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Movie Review - The Butterfly Effect
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber |
| Starring: |
Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Eric Stoltz |
| Rated: |
R (violence, sexual content, nudity, strong profanity, and drug use) |
| Length: |
113 minutes |
| Genre: |
Thriller |
| Website: |
The Butterfly Effect |
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PLOT
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Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) suffered blackouts as a child. As a result, he can't remember the most
traumatic moments of his young life. At the suggestion of a psychologist, he began to keep a journal
in which he took notes on all aspects of his everyday life.
Once he gets to college, Evan finds that his journals inexplicably have the power to send him back in
time. He can now fill in the blanks of his blackouts and alter his history and the history of those
around him. However, though his intentions are good, Evan soon finds out that one small change can
cause things to go drastically wrong. Unpredictability and Ashton Kutcher's beard ensue.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Intense. Shocking. Disturbing. All words used to describe Johnny Betts' reviews. But, these words
equally refer to "The Butterfly Effect." I don't care what the critics say; I like this movie. It's
original, it's totally unpredictable, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Formulaic, it most
definitely is not.
One of the big questions people have about this movie is, "Can Ashton Kutcher pull off a serious role?"
I'm here to say that Ashton and his "look at how serious I am" beard managed to impress me. You've
gotta understand that Ashton is being asked to portray a character that not only had some very
traumatic childhood moments, but it's also a character who has been stuck with the same hair cut for
the past 10 years. I'd like to see Tom Hanks pull that off!
After the screening I heard an older woman say, "Wow, I didn't know Ashton Kutcher could act like that."
I think a lot of people are going to have the same reaction. I had my reservations going in, but I felt
he stepped up to the task and held his own.
The rest of the cast does a good job as well. Most notably, Amy Smart (best known as Noel's girlfriend on
"Felicity") turns in an admirable performance. Thanks to the time travel aspect of the movie, her character
was required to reflect several different personality types. She handled this very well and showed good
range. And Eric Stoltz climbed out of whatever rock he's been under to effectively play the sleaze ball
pedophile dad of Amy's character.
Is this movie for the faint of heart? No way. It has possibly some of the most disturbing images I've
seen in a movie since "Seven." It's not overly gory though. This movie disturbs you the most with what
is implied rather than what is shown. You see what's *about* to happen and then it's up to you to form
the image in your own mind.
Is this movie totally plausible? Of course not. I've actually heard some critics complain that you have
to "suspend disbelief" too much. Come on, it's about a guy who can hop scotch through time and fill in the
blanks of his childhood! It's called a CONCEPT! Ever heard of judging a movie based on whether or not it
works within the concept?? If you're the type of person who complains about the scientific accuracy of
EVERY single movie you see, then consider yourself warned.
"So Johnny, what exactly is the 'Butterfly Effect'?" Ah, good question. It's an illustration of the
chaos theory, which states that, "the beating of butterfly wings in China can affect the course of an
Atlantic hurricane" (Douglas Adams). Once Evan realizes he can fill in the blanks of his past, he tries
to do so in such a way that the future will be changed for the better. But as his dad tries to warn him,
"You can't change who people are without destroying who they were."
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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There's no way I'd see this movie with my mother. It's definitely for an older crowd. Ashton's teenage
groupies and those who are squeamish should stay away. Profanity (50+ "f" words) is extreme, and there
are quite a few sexual situations (including brief female nudity). I'm not sure why these things are
usually deemed necessary because all they really serve to do is lessen the movie's audience.
Also, if you're easily offended by disturbing and shocking images, then you might wanna think hard before
laying your money down for this one. If you can handle "Seven" then you should be able to handle this.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I found the trailer to be intriguing. It does a good job of setting up the premise of the movie
without giving away too much. My fear was the movie wouldn't live up to the trailer, but thankfully
that wasn't the case. If you didn't find the trailer at all interesting, then don't expect something
completely different if you choose to see the movie.
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THE GIST
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This is one of the better plot-driven movies I've seen in a while. Much like "Identity," it continually takes
you out of your comfort zone and mixes things up. And while the movie ends on a "positive" note, it's probably
not what you're expecting.
If you're looking for something dark and disturbing that will keep you guessing and thinking,
then go with "The Butterfly Effect" because "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton" most likely won't fill
that bill.
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