claims that the original draft of the script he was presented already included the changed ending, but no explanation as to why that decision was made.

Has there been an official explanation for the decision to change the ending so radically?

Improve this question
1
  • 9
    Jeff's answer had more detail about why it worked, but I just assumed that audiences who hadn't read the book would find the giant extra-dimensional psychic squid predators... ridiculous, especially if there wasn't enough time for a proper set-up.
    – Jack V.
    Dec 10, 2011 at 22:58

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
51

There are several reasons.

  • Running Time - adding in the explanations of the psychic squid and Vaught's teleportation machine would have made the movie run much longer. It was already at the maximum running length most people would sit through.
  • Characters - The island and its inhabitants were able to be entirely cut from the movie by eliminating the psychic squid. Adding them in would have increased the number of characters significantly and added more subplots.
  • Visual effects - Text is easy to use in comics to explain what's happening. But you can't show a psychic shock on the screen, you can't display the years of nightmares people were described as having afterwards. Explosions, though, are pretty and very visible.
  • Tales of the Black Freighter - This subplot, which confused several readers of the comic, was connected only to people on the island (and one child who played only a small part in the movie/comics), and could thus be eliminated by eliminating the psychic squid.

So in the end, it all boils down to simplifying the story's moving parts and cutting the run time to something almost reasonable.

Improve this answer
2
  • 8
    Good answer. I would have sat through 4-5 hours if it meant a 100% faithful adaptation, but my wife probably would not have.
    – Beofett
    Dec 10, 2011 at 15:02
  • 1
    That's why I always hope for a miniseries and not a movie when I hear that one of my favorites is being adapted...
    – Chris B. Behrens
    Jun 20, 2017 at 14:35
14

Director Zack Snyder explained it in terms of trying to keep the movie from running too long, as quoted in this article:

"The reason that the squid got taken out of the movie was so there’d be more Rorschach and a little bit more Manhattan. Because we did the math, and we figured it took about 15 minutes to explain [the squid’s appearance] correctly; otherwise, it’s pretty crazy."

Improve this answer
5

As far as I know there has never been an official explanation other than the ones stated in your question. However, I would imagine that it was decided that the average movie-going public would not accept the ending in the book, i.e. a giant octopus-cthulhu-vagina-monster suddenly materializing in the middle of Manhattan would not be believable to the average audience member who has no interest in or knowledge of the original comics. This is just speculation on my part, but I feel it makes sense.

Improve this answer
3
  • 5
    Of course, that's one of the great twists in the comic. Despite the more-or-less realistic tone of the rest of the story, Veidt's scheme will work because it's so over-the-top. Nobody will question what actually happened, because the truth is even more far-fetched than an invasion from another dimension.
    – Mark Bessey
    Dec 10, 2011 at 22:58
  • 6
    Actually, the movie version, where the blast that destroys NYC has the signature of Dr. Manhattan's energy, seems to me to be a more effective technique. Dr. Manhattan is the only powered superhero in that universe, and thus would be scary to the politicians and the general public. The idea of Dr. Manhattan turning on his home country would suggest that he is a threat to all of humanity. This would be more likely to unite nations against the outside threat.
    – Martha F.
    Dec 11, 2011 at 19:59
  • @MarthaF. I agree. Redirecting humanity’s aggression toward Dr. Manhattan fits much better with the anti-hero sentiment that had already been building up in the Watchmen universe.
    – jamesdlin
    Jun 9, 2016 at 23:09
1

My impression is that the writers, director, and producers of the movie wanted to make the story a bit more topical and timely. I also suspect that they were worried about how strange and even silly the sudden appearance of a gigantic, psychic squid would seem to the audience.

Therefore, they decided to insert a connection between Adrian's evil plan on the one hand, and the climate change crisis on the other hand. There was no need, or even desire, for a monster squid to show up at the end of the film. The climax, now that the squid was no longer needed, involved two conflicting entities: Adrian and Dr. Manhattan.

Instead of addressing the Cold War exclusively, the movie could now also make reference to climate change, renewable energy, and the environment. This was desirable, because when the original comic books were written, the Cold War was still going on, but when the movie was made, it had been over for more than 20 years.

All of these factors combined to produce the ending we saw on the screen: a weird psychic squid was replaced by a more sensible and, in a way, more plausible, attack with much more familiar weapons, which allowed the audience to maintain their willful suspension of disbelief - something that would have been far less likely if they saw an enormous cephalopod destroying New York for no apparent reason.

In a comic book, a huge squid killing millions of people is pretty much par for the course. In a modern movie, on the other hand, it is likely to raise a few eyebrows, and attract quite a bit of criticism from people who have never read the comics. It just seems weird.

Improve this answer
-5

I think Hollywood knew what Alan Moore (the original writer) meant symbolically with the ending and they would not accept the truth, just as little as the Chinese government allows free speech in their part of the world. Watchmen is a sword aimed precisely at governments, bankers and Hollywood style big businesses and corporations. Dr. Manhattan symbolizes the Manhattan project and the US government itself. The revelation is that the government will create wars and enemies (such as giant squids or Al-Qaeda or ISIS and so on) to take people's attention away from the real problem in society such as taxation and fractional reserve banking. You guys should know that Alan Moore is quite an anarchic personality and thinker and Hollywood would just not accept that message.

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    So why was it changed? Can you edit your post to clarify?
    – Edlothiad
    Jun 20, 2017 at 14:17
  • See answer above. The Watchmen ending was probably changed because the producers or funders did not like Alan Moore's agenda.
    – Vesa
    Jun 20, 2017 at 21:50

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.