*** Official THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Alex Spindler]

Quite an excellent film. Kutcher did quite well, as did Amy Smart. I love the concept, and they didn't make it overstay its welcome. They also found some pretty good actors to represent them in their youth, most of whom were decent actors.

A question for those who've seen it,

Did they mention that he had a blackout when he first met Kayley? I was under the impression that he could only return to those moments when he blacked out previously. If they didn't, it would be kind of a cheat for him to go back to that point.

 

[Alphonse Brown]

) it is a rather fun movie once you get in to it.

 

[Eve T]

I LOVED this film.

I had some reserves going in and came out with WOW!

It was like "It's A Wonderful Life" on acid and what a groovy trip it was.

Like life it's self we sometimes find that:

Sometimes what we thought was best for us is the most terrible thing for everyone else involved and sometimes in life and love sacrifices must be made for the better good of man. He gave up everything (the love of his life) to make those around him live full and meaningful lives. In the end, all though he loved her dearly and they had been happy at some point in this journey, she really wasn't for him in the final scheme of things.


What a beautiful movie this was.

Eve

 

[Curtis Lotter]

Just got back from seeing this. My wife and I totally enjoyed it. Not a movie to forget 5 minutes out of the theater.

 

[Dennis Castro]

I just saw this film tonight. The Ideas it explores are fascinating and I liked the story and how it ended but that's about all. Kutcher failed to draw me in emotionally and I found myself not caring about his character at all. The best thing about the whole thing was seeing the teaser/trailer for Kill Bill.

:star: :star:

 

[Mark Shannon]

I must disagree with you Dennis. I saw the movie last night, and was completely impressed by both the story, and Ashton's performance. No longer did he remind me of the annoying and idiotic Kelso from That 70's Show, or the annoying role in My Boss's Daughter. I think if he had started out with this type of work earlier in his career, he would grow to be better at it.

:star::star::star::star:1/2 of 5

 

[Scott Walburn]

So far, it seems everyone really liked this film, yet its getting ripped apart on rotten tomatoes. Oh well, I still can't wait to see it.

 

[Dennis Castro]

Well It does seem like I'm in the minority here but that's ok. What would this place be if we all agreed on everything.

I went into it with a very open mind about Kutcher. It wasn't a horrible performance; I do believe that there is potential there. I guess the best way to explain it is that I just wasn't "feeling it" from him in this one.

 

[Dave Smith]

Another positive vote from me. My wife and I both thought the movie was great. It felt like the writers really knew and cared for each character.

There are a few plot holes and the movie breaks its own rules at the end, but still, a really enjoyable story. I haven't disagreed with a movie's critical reception this much in a long time!

 

[Patrick Sun]

I got bored with this expanded episode of The Outer Limits. The resolution had the same effect of letting loose a balloon filled with air.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

It's sad that The Buttefly Effect is getting awful reviews. But when you think about it, the film is getting reviews similar to Starship Troopers when it was released back in 1997. When Starship Troopers was released theatrically, most critics saw it as a CGI-loaded action film that went over the top in it's depection of violence. Most critics hated it and of course the film made a decent sum ($60 million), but not enough to claim a profit. Then of course the film was released to video and it grew a little afterlife where people (some people, anyway) actually realized the film was not a dumb action film with tons of violence, but was actually a pretty good satire done by Paul Verhoeven. Kinda like Robocop.

One of the reasons I think TBE is getting bad reviews is that a lot of critics want to see Ashton fail. I'm not an Ashton fan by any means (his past few films were god-awful), but I did think he did a damn fine job. Same goes for Amy Smart (whose only film I liked before this was Road Trip). I thought that the directors did a good job at covering the film's more "darker" subjects, including:

the pedophilia, the incest, the animal cruelty, and the prison rape.

I think the film might get a backlash (if it already hasn't gotten one yet) will be due to:

A) Ashton was too much in the media last year and people are sick of him (ex: Bennifer).

B) This is a mainstream film not scared to take any chances. The trailers disguised the film as a romantic drama (similar to Somewhere In Time), but in reality TBE is really a dark science-fiction film with elements of drama and romance. People might go into this film expecting a Somewhere In Time type film, but will watch something else. This could either be a good thing, or a very bad thing.

The few people I know who have seen the film (or saw it with me) loved it with the exception of a few plot holes. Screw the critics' opinions on this film (with the exception of a good handful, most critics don't know shit and are only in it for the free goods from the studios), and go see the film if you're in the mood for something new from a mainstream studio. I applaud New Line for taking a chance with this film and releasing it to a wide audience (too bad they couldn't do the same for Angus or Cheats, but will for Dumb and Dumberer and The Son of the Mask).

The Butterfly Effect will probably end up being one of 2004's smartest and riskiest mainstream films, along with "underrated." Give the film a few years, and people might come back and appreciate it. The film is no Donnie Darko (but then, what can be?), but it's still one damn good film.

 

[Bill J]

Looks like I am part of the minority on this one. I saw it this afternoon and hated it.

That was one of my main problems with the film. It felt like the filmmakers were trying too hard to shock the viewer to get an emotional response rather than telling a subtle and more thought provoking story. The fact that the two directors of this film also wrote Final Destination 2 does not surprise me at all...

 

[Blu]

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit!
It is dark and bleak, but I enjoy darker subject matter in my movies!

 

[Matt Stone]

Amen, Chmiel. I couldn't agree with you more.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

TBE and Final Destination 2 are two entirely different films.

FD2 is a dark comedy/horror film (I hope these guys are involved with the film's third outing). TBE is a dark science-fiction film with drama and romantic elements which I thought were well blended.

Their next writing project is on the movie Celluar (which they did extensive rewrites on) which I can't wait for. IMO, these guys are 2 for 2.

 

[Bill J]

I agree that Butterfly Effect is more of a drama film, but I wouldn't call the two entirely different. They tried to take themselves more seriously this time, but borrowed many of the same manipulative elements from Final Destination 2. I am having difficulty understanding why all of these elements were necessary to enhance the film for reasons other than pure shock value.

The relationship between Kutcher and Smart as children was so underdeveloped, Kutcher's attempt to travel back through time seemed pointless.

 

[Justin_S]

They were necessary to show how unstable Tommy was because of his dad, and how bad a life Kayleigh had because of Evan. Kayleigh said the only reason she didn't live with her mom instead of her despicable dad was because of Evan, so all the trauma in their childhood was because of Evan, and if it wasn't there, there wouldn't be much story. Quite necessary in my opinion.

 

[Bill J]

I don't consider myself to be an excessively sensitive person, but why was it necessary to show the woman and her baby killed by the dynamite? What about the prison sex?

There are ways to imply that someone is mentally unstable without showing him lighting a dog on fire.

 

[Ryan Wishton]

This movie sounds very disturbing... Maybe even too disturbing for me, a fan of horror and thrillers...

Dogs on fire, Babies blown up??? I dont know about this one...

 

[Bill J]

To be fair most of those events aren't shown with great detail, but they are implied. They are rather disturbing, but if you have seen films like Final Destination you should be able to handle it.