Billet with Butterfly Wings

Rating: Null/10 (23 January 2004)

`Bullet with Butterfly Wings' **SPOILERS**
The Butterfly Effect (2004) 113m R
by S10
8.5 / 10
Written and Directed by: Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber Photography: Matthew F. Leonetti Music: Michael Suby Editor: Peter Amundson
Cast: Ashton Kutcher Amy Smart Melora Walters Elden Henson Eric Stoltz
Evan Treborn is a man struggling to overcome the horrors of his past. He tries to come to terms with the fact that his father died in a mental institution and that his true love suffered abuse at the hands of a pedophile father. His periodic blackouts acted as a buffer between him and his pain. Or was there something else at work. His mother senses the turmoil of his life and moves them away when something happens to alter all their lives.
Flash forward 7 years ahead in time. Evan is now a wiz kid at the state university. But his past still haunts him and many questions remain. He begins to pore through old journals that he had started taking since his blackouts began. Through concentration on his journals he discovers the ability to affect the past and the butterfly spreads its' wings.
***spoilers*** During his move he makes the promise to come back for her and this is what drives him to try to find a way to make their lives perfect. But his changes greatly change his life and others around. He travels several times to the past and every time a loved one or himself wind up hurt or dead. All this builds up to what I found to be a sad, melancholy and ultimately inevitable end. ***end spoilers***
I got to admit the acting was a lot better than I had imagined. I had reservations about seeing Kutcher in s dramatic part (for God's sake he's Kelso) but soon learned he was more than up to the task and did very well. The beautiful Amy Smart turns in an excellent performance in her various guises. All the supporting actors did excellent job, of particular note were the young actors playing theyounger main characters.
Written and directed by the duo who wrote Final Destination 2 the script occasion takes giant leaps in logic but the actors sell us on it and strangely the one thing I hesitated the most about (the acting) ends up shoring up the scripts' shortcomings. The direction on the other had is above average and the effects enhance things nicely.
The music is a little transparent but adds enough sting to the scenes it needs to. Heavy on songs. A lot of strings convey Evan's longing for his love. The editing is quite good and even though there is not any horror per se, creates a startle now and then.
Overview:
An above average thriller than conjures up echoes of Donnie Darko and Stand by Me. Excellent acting partnered up with good direction and a decent script made for a Suprisingly good movie. Fans of Donnie Darko check it out.

`Despite all my rage I'm Still just a rat in a cage..' -Smashing Pumpkins