Intriguing sci-fi/drama

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2005)

The 'butterfly effect' is a concept from meteorology, physics and chaos theory, similar to the term 'holistic': Basically, it's the idea that everything is interconnected, that you cannot change one part without affecting every other part as well, and that the effects of any particular change are impossible to predict. This is often praphrased as "a butterfly flapping its wings may cause a storm on the other side of the world two weeks later", hence the name 'the butterfly effect'.
In this movie, the main character discovers that he has the power to go back in time and make changes. He uses his newfound power to return to his childhood and fix some obvious wrongs, but soon discovers that the effect of such fixes can be very different from what one might imagine. It's a movie along the general theme of 'what would have happened if somebody had killed Hitler before WWII', but at a strictly personal level: Where would I and my friends be now if I had done this or that differently at some point in the past?
I liked this movie very much, because it explores a theme I have never seen before, neither on screen nor paper, because I think the movie's implicit message is true, and because it's a good story even if you ignore the 'buttefly effect' frame.
For the record: I definitely prefer the theatrical version to the director's cut. The differences are minor except for the ending, but the theatrical ending is vastly preferable. IMHO.
If you see the movie, enjoy. If not, it's your loss.