This film is very underrated

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2004)

Ever since I first saw previews for this film, I was excited about it. Anytime the subject of time travel is approached, it usually makes for a good film with the acception of the god awful Time Machine. However, the film did have the critics going against it, and Ashton Kutcher trying to play in a dramatic role.
I finally got to see the movie recently, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the movie turned out to be. While it is not the best time travel film I have ever seen, it was extremely entertaining and suspenseful to see all the different lifetimes being played out. I really enjoyed the fact that Kutcher's character used his mind to travel in time and not a machine. The movie can be frustrating at times. In fact, after the first 20 minutes of the film I had serious doubts. Things would happen, followed by Ashton's Kutcher's character having a blackout right at the moment when an explanation was needed. This left myself and the rest of the audience feeling confused at what was playing out. But after the film gets over the initial speed bump in the beginning, The Butterfly Effect turns into a riveting thriller and everything is explained in the long run. The entire cast did a fantastic job in my opinion. While I still feel that Ashton Kutcher is not a very good actor, he did a lot better than I thought he would, especially considering the fact that he is known for being a comedy actor.
One of the best things about this film was the ending. It was not your typical happy ending. While every character's life turned out for the better, Kutcher's character still experiences loss and regret by how the story turns out. I was very happy with the ending, because it actually manages to leave your emotions feeling conflicted, which gets you thinking about how things could have been. Anytime you leave the theater in discussion about what you would have done differently, it means that the film made an impression on you. That is definately something that The Butterfly Effect manages to do.
I really don't understand the harsh treatment from critics. In Entertainment Weekly, the average grade for this film is a "C-". While The Butterfly Effect does have its flaws, it turned out to be a riveting thriller, with an original take on timetravel and an unpredictable ending.
8/10