It takes you out of your comfort zone

Rating: Null/10 (14 June 2004)

Intense. Shocking. Disturbing. All words used to describe Johnny Betts' reviews. But, these words equally refer to "The Butterfly Effect." I don't care what the critics say; I like this movie. It's original, it's totally unpredictable, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Formulaic, it most definitely is not.
One of the big questions people have about this movie is, "Can Ashton Kutcher pull off a serious role?" I'm here to say that Ashton and his "look at how serious I am" beard managed to impress me. You've gotta understand that Ashton is being asked to portray a character that not only had some very traumatic childhood moments, but it's also a character who has been stuck with the same hair cut for the past 10 years. I'd like to see Tom Hanks pull that off!
After the screening I heard an older woman say, "Wow, I didn't know Ashton Kutcher could act like that." I think a lot of people are going to have the same reaction. I had my reservations going in, but I felt he stepped up to the task and held his own.
The rest of the cast does a good job as well. Most notably, Amy Smart (best known as Noel's girlfriend on "Felicity") turns in an admirable performance. Thanks to the time travel aspect of the movie, her character was required to reflect several different personality types. She handled this very well and showed good range. And Eric Stoltz climbed out of whatever rock he's been under to effectively play the sleaze ball pedophile dad of Amy's character.
Is this movie for the faint of heart? No way. It has possibly some of the most disturbing images I've seen in a movie since "Seven." It's not overly gory though. This movie disturbs you the most with what is implied rather than what is shown. You see what's *about* to happen and then it's up to you to form the image in your own mind.
Is this movie totally plausible? Of course not. I've actually heard some critics complain that you have to "suspend disbelief" too much. Come on, it's about a guy who can hop scotch through time and fill in the blanks of his childhood! It's called a CONCEPT! Ever heard of judging a movie based on whether or not it works within the concept?? If you're the type of person who complains about the scientific accuracy of EVERY single movie you see, then consider yourself warned.
"So Johnny, what exactly is the 'Butterfly Effect'?" Ah, good question. It's an illustration of the chaos theory, which states that, "the beating of butterfly wings in China can affect the course of an Atlantic hurricane" (Douglas Adams). Once Evan realizes he can fill in the blanks of his past, he tries to do so in such a way that the future will be changed for the better. But as his dad tries to warn him, "You can't change who people are without destroying who they were."