Remarkably Compelling, Though Less Than Perfect

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2012)

I was ready to review this movie with a 10 out of 10 after seeing it for the first time, but I knew I should sit back and think about it for a bit before I did - and I was right, my thoughts are somewhat different now that I've had time to process.
I still think The Butterfly Effect is pretty fantastic. It gets at some pretty heavy stuff - it's difficult to watch at some parts - but that's what hits you and stays with you and really makes you think, because it explores psychology and human nature, more specifically how what people experience as kids affects the rest of their lives. Though using chaos theory's butterfly effect as the title and premise might be slightly misguided (the butterfly effect suggests that infinitesimal changes in initial conditions result in completely different outcomes, which is not exactly what happens), the idea that this film develops is still an interesting one.
Evan, our title character, has a chance to go back and change specific moments in his life - moments he recognizes as pivotal - in order to change the future into something better, but each time he changes something, there are unforeseen consequences that alter the future for the worst. Despite the multiple futures he writes for himself, however, certain things remain constant: for instance, he always ends up at the same college. Most importantly, the four kids who form a somewhat dysfunctional group of friends in the first timeline gravitate towards one another in other timelines, even when they don't become friends as children. In the endings where Evan doesn't erase himself completely, he and Lenny are roommates, and when Evan and Kayleigh pass each other on the street, she seems to recognize him.
A note on endings, because there are four (two main ones), and whichever one you see colors your view of the film: I'm glad that they didn't go with the "you're in a mental hospital, it's all a hallucination" cop-out, although that would have accounted for plot inconsistencies I mention later (if it was "all in his head", the fact that some things don't make sense would... make sense?). I definitely got the feeling that they weren't quite sure what to do at the end if not the "nothing's real" route, though. I didn't know what the movie was leading up to, or where it SHOULD go, and after watching the theatrical ending and then the other three, nothing is really satisfying, although the director's cut comes the closest.
What adds a worthwhile layer to this already complex film is the shift in Evan's priorities that leads to him accidentally killing 7-year-old Kayleigh. Up until that point, every trip back in time was to save Kayleigh, or to undo Lenny's emotional trauma, or to set Tommy on the right path. When he ends up in a future with no arms and no romantic relationship with Kayleigh, everyone else is happy - but he is miserable. In his mind, saving Kayleigh and being with Kayleigh have become inseparable goals, and when he learns that this mom has lung cancer, he is almost relieved, jumping immediately to the conclusion that his accident caused her chain smoking. This gives him an excuse to go back and "fix things," which backfires catastrophically. Kayleigh's death is a wake-up call. He finally understands what his father tried to tell him: he can't play God, especially for his own selfish reasons.
The actors who play the characters' younger selves (particularly 13-year-old Tommy) are superb, and Ashton Kutcher - who I didn't realize had ever been in a serious movie (I would feel bad for how typecast he is except that he's fabulously wealthy) - is actually quite good as well. Evan is a very likable character, and you really care for all the people whose lives intersect with his.
There are some plot inconsistencies that didn't bother me upon first viewing but kind of bother me now. How does Evan convince Carlos of his powers? If he goes back and gives himself those scars, his entire history should be rewritten; though the scars would seem to appear to him, Carlos would remember them being there. Also, what was the point of having the blackouts if he can actually go back to any point in his past, even if he remembers it? However, overall, this was a film that moved me. It left me saying "wow" (albeit feeling temporarily depressed), and it's kept me thinking long after the credits rolled. It's not for the faint of heart, but for the mature audience this is definitely a worthwhile watch.