Fantastic Film!

Rating: Null/10 (28 March 2004)

Well, there are films, and there are films. Many films are made for entertainment purposes, and many because the writer/director has something to say, and really doesn't care what people think of it - the journey and the experience of making the film is enough to reward the writer and director. I would say 100% of films in Hollywood are just made to make money, hence the sequels, and great ideas come from determined people elsewhere with a vision - Hollywood leaps on these and foreign films, for ideas to make money.
This film is something personal, but fits in the "middle-ground" it wouldn't have been made without the potential to make money for it's investors.
So films come and go, you don't really care, it's a bit of fun and that's it. Then, films do come along that have something special, or just come at the right time. The Butterfly Effect is one of those films, you will either be really affected by it in some way or another, or you will think it's nonsense.
I luckily, watched the film without any preconceptions, to me they were all unknown actors, I didn't really recogonise or re-call any films they were in. To me it wasn't about the acting and that type of thing - perhaps I'm one of the lucky people to see it in it's "Pure" form, not having any baggage with the actors from previous films, which may have spoilt it.
It truly is a wonderful film that works on many levels, it will be entertainment fodder for most people, but I don't think it was made purely on that level - fantastic films rarely are.
There just aren't many films that can truly affect you, and make you think if you "get it". The Butterfly Effect is one of those rare gems, that can really move you.
For someone who's always known the term "The Butterfly Effect" from chaos and Fractal theory, and generally subscribe to the theory of parallel worlds. I've always loved the idea of "The Butterfly Effect" generally applied to the weather. In reality it applies to everyone and everything. This films pushes that point pretty well. It also is about time, we all have photos and think about the past.
Is there something you did you wished you didn't do? Is there times when you've had a "deja vu"? Have there been times when you knew the future to some extent, or had
feelings, about things, which perhaps you mind had in a dream?
Is this The Butterfly Effect? I think it is. It's something we have all experienced, but generally brush off and ignore.
That's what it's about. There is no "score", it simply doesn't fit into a film you can box a number out of ten - it truly transcends that.
The way you behave, what you say, and what you do, has a profound effect in your life. You have one life here, think a little, and try to make the best of it, and treat people with respect. A reminder of that important lesson, to me makes it quite simply as one of the best films I have ever seen. It's probably the most hardest lesson to learn, and if anything that reminds people to be less like robots, and take control, the better.
This film is like meditation - it can have a profound affect, depending what you believe, can actaully change your life. It's certainly made me think and behave and have a slightly different view on life.