Something that struck me as a weak plot point was the ending even though I liked it better that the alien squid. If you nuked NY and the other major cities there wouldn't be world peace and certainly not a newspaper pining for something to write about. Most likely there would be utter chaos. Possibly the biggest port in the nation and center of the financial world. Most likely the country would be in a socio-economic meltdown that would be difficult to recover from.
The new ending would not really work in the real world. And the reason is simple:
Rest of the world, including USSR, 5 seconds after the explosions: "THE SUPERAMERICAN HAS DESTROYED OUR CITIES! WAAAAR! KILL ALL AMERICANS!"
USA: "But, you know, he's not really human..."
Rest of the world: "HE'S AMERICAN! NIXON KEPT SHOWING HIM OFF, AMERICANS KEPT SHOWING HIM OFF, AMERICA KEPT SHOWING HIM OFF, HE'S ONE OF THEM!"
USA: "But..."
Rest of the World: "HE'S AMERICAN!!! We remember that whole 'superman is real and he's American' crack. You can't fool us."
USA: "Well, but he did destroy New York, too"...
Rest of world: "WHO GIVES A DAMN, AND HE ONLY DID IT ANYWAY BECAUSE NIXON HATED JEWISH LIBERALS BECAUSE OF OUR TOURISTS AND BUSINESS INTERESTS THERE!"
Etc...
Of course, the same thing (it wouldn't work) could be said about the original ending too, especially after 9/11. Al Quaeda didn't make the Russians and Americans team up to wipe out Islam. So why would an alien attack?
