Saw the film last night and at first was confused by the jumps through time, not always in an easy order, but then as the movie progressed it became much more interesting. I have since not stopped thinking about it and would like to see it again to catch anything I missed! It may not be for everyone, but as usual any movie that falls into this category generally lacks any backing or much praise til years later, like Donnie Darko...
As for whether it proves an original storyline is another matter... tell me a movie that is original, a poem, a story, a song?? The world is full or plaguerism, it is solely based on how well it is manipulated and presented and in The Butterfly Effects case I would argue it was a breath of fresh air.
Rating:R for Violence, Sexual Content, Language and Brief Drug Use
Length:1 hour and 54 minutes
Synopsis: One Man named Evan has a different kind of brain that has done many things to him to make him live a different life then others. Such as getting stressed at the age of 7. Evan likes a girl named Kayleigh who is the sister of one of Evan's friends. His friend Tommy, doesn't like the fact that Evan is in love with Kayleigh. Lenny, is a friend of all of them and he is quiet a lot and doesn't speak much about the things they do.
At the age of 13 they all smoke that is exept for Lenny. They do bad things including [SPOILER - highlight to read]: making Lenny destroy somebody's mailbox. Tommy begins to get violent with other people and even [SPOILER - highlight to read]: kills Evan's dog. Most of thee time Evan has blackouts and doesn't remember some of the really bad things that happen and people get mad at him for bringing things like that up.
When Evan and Kayleigh turn 20 they don't see eachother as much as they used to. [SPOILER - highlight to read]: One time Kayleigh gets so mad at Evan that she decides to commit suicide. From the ages of 13 to 20 Evan doesn't have blackouts. Then once again at the age of 20 the blackouts come back to Evan. When he was 7 he was told to write down all of his memories of each day. Whenever he looks into his Jearnals he could go back to that moment. Such as a movie would work you can "Slow Down, Rewind, or Pause and moment that he would like".
Review: I was very satisfied with this film, it easily caught my eye when I saw the Trailer. This movie had many twists and turns making it very interesting to watch over and over. People who might have enjoyed "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" would defiantly enjoy this movie.
At a young age, Evan (Kutcher) is plagued with a selective memory disorder, in which he blacks out at times of peril or what seems to be impending harm. Hoping to revisit those blacked out sessions, and rekindle the flame between he and Kayleigh (Amy Smart), Evan discovers he has the power to go back in time, by reviewing journal entries he kept for over 10 years. Little does he know that by way of "The Butterfly Effect", overtime he changes something seemingly for the better, the outcome is twice as horrific for someone else.
Pros:
I absolutely loved the premise of this movie. Time travel is a somewhat tired plot device, but this time, it's cleverly executed, and done from a unique perspective.
Ashton Kutcher's performance. He plays sullen, enthusiastic, sad, angry, all to a T in his various "experiences." It's a dramatic role the likes of which I thought he nailed. No "pothead" acting here.
Amy Smart. IMO, she's superbly underrated as a dramatic actress. Her turn as a destitute hooker was just aces all the way. Not that I know any down on the luck prostitutes, I just think she was the embodiment of such a role.
The subject matter. Since Evan and Kayleigh's characters grew up together, they shared the same devastating experiences, Kayleigh more so. Child and substance abuse and molestation being the tip of the iceberg. Kayleigh's future endeavors lead her to a life of prostitution, waitressing at a sleazy diner, and breaking his heart in one lifetime, by dating his then best friend. Nothing was sacred in this movie, and the offensive subject matter was depicted as eerily realistic as can be believed.
The special effects. The journal entry review scenes were extremely well crafted, as if Evan were being sucked into a vortex, and thrown into those times of memory suppression, which were presented in grainy orange and red hue.
Cons
The only real cons that I could think of was just some needless sex scenes, involving "Thumper." I realize that maybe it was to maintain some sort of continuity that was otherwise lacking in the movie, given the premise, but his mere existence would suffice. It was just kind of odd, out of place.
Ashton's "freakouts." There were some times in the movie when Ashton was channelling his thoughts, where he'd just grab his head and grimace, with the camera spinning. It was just kind of a Hitchcockian cliche, the likes of which was just more silly looking than effective. The excessive nosebleeding trademark was classic, however, IMO. It got the point across as to the severity of the condition. Much like reaching high altitudes, Evan's descent back through time to the present was marked by that characteristic.
Overall:
I gave this movie a 4.5/5 because I enjoyed it thoroughly in the theaters, and I enjoyed it after watching it at home. It was effective, unique, trippy, gripping, abrasive, exploitive, and all out enjoyable to watch. The Director's Cut, with the additional 6 minutes is optimum for those who have yet to see the movie. It sheds a little more light on Evan's family history of the disease, as well as his ultimate fate, which was left out of the the theatrical version.
The Director's Cut was the movie that was intended to be released, being the director's grand vision. On top of that, it's a better story, more inclusive, and entertaining.
Pointless to watch the theatrical version, unless you haven't already seen it.
I still thought the Directors Cut in some ways gave away some info about the end.Like when Younge Ashton finds the box of old video footage in the box in the basement.
I dont know...the Directors Cut is good but not essential to watch
it's nice to see ashton kutcher starring in a movie that isn't a low budget comedy and different from what he's done before. he did an excellent job in this thriller and hope he does more! enjoy seeing him in this new field!
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Apr 15th, 2004 11:46 AM
