a future cult movie?

Rating: 7/10 (28 October 2005)

I deeply feel that when it comes to real value and time resistance the audiences are better judges than critics. In this case, 'The Butterfly Effect' directed by two almost unknown newcomers got a good reception from viewers, including a rather high IMDb mark, while critics trashed it almost completely. I wonder what is the reason, and I ask myself if the instinct of the audiences did not see in this traumatized childhood to manhood story combined with alternate lives transitions something that critics missed.
Much of the discussions were around Ashton Kutcher performance, and I dare say that in the absence of his off screen media exposure his performance would have been much highly rated. He holds this complex story on his shoulders, he does it with some doses of exaggeration at some points, but overall he is credible in the role of a traumatized young man, who is damned to change life lines more often than shaving.
The theme is not easy, and the movie is not easy viewing. It can never be easy when childhood traumas caused by child abuse and their repercussions for the rest of the life are brought to scren. Due to the changes in the story line, each of the four main character goes through his own moments of ecstasy and agony. Yet, there is consistency in the story telling, there is both dramatism and magic in the search of the right path to take, there is credibility in acting and all these make of 'Butterfly Effect' a film to watch, that may last longer and better than expected.