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The Butterfly Effect (2004)

The Butterfly Effect
"Wouldn't it be awesome if I could somehow sneak up behind Michael Jackson and yell 'Punkd,' that would so rule."

Starring:

Ashton Kutcher
Amy Smart
Elden Henson.

Released By:

New Line Cinema

Released In:

2004

Rated:

R

Reviewed By:

Adam Mast

Grade:

C+
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Going into the new thriller The Butterfly Effect, I expected to get Punk'd.
The coming attraction trailer made the movie look pretty stupid. I was quite
surprised to find that this film has a wildly creative premise. Unfortunately, it's undermined by weak acting and an intrusive musical score that swells in all the wrong places.

Kutcher is Evan Treborn, a man with a strange gift (or curse). Through reading journals he's kept through his turbulent life, he is able to transport himself into past - with the ability to change history in order to right situations that once went wrong (remember the TV show Quantum Leap?). Of course, each time he corrects an error he felt he made, he creates an all new present, and soon realizes that with each correction comes a new set of unwelcome circumstances.

Forget about where this amazing talent comes from. The Butterfly Effect
requires suspension of disbelief in order to be totally enjoyed. But to be won over by a premise this implausible, we really need to care about the characters, and that's where this film doesn't quite pull things off. The sub par acting brings Butterfly Effect's gimmick to the forefront, so instead of marveling at what's going on, much of the time I was rolling my eyes.

Kutcher is funny on That 70's show and he's funny on Punk'd, but unfortunately, he is unable to make that transition from lovable goofball to serious actor. There's just no sense of real drama here, and his little romantic scenes with Amy Smart don't ring true. Smart gives her all, and we see several different versions of her emotionally scarred character. The
common link among all the versions we see of Smart is vulnerability, and she is able to convey this even if some moments are overplayed. The best
performance in The Butterfly Effect comes courtesy of Jesse James (soon to
be seen in Rocco DeVilliers' Fly Boys) as the troubled young Tommy. He is
chillingly evil and even though some of his actions seem a little over the
top, I was compelled by this creepy turn.

The screenplay and direction by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber (they wrote Final Destination 2) is solid in terms of style. The film moves along at a brisk pace, presenting a fair share of sudden jolts, and I must confess, I was intrigued to see where the movie was going. I also liked the little nods to other films. I enjoyed a sequence in which a group of kids go to the local theater to check out a screening of Seven. And in an even
weirder nod, there are two disturbed characters in the picture named Jason
and Tommy (in what I'm sure is a reference to the Friday the 13th
franchise). Unfortunately, much of the dialogue is stilted and some of the
relationships in The Butterfly Effect left a bit to be desired. There were also serious moments in the picture that came across as all too silly (I didn't buy Eric Stoltz as a child molester at all).

The Butterfly Effect definitely tries to blow you away with it's surprise
revelations in the same way that The Sixth Sense did, and it also has
elements of the Gwyneth Paltrow romance Sliding Doors (if you can believe
that), but in terms of overall tone, it really reminded me of a Stephen King story. Evan's gift was reminiscent of Johnny's power in The Dead Zone, and the friendships aspect of the picture as well as the token bully character in the movie, reminded me of elements in Stand By Me and It.

My favorite part of The Butterfly Effect was it's unexpected and bittersweet
ending. After Evan witnesses all the different results of choices made, his
decision at the end of the film is an interesting one, albeit a tad abrupt. It is a fulfilling conclusion to a sporadically entertaining movie.

:: zBoneman.com Reader Comments ::

Add Your Own Comment
Lisa

Lisa

I just wanted to compliment you on one part of youe review...."The best performance in The Butterfly Effect comes courtesy of Jesse James (soon to be seen in Rocco DeVilliers' Fly Boys) as the troubled young Tommy. He is

chillingly evil and even though some of his actions seem a little over the

top, I was compelled by this creepy turn."

Jesse James is my favorite actor and I am very glad you gave him the credit he deserves. However, I believe the review shouldn't have shut out Ashton Kutcher as an actor. (This is coming from a teenager) I was amazed at his performance. O well. Thank you very much for giving Jesse James the credit he deserves.

-Lisa

Adam

Adam

Lisa,

Thanks for the comments. I just had an opportunity to do a little "extra" work on Fly Boys. Jesse wasn't there. His scenes wrapped a while ago, but it was a fun time nevertheless. We'll have a set report up shortly. By the way, I do like Ashton Kutcher. He isn't terrible. I just have a hard time watching him in anything outside of That 70's Show and Punk'd. Thanks for checking out our site.

Big Diz

Big Diz

"Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?" Evan Treborn has always had moments of his life that he could not remember due to a series of black outs he started having when he was seven years old. His father suffered some of the same effects and had to be institutionalized because of them, causing his mother to be greatly worried. But, when she takes him to the doctor there seems to be nothing wrong with him. So the doctor suggests that Evan keep a series of journals and that they might help him to jog some of the memories he cannot seem to hold onto. But after numerous tragedies his mother decides that they need to movie and that maybe by getting away Evan might get better. But Evan must leave the girl he loves and cares for Kayleigh Miller behind and he promises to return for her. But seven years later he has almost forgotten about her and moved on as he is now a psych major at a university researching the effects of memories to try and unlock his past. But when a date encourages him to read one of his journals to her he discovers the most amazing thing, he is able to travel back in time to inhabit his childhood body by trying to unlock his memories. But he finds out that every trip back has unintended results on his present self, leading him to travel back again and again, trying to repair the damage that he's only making worse and worse to try and save the girl that he loves and make their past not so tragic.

Some movies have such amazing premises and stories that almost everything else becomes secondary. The premise of the Butterfly Effect is like that, it evolves from chaos theory that theorizes that a tiny event can disrupt a larger pattern by have a rippling, amplified effect that results in anomalies that wouldn't ordinarily occur. It is an amazing theory that can almost be mind staggering but it also turns out to be an amazing that movie that just totally enthralls you and keeps you glued to your seat with anticipation and wonderment. Some people might think that because they cast Ashton Kutcher as the lead that the movie might not be as good as it can be but it is. Ashton Kutcher did a wonderful and very believable job as someone who has the ability to alter their own reality and all those around them. Ashton Kutcher is certainty not the top tier in Hollywood as far as acting goes but he proves that a lot of people probably have underrated him and not given him credit for being a good actor, even if normally the roles he takes on our silly. He carries the movie with his presence and is a good match for the amazing story that evolves around him. I have to say that I was a little disappointed by the ending as I was hoping for and expecting something else. The ending made me a little sad, a little angry and will probably stick with me a lot longer than any other movie in recent history. I absolutely loved the movie despite being a little mad at the ending and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for an incredible story, good acting and one heck of a enthralling movie that will have you talking about it after words.

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