Why is it so many people hate this movie?

Rating: Null/10 (3 November 2004)

I just have to wonder why so many people hate this. I've read many different criticisms about it, such as Ashton being a terrible actor (I thought he did alright), too many tragedies (yeah, nothing bad ever happens to kids in real life), or it was all just too confusing (if you barely graduated high school this may be true).
I haven't seen the theatrical version but saw the director's cut and from what I've read I'm glad I did. The ending left a deep impression on me and the movie as a whole made me think about the decisions in life I make all the time. What would I change If I could go back to the past, I have some deep regrets, some that cut quite deep. If I changed them, would my life be better? Could I repair the harm I did to others? I think that most of us want to be heroes and the greatest heroism is self-sacrifice, clearly illustrated in the director's cut.
The funny thing is that I watched this movie expecting not to like it, I was biased toward it based on all the negative reviews I had seen. Kinda of makes you wonder about how many movies you miss just because you think you won't like it.