Image courtesy of moviemania.io
Hello, everyone. For those who read my schedule post, you may remember that while I was going through the plans I had for this year, I hinted at another special review towards the end… but not for the reasons you may think.
It’s a thriller, and while you could say it’s a sci-fi thriller, it is, but it’s more of a psychological one. I normally never really do this unless it relates to something like spoilers, but I need to do it this time because it’s important for something like this.
Before I continue on with the review, I need to forewarn anyone who’s interested upon reading it: If you’re squeamish, there are some moments in this movie that are startling (as in things like loud bang sounds and shocking events that are kind of “out there,” for lack of a better phrase), dark and at times depressing (like a tragic event in the main character’s childhood, and those who have seen the movie will know what I’m talking about; all I’ll say about it is that in the parts of this movie where it does happen, you don’t see it, but you do see the aftermath, and I can completely understand people being affected by it), and pretty deep at times, too (especially one line in the middle of the movie), and they’re all still pretty messed up either way. This goes for both Cuts: The Theatrical Cut and especially the Director’s Cut. Suffice it to say, if you’re hoping to be the same type of person when you finish watching it as you were when you started, I wish you the best of luck. You’ll know why I say that in the outro, but for now, and with the reader discretion having been strongly advised, on with this review.
The subject here is named for a concept in chaos theory where one small change under any circumstances can massively alter the outcome. In the case of time travel, any alteration to the past will impact the future.
This concept, and the movie named after it celebrating its 15th Anniversary this year, is best known as… The Butterfly Effect.
The story here follows college student Evan Treborn and his friends Lenny Kagan, Tommy Miller and his sister Kayleigh, who was also his childhood crush. They had numerous traumatic experiences growing up, and to make matters worse, they would often result in Evan having blackouts. Whenever Evan woke up, he would do something he didn’t remember, and so he was tasked with keeping a journal of everything that went on.
Seven years after his last blackout, Evan is in his dorm room when he discovers that by reading his journals, he can go back in time to certain parts of his past. He also discovers that the parts of his life where he blacked out were actually moments where his adult self took over his mind. However, he slowly comes to realize that the different choices he makes in the past have drastic consequences in the present.
What Worked: The first thing I’ll get into here is actually the plot. The concept itself is very fascinating, and as with any time travel movie (or show, the most recent example being NBC’s excellent series Timeless), it has to have something about it that makes it distinct from the rest, even if it doesn’t necessarily make sense. The thing about time travel is that whenever and wherever you see it, it provides some interesting “What If?” scenarios, regardless of plausibility. The way this movie puts it on display I think is very clever, and it actually shows how time travel both figuratively and literally can mess with your mind.
The aforementioned “What If?” scenarios here may not be relatable, but the main character certainly is. You do actually feel Evan’s pain at times, and for a comedic actor in a dramatic role, Ashton Kutcher gives a really good performance. He really committed to it, too; he even studied chaos theory itself, as well as psychology and mental disorders. It shows that he did his homework for this (no pun intended).
Everyone else is very good, too. Amy Smart provides the perfect counterbalance to Ashton Kutcher, and it feels like they do have genuine chemistry with each other. The close relationship between Kayleigh and Evan feels very believable because of it. It feels that much more tragic when you realize that while everyone else, such as Tommy and Lenny and even Evan’s mom Andrea, played by Melora Walters*, is certainly vulnerable because of what Evan has been doing, it’s an even bigger case between the two of them since they’ve been in love for so long. It also brings a sense of urgency for Evan to want to make everything right.
Although he’s not in it as much, William Lee Scott is still good as Tommy. He’s the character you hate for most of the movie, but at one point it pulls a 180 and you end up liking him, which is genuinely surprising for both the viewer and Evan in one line of dialogue there.
There’s also a small, but significant role in some of the events here, and that is Kayleigh and Tommy’s dad George, played by Eric Stoltz (Anaconda). It’s the same case with him: He’s good for the time he’s in it, even though you despise his character. He’s more despicable than Tommy because he’s responsible for the rough life that his children had, and basically how Tommy is in most of the movie. In fact, the two of them are each responsible for one of the dark, depressing, and pretty messed up moments mentioned earlier. I’ll leave it at that because seeing them is shocking enough as it is. Why I mention him here even with how his character is, aside from his performance, is that there’s a reason for it, which you come to realize close to the third act.
The best character in the movie is Lenny, because you really feel sorry for him the most, as he usually appears the most affected by Evan’s actions, and Elden Henson does a great job showing that in his performance. His experience here in playing the friend carrying the burden of having to deal with the main character’s actions is something that would carry over into a later role, and his best one by far: that of Matt Murdock’s best friend Foggy Nelson on Marvel’s Daredevil. He shows here that he can play that type of character really well, and it’s just as nice to see that he was able to perfect that later on.
The direction and script come from Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber, who previously wrote Final Destination 2. This has a similarly somewhat saturated look to it, and if that is any indication, they don’t hold back in terms of creating shocking moments. They had guts there with the kills (again, no pun intended), but here, they go even deeper, so why some scenes are as messed up as they are is understandable given that context. That applies to some of the dialogue as well.
The movie is also well-shot and paced in regards to both Cuts. The visuals are surprisingly really good for this type of movie, like the effects used for whenever Evan is reading his journals and whenever the timeline is altered and his memories along with them.
What Didn’t Work: Some moments may be a little too much for certain viewers (especially with the ending, regardless of which Cut you watch), although unlike other movies where it may be nothing but shock value, it actually makes sense. There are also plot holes here and there in the Theatrical Cut, but they are pretty much resolved in the Director’s Cut. However, the Director’s Cut becomes even more messed up with some of the events, particularly when you get to the ending. The dialogue is like that on occasion as well.
Overall: The Butterfly Effect is one of those movies where it’s so messed up to where you can’t take your eyes (and ultimately your mind) off of it. It’s not as deeply complex as, say, Inception or The Matrix, or even more recent sci-fi like Ex Machina or Annihilation, but one thing it does have in common with movies such as those is that it’s the kind of sci-fi that messes with your mind, mainly when it comes to the premise itself and how it’s presented on screen.
The thing that distinguishes it from those in terms of how exactly it plays with your mind is not necessarily through playing mind games or mind tricks. It’s much deeper, and perhaps more personal, than that, hence why I said I wish the best of luck to those hoping to be the same person when you finish it as you were when you started. Chances are you won’t be. Some of the moments that are tough to watch in particular will more than likely make you look back on the parts of your life that you felt could have been better and reflect on them because of how tough they are to watch**; you may end up thinking you probably didn’t have it as badly as the characters themselves do, or maybe even the other way around.
If it’s those moments that have made people end up not liking this movie (and there are many who don’t), then I completely understand. For me, though, I found more to like about this one than not, and for those who are interested, I’d say check it out, but keep the warning in the beginning of the review in mind if you do.
Also, if you are interested in checking it out, and you don’t already have a copy of it, it’s not hard to find elsewhere at the time of doing this review… and I don’t mean on TV, I’ll put it that way.
*She does still show up in a lot of movies, but when it comes to more mainstream ones, that’s more rare. The most recent example is something I’ll hint at until I get to the review for it: It’s based on a character who was previously played by an actor who co-starred on That 70’s Show with Ashton Kutcher.
**I would know.