Film Reviews

The Butterfly Effect

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Amy Smart
• Details: US / 113 mins / (18).

It's difficult to know which is more ludicrous - the plot of The Butterfly Effect or the filmmakers' relentless insistence in trying to make us take Ashton Kutcher seriously. Gormless Ashton plays Evan Treborn, a college student who has suffered from a series of severe blackouts throughout his calamitous life. He's determined to find out what's been happening to him and rectify it before it marrs the rest of his days. Of course, we learn - via a series of flashbacks - that Evan's had a pretty bad time of it and has been subjected to a litany of heavy duty abuse. So far, so plausible. But then the filmmakers go for gold by suggesting that if Evan reads some of his childhood journals, he will be thrown across time and space (accompanied by a generic rock soundtrack) and will be able to influence his life in ways he never thought possible. But sometimes these small changes can have a massive impact on the future in ways that he can't possibly predicted...
Confused? Yes, but not half as much as poor old Ashton who doesn't seem to have a clue as to what's going on. Utterly overwritten and lacking in discernible shape or structure, The Butterfly Effect simply has too much going on to make it anything far beyond a bland diversion. Taking itself way too seriously, the film squirms under a weight of hefty unnecessary imagery and a screenplay with more holes in it than a building site. But then again, what else do you expect from the folks who wrote 'Final Destination 2'?

Review by Garreth Murphy