The "If I could change one thing about X" game

[danielsangeo]

So, in this game, you take a movie, television show, video game, book, or other form of story-driven entertainment and you change one thing about it to make it a much better story, change its tone, outcome or message, or anything to make the story stronger. This is, of course, completely subjective, but I was thinking about this today so I wanted to see how it fares.

 

This is also open to discussion, but let's keep it mature and respectful. Also, major spoilers in this thread since we're talking about plot. I think the spoiler tag would be useless here so be forewarned!

 

I'll begin:

 

If I could change one thing about the movie "The 'burbs", I would change the ending.

 

The movie is about a family who move into a house in a cul-de-sac and, due to their strange behavior, arouse the suspicions of the nosy neighbors. After a neighbor vanishes, the family is immediately suspect. As the remaining neighbors try (and fail) to surreptitiously investigate the disappearance, the family leaves on a day trip, prompting the nosy neighbors to break into the family's house to find evidence that the family has killed this person. They find no evidence and, while they're digging in the basement, the neighbor who had vanished returns home, alive--he had a heart attack and was in the hospital, the family is blameless. This news comes too late and the neighbors hit a gas line buried beneath the house, causing the house to burst into flames and explode. The family, having witnessed what was going on, brings the police to have the nosy neighbors arrested. One of the neighbors (Tom Hanks) is injured in the explosion and, after exploding in anger himself at the other neighbor, ranting in typical Tom Hanks fashion about how "we're the lunatics" and not the family, throws himself into a waiting ambulance.

 

One of the family members, who is a doctor, joins Hanks in the ambulance and accidentally reveals that they had murdered the previous owners of the house (the family member believes he found evidence of the murder before the explosion, though he had not). After a struggle in the ambulance spills back out onto the street, Hanks's character says that he was right all along and one of the nosy neighbors notices that the trunk of the family's car is filled with human skulls. The family is arrested and Hanks walks off camera with his family saying that he needs a vacation (from the vacation he was on in the movie).

 

The way I'd change this ending is that I'd keep the strange family innocent, which would've created a lot stronger message about getting into other people's business just because they don't fit the per-established mold.

[Psychotic Ninja]

If I could change one thing with Digimon Season 2, it would be the love triangle between Matt, Sora, and Tai. Every fan of the show agrees that it should of been Tai and Sora who ended up with each other, AND NOT MATT AND SORA! The change came out of friggin nowhere, had zero development between the two seasons, movie(s) included. Sure, it's not as bad as the epilogue, but that's another thing.

[Pinkie Pie]

If I could change one thing about EA, it would be Bioware. Let yourself come back to the land of creative freedom, captive ones! I know you are weak right now, but we can beat this awful scourge! Shed your skin and show us what for!

[alphabetagamma]

If I could change one thing about Canaan, I'd unstupid the ending. Just thinking about it drives me insane.

 

The entire time it's less than subtly hinted that the protagonist and deuteragonist have romantic feelings (or are at least damn close friends). After a bizarre plot revolving around pseudo-superpowered angsty teens with guns, the two main characters get sperated, both in life threatening situations. The good guys barely deus ex machina their way through, the bad lady amputates her own arm with a handgun and falls off a moving train into a canyon.

 

Then, rather than find out if the other is alive, Maria and Canaan find it a better idea to simply not see each other. Ever. Or call each other, or communicate in any way, except for having each other in their hearts. I guess they didn't find it necessary to tell each other they weren't horribly murdered or something.

 

I can only imagine there was supposed to be some kind of sequel that didn't work out, but for christ's sake, if you're not completely sure you'll have funding for a sequel, try not leaving people at the most frustrating ending ever. Thanks for the conniption inducing final episode guys.

[danielsangeo]

I am ambivalent about this one but there is a strong part of me that wishes this change could happen, as possibly an alternative cut of the movie:

 

In the movie "Happy Feet", a penguin named Mumble is born with an inability to properly sing (but can tap dance like nobody's business). This leads to eventual ostracization after being blamed for the reduction in the fish population. Mumble is told that aliens are taking huge quantities of fish so sets out on a quest to find these aliens and get them to stop taking such large quantities of fish. After a long ordeal, Mumble finds a large ship pulling up a net full of thousands upon thousands of fish. Mumble initially tries to free the fish but is knocked back into the water with a long stick.

 

The ship moves away and Mumble steadfastly follows it back to its destination. Exhausted, Mumble washes up on the shore of the United States where he is found by some humans. He wakes up inside an aquarium on display with other penguins. He sees the aliens--human beings--and begins to speak to them about taking such large quantities of fish. They don't seem to hear him so he speaks louder, until he's begging and pleading at the top of his lungs for them to stop taking such large quantities of fish. The camera shifts to the human-side of the glass and Mumble is no longer heard speaking English but instead squawking unintelligibly. Then he hears the voice of his family in a dream state. They congratulate Mumble for finding the fish (the penguins are fed by dead fish being thrown at them from out of sight) and he panics, throwing the fish to them, but they hit...the aquarium wall. Mumble frantically throws fish at the wall and the camera suddenly pans up above the aquarium, then pans up to the United States view, then pans up to the view of the Earth, tiny, hanging in space.

 

It is a really wrenching scene.

 

The camera cuts to black and for a moment, you think the movie is over. Then they fade back in with a heartbroken Mumble staring at his reflection in the water until a little human girl begins tapping on the glass. Mumble begins tapping to the same beat with his feet. The little girl brings her mother to show the tapdancing penguin. This draws more people to the penguin and sparks a worldwide debate over man's place in the world and how their actions are affecting the penguin population. Mumble is released back to his place of birth and scientists witness the entire flock of penguins tap dancing in unison. At the end, the humans decide to stop taking such massive quantities of fish, allowing the penguins to have a happy life.

 

Myself, I was sitting in the theater watching the movie and kind of wish they had ended the movie right after the pan-up-to-the-Earth sequence. It would've made the movie far more wrenching and compelling.

 

But, if they had to make it a happier ending, they could've done the entire thing, but leave out Lovelace's little soliloquy at the end. I did not like that AT ALL.

[Psychotic Ninja]

If I could change one thing about Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones, I would of made it so there was a good/evil meter in the game, and your actions throughout the game would alter the ending depending on you being the good prince or the dark/evil prince.

[ThePest179]

If I could change one thing about XCOM: Enemy Unknown, I would remove the turn based strategy system, and have friendly military law enforcement help with missions, instead of just being by yourself.

[Jek Jek Roo]

If I could change one thing about Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones, I would of made it so there was a good/evil meter in the game, and your actions throughout the game would alter the ending depending on you being the good prince or the dark/evil prince.

 

damn, that would be great!

 

If I could change anything it would be probably Star Wars Kotor 2 game. I would change the production time from 11 months to like.. maybe 2 years and wait for a masterpiece game. Or change it's engine to a Mass Effect one.