In which I am impressed by an actor unknown to me

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2013)

I nearly didn't get past the first five minutes of this film. All I knew about it was that it involved time travel so I really didn't understand why the first thing you see is a paraphrased quote about chaos theory. The butterfly effect when used in conjunction with time travel is entirely different to the butterfly effect when used in chaos theory.
However, I went on to enjoy this time travel fable in which the main character, Evan, keeps going back in time to try and change the future for the better. The characters were well established by showing the younger versions in extended scenes first, making them more believable. The increasing desperation of Evan as each attempt makes things worse effectively increases the tension and there are some clever devices, lighting and set dressing etc., which effectively code the different realities. You have to accept that the time travel mechanism is just magic but then every time travel portrayal relies on some bogus explanation. If that's going to hang you up then don't bother with any time travel film, ever. It's only a metaphor in any case and done more honestly here than in other films; say, The Time Traveller's Wife, for example.
And just to show how hilariously out of touch I am with some aspects of modern culture I was very impressed by the acting of what I took to be a bunch of unknowns. It was only afterwards that I discovered Ashton Kutcher is apparently well known. I can therefore honestly say I was not affected by knowing anything about him beforehand. As far as I'm concerned he did a good job with this.