Corporate Line: A young man (Kutcher) struggling with the psychological effects of sublimated childhood memories devises a technique of traveling back in time to inhabit his childhood body, but he finds that every trip back has unintended results on his present self, leading him to travel back again and again, trying to repair the damage that he’s only making worse and worse.
The Good: The Butterfly Effect is a great concept film; though it is quite similar to a movie made two decades ago called Somewhere In Time which starred Christopher Reeve. This film had so much potential because the storyline had so much potential. How many of us wish we could go back and correct one foolish mistake and don’t you wonder right now how that would have affected your life?
The Bad: Ashton Kutcher isn’t the only one who can’t act in this film; the problem is he’s the one we notice most. He’s stiff as a board and proves he’s one-dimensional. It’s funny to watch him jerk around when going through a brain hemorrhage or whatever. Sure the ladies will get a lot of Kutcher without his shirt the question is can you sit through this mess long enough to care?
Not only was it bad, but also it was terribly slow. The opening, well before we get to Kutcher, seemed to have lasted an hour. There is only one thing worse than watching the grass grow; it’s mowing the lawn. And now we have something worse than both. Even more annoying is how the fat kid is always the ass end of a joke and pushed around by everyone else. Can’t someone write a film without using this unkind stereotype?
During our screening some of the viewers actually walked out especially because of the overly done violence and needless disturbing scenes. If the desire of the filmmakers was to bother individuals then it worked. If you think its bad that someone walks out of a film they paid for imagine someone walking out on a film they didn’t pay for. Now that takes nerve and a real hate for a film.
Frankly: Great concept, bad film. I even contemplated walking out on the film myself. I only stayed because it was so funny to watch this horribly bad movie unravel. What can I say, I like to be tortured. I keep wondering if it could get any worse. To my surprise it did!
+ Charlie Craine
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