Surprisingly Brilliant

Rating: 8/10 (13 January 2012)

What a surprise this was! Having not seen any previous reviews or heard any opinions on "The Butterfly Effect", I was expecting a low budget, churned out B-movie with a mediocre cast and a boring story. What I got was the total opposite! The cast are superb in this non-stop thriller and each actor displays their versatility since their personalities change with each alternate reality. The story had me gripped from the very beginning and is so spectacularly clever that it is damn near impossible to pick any holes in it.
What surprised me most was Ashton Kutcher as the desperate protagonist who is unwillingly caught up in trying to change how his life turns out. When I saw that he was playing the main character, it put me off the film and I assumed it would be another soppy, goofy character he would be playing. Afterall, he is rarely seen elsewhere. However, he truly managed to change my opinion of him as an actor in this outstanding performance.
The film represents chaos theory in a fantastic light, showing that every decision we make, every mistake we have the chance to correct has a totally unpredictable outcome. The one thing I would say is that the film tends to focus on the bad side of it, it doesn't really explore the prospect of everything turning out well for the characters. Then again, if it had, it wouldn't have made for much of an exciting movie. Yes, the ending may be slightly depressing but it is beautiful nonetheless.
The direction of the film is marvellous, lighting and make-up as well as the construction of the settings and the visual spectacular makes for a stunning view that in my opinion has a somewhat Spielbergian vibe at certain moments.
Great film, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thought provoking films and can appreciate a good story, twists and turns at every corner and a brilliant cast including a well cast chorus of child actors. Don't be put off by the names involved, it will leave you very pleasantly surprised.