The Butterfly Effect

An ancient proverb states that when a butterfly flaps its wings, there is a typhoon on the other side of the world.

The Butterfly Effect (the movie) is so close to being the kind of film that itself would create this kind of build up and ultimate impact, and yet it is so far.

The story is all there, the concept is all there, it is a gripping thriller from the off and some of the performances are fantastic.

It's sadly also cheesy, melodramatic, with some dreadful dialogue and some really terrible casting decisions.

Nevertheless, the excellence of some aspects is undoubtedly what highlights the inadequacy of others. Aston Kutcher is an interesting choice in the lead. As a teen heart throb and someone found most frequently in a comedy role, the part obviously stretches him and at times his comedic style adds a new dimension and contrasts with the tension. At other times it jars uncomfortably. His performance epitomises the failure of the movie as a whole. What kind of movie/ performance is this? A buddy movie, working in flashback? A learning process a la Groundhog Day? A teen movie set in a college? A tense psychological thriller?

There is no denying that the film is gripping, but the reason why you'll be hooked is guessing which genre you'll be thrown into next.

In conclusion, I would recommend this as a great film to watch, if only to say "what?!" at the end. The downfall of the movie is its jumbled, squashed up feel. The protagonist experiences eighty years worth of memories by the end, and you'll probably feel as confused and as if you've been watching for eighty years.

But at least a movie filled with story and an excess of plot is a rarity in today's market. For all it's faults, it's much more intriguing than the usual hour and a half long trailer to which we've all become so accustomed.