Review
The Butterfly Effect
- Director
- Eric Bress
- J. Mackye Gruber
- Year
- 2004
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Evan (Ashton Kutcher) learns at a young age that he suffers from a mental disease he inherited from his father. As it happens, he has blackouts from time to time. After he “wakes up” he can’t remember anything that just happened, which makes up for a quite frustrating existence considering his best friend Kayleigh (Amy Smart) is always in danger when surrounded by her abusive brother (William Lee Scott) and father (Eric Stoltz). As Evan grows up he finds a way to remember what really happened during those blackouts, most of which happened during crucial moments in his life that, if changed, could translate into a different future for everyone involved.
The Butterfly Effect took me off-guard. I went into this movie not really knowing what it was about. Yes, that’s true. And credit should go to the people behind its marketing campaign, which didn’t need to explain every plot point or twist while promoting the movie. When the movie starts you don’t really know what’s going to happen, but you do realize that you’re in for a wild and original experience. Then it starts to unfold even more, and suddenly things start to make sense, although that doesn’t mean the movie is predictable, for it is anything but that.
I liked the movie as a successful piece of entertainment with brains. It isn’t such a revolutionary thing, but for movies about teens (especially starring Kutcher) this one stands among the best. Perhaps it is because the movie actually makes you think. If you’re in for a lazy time at the movies, this one isn’t for you. You’re required to think, remember and participate in equal measures.
I found the central theme, about how one single event in one’s life can change the future of many, to be fascinating. It isn’t the first time it’s been tackled onscreen, but the movie does manage to make its point and present a profound look at how fragile one’s destiny can really be. Evan sure was involved in many over-the-top life-changing events, but what really matters is what the movie is trying to say, whether in its most dramatic moments or its more suspenseful ones.
As the movie plays it’s difficult to really delve into plot holes, but after watching it you’ll be left thinking about this or that. I spotted one that actually bothered me a bit, but in such a complicated movie, I was glad my intelligence was never insulted. It happens when Evan goes back to a scene in which he visits his dad in a mental institution. Evan doesn’t really change anything in that scene regarding its outcome, yet his life is completely different once he’s back to present day. Also, it’s difficult to keep up with the movie’s timeline, but ultimately that doesn’t matter much, and it’s questionable to really think how much Evan really remembers each time around once he comes back from the past. Then again, there’s a plot device at the end concerning some old home videos which I didn’t quite buy, for it contradicts a crucial plot element in the movie. Or does it? Who knows! The thing is… I enjoyed the movie, period.
Ashton Kutcher gets his chance to play against type and I must say he’s only ok. His performance is fitting but nothing more. Amy Smart is more successful essentially playing different versions of the same character. She’s also gorgeous, which can’t hurt. And Melora Walters, as Evan’s mom, seemed out of place to me at first, but then she slipped into her role with bravado and made me feel more comfortable with her performance.
By the way, I completely loved the ending!
“If I can somehow go back to the beginning of all this, I might be able to save her...”
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Comments
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Mithrandir wrote at 9/6/2004 8:39:30 PM:
I went to watch this movie expecting it to be something. It turned out to be something totally different, and not in a positive way. I've never been much of a fan of Ashton Kutcher. Still, when I saw the trailers for this movie, I told myself that I should give it a chance, just to judge for myself whether it was good or bad. I saw it. I went out of the theater and still couldn't believe I wasted my time watching it.I didn't enjoy the acting. I thought the cast wasn't very good. Then again, in most teen movies, the cast is never good. I do agree with you in that this teen movie stands separate from the others on its genre. It is much darker and it makes you think, a first for these type of movies. Even with all that, I still don't like the movie. Its too confusing. I was able to understand it completely, but I still thought all the plot holes and the "unfinished endings" made the movie bad in general. On top of that, the ending wasn't what I expected. There will be movies where I will want to have an "anti-climatic" ending and others where I will want the happy, Hollywood ending. The Scarlet Letter comes to mind as the perfect example. I thought the book was fine as it was, but they changed the ending in the movie and that was a very bad move on their part.
Back to the movie. If you want to have the option of an alternate ending (I'm not going to give away the original ending of the movie for those who haven't seen it), rent the DVD and watch it with the option of the alternate ending. It'll make things "better".