Good, but unelaborated, philosophical points.

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2006)

Normally, I don't look at the philosophy behind movies, but this one in particular got me thinking: what if we had a chance to change our lives by altering the past? The Butterfly Effect almost perfectly answers this question through a hypothetical scenario. I didn't pay much attention to the acting, music, or lighting, since the storyline was so deep and captivating.
At first, the story is vague with the events in Evan's childhood. Then, as he gets older and looks back into (and alters) his past, it's fascinating to see how everything connects, clicks, and fits together. I also, on many occasions, watched in disbelief or astonishment as some decisions were made.
I was able to develop three philosophical points that this movie offered. One: the past shapes who you are, so make good decisions and they won't haunt you in the future. Two: when you try to change who you are, you usually only make things worse. And three: sometimes we have to let something (or someone) go if we want everything to work out in the end. If you want to see how this factors into the storyline, then watch the movie.
The only upsetting thing I encountered while watching this is that the director didn't elaborate on the philosophies that were offered. They were thrown out there, and they were expressed to a degree, but there was no elaboration. I would have expected a deeper line of thinking so that people's lives would be more enriched by this kind of philosophy. Unfortunately, my only disappointment was that it fell short of said expectations and landed in the sci-fi/thriller category. However, that does not mean that this is a bad movie.
This movie may or may not be philosophical to the average viewer, but it definitely got my mind racing, my heart beating, and my backside on the edge of my seat. Even if you don't notice any of the points mentioned above, this movie would still be greatly enjoyable.