Dude, where's my memories?

Rating: Null/10 (2 August 2004)

*SPOILERS* (Read at own risk.)
I rented this and only watched the Director's Cut, then had to flip the disk over because the "alternate" ending in the deleted/alternate scenes section didn't fit anything I had seen in that version of the movie.
Confused, I watched the theater version ending. I can't believe someone butchered it! I know, I know, the first one came out and the Director's Cut for all purposes is the "new" version, but the ending of the Director's Cut was so good...why would anyone mess with it?
I wanted to know what the main reason was for changing the original ending that was in the script. Is it because it was too dark with the main character killing himself? Did it not test well? I went back and watched the original ending and that didn't make sense with all the hoopla about his mom saying, "He was a miracle child" and the fortune teller saying he had no soul in the Director's Cut. I can guess that these scenes either were totally cut or modified to not put that into the film. Those parts made the film all the more supernatural and psychologically scary for me, that Evan could pass this to his sons and the cycle could start anew and this made Evan a freak of nature. A mistake. A mistake that costs him the lives of those near to him, no matter what he does. Just like his dad who also dies, trying to kill his son, which brings up the point that maybe Jason tried to kill himself too and it didn't work.
It makes sense that Evan dies at the end. If he keeps doing what his dad did, then his friend he lives with won't be safe, his mom still won't be safe and everyone he touches won't be safe. He may, in the future, actually see Kayley and talk to her, even if he didn't this time. Chaos might fight, yet Destiny could win. Then what happens to them? Maybe they are both married and their affair kills someone? They have a son and he kills someone or changes things? It is back to square one. Yes, he does burn his journals and films, but he could change time by memory at this point, since he has done it so much.
Why is that a good ending...better than the one where the child kills himself in the womb, which is much darker and completely original, as opposed to the "two ships in the night" ending, which has been done before in time travel type movies. Why? Why? Why? Did they get more money for filming with a more conventional ending that doesn't that a risk?
I would have been upset seeing this in the theater in its original release and probably wouldn't have rented it to see the director's cut, so I am glad I waited. It is always better to wait!
Oh, my question about the DVD is...why didn't they have the "alternate" ending footage, known in the commentary as Evan's "stalker" scene, where he chats up Kayley for coffee, on the side with the theater release ending? It would save us renters the problem of scratching our heads, wondering what happened to get him on the street with a cell phone and away from the womb? Plus, why does only the Director's Cut side have commentary? I was hoping to rewatch it, but only the theater release version with commentary. I can't really do that now. My only options are to watch the director's cut right after I already saw it with commentary or watch the theater release without commentary or do both. And frankly this video is due tomorrow at noon, so I won't have time to do both! Annoying!
Anyone else find Infinifilm DVDs more bothersome than fun? I remember renting Goldmember and watching all the extras, thinking that the Infinifilm stuff would be fun if I watched it a second time, but it was all the same stuff. They really should put in the DVD that the footage is the same. Plus, you can't run the "Fun Facts" and the commentary or subtitles at the same time, which is a nuisance to me.

Overall, I was surprised that Ashton Kutcher could pull this off for the most part, instead of it becoming, "Dude, Where's My Brain?" There were two rough parts...when he woke up one time, he acted very silly, which made me and the person I was viewing it with laugh a lot. It was so over the top and not very good acting. The second time was when he ran down the halls at the end...it was like girly running and I had to start laughing again...both times, my view of the film changed because of these bad actor moments. Amy Smart was good.
I did think the mother character seemed a bit young to have a 20+ year old son, but that is Hollywood for you. Or Vancouver for you...
I thought the script was better than average, of course the original script and ending are much better. The effects were nice and didn't detract from the story. The idea of self sacrifice for the greater good was a dark but powerful message, one that wasn't explored in the movie release as seriously...there is a big difference between death and not being able to see someone...and people could argue which is worse, but I think death is worse for myself. Plus, the womb shots were just very cool. I have never seen a child kill itself in the womb before in a movie. Delightfully original. I hope the directors do some good work in the future. Recommended as a rental if you watch the Director's Cut first.