[Review] The Butterfly Effect

[Debaser]

I sometimes think I have bad taste. Not because I can't appreciate good movies, but rather because I seem to find myself hating bad ones a lot less than everyone tells me they deserve. Say what you will about objective aesthetic standards, I guess it at least makes me more likely to be entertained for any given two hours.

So with that said, I liked the Butterfly Effect. Not a lot, mind, but I'm amazed by the absolute reaming this seemed to get from most critics. It's actually pretty alright, I think.

The key seeling point for this film is, of course, the basic premise. The idea that you can change history but not in the precise surgical ways you want to isn't especially original, but I can't think of a story where it's been used in as absolutely personal way as it is here. Every time Evan wants to change the past, everything he does really, it's essentially for the sake of like four people. Well, three people really, but one guy is bound to fuck it up unless Evan saves him, too. So I liked that. I also like that they didn't make it too personal. I was worried that this was going to be a sappy love story. And it was, sometimes, to some extent. But throwing the fat kid and Evan's mom into the emotional mix nicely tempered that angle.

Similarly, I liked how there was no point where Evan realized he needed to use his power to help other people instead of himself. There's a scenario near the end where Evan is face, implicitly, with a choice to leave well enough alone with everyone ecstatically happy but himself and he makes the selfless choice without any sort of belaboring of the idea that he might do otherwise. It's just implicitly assumed that that's what he'd do and moves on to the next plot point. If things hand't played out that way, they could have had the same movie otherwise (even the same ending) and it would have had an entirely different and much more trite heart.

Less developed but also neat is the idea that Evan and his family line are somehow wrong and abbhorent to the natural order of things. He is, in some ways, an abomination, but he's also a relentlessly good and likeable guy and the protagonist who you're supposed to identify with; so that produces an interesting tension. I would have liked to see them develop this bit further than they did, but on the other hand I don't think the movie could have sustained much additional length.

The sense of atmosphere was pretty good, too. It was all a little ludicrous, like Evan has a fatass goth roomate for no discernable reason other than that the filmmakers wanted an excuse to blacken up his dorm room and insert scenes where a fat guy fucks pretty blond girls. But in certain kinds of movies (like, say this kind), that works.

There are three main reasons why people hate this movie, and two of them are total bullshit. I will elaborate:

1. Ashton Kutcher. Look, I'm not a fan of the kid or anything, but he doesn't do anything to harm the movie. It's not like you're sitting there and he's completely out of character or reading his lines phonetically or something. He probably lacked the necessary gravitas for certain scenes, and probably didn't add anything much to the role at any point that wasn't already there, but he filled the necessary space of the character just fine.

2. Bad taste. I was amazed at how many critics chose to slag this movie as an exploitation film. Is it? I don't know, I mean the thought never really occured to me while I was watching the movie. More importantly, I don't fucking care. Unless you're writing for the fucking Christian Science Monitor, you shouldn't be grading movies on their moral content, pussy.

3. Silliness. Yeah. It's inevitable. Any time they made the kid who played Evan deliver a monologue you instantly felt like you were in C-movie land. When Evan wakes up after the explosion in the second to the last scenario (if you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about), you can't help but giggle a little bit at the way it's filmed. Obviously they wanted a moment of shocking horror, but the way it was revealed played more likely a wacky gag. And if you step back for even a moment to look at the sum of the childhood characters, you can't help but giggle again at how all these causally disconnected and absolutely horrible events seem to happen to the same four kids.

So, yeah, this is definitely a grain of salt flick. But, if you take that grain, you might enjoy yourself. I did.

Several out of several plus a few stars!!

P.S.: I'm also struck by how much this movie felt like a piece of post-Nelson interactive fiction; what with all the journal reading and background revealing and problem solving and child abuse themes. There's even a scene where Evan has to search his environment for an item to give to another character to make a later scene play out the way he wants it to.

[pinback]

On the strength of this review, I will rent it next week.

[Vitriola]

Bring it over when you do. Always wanted to see it, just not at full price.

[Vitriola]

Oh yeah, so we rented this the other night. Not bad! My major complaint was there was a plothole whose humble viewings in the USA could cause a trench that would swallow Japan into the Pacific in every single iteration. But, that aside, I thought Aston Kutcher very appropriate for the role, the scenarios (except the last) very believeable, and even before Aston got into the movie, I thought the childhood beginning scenes were legitimately chilling. Whoever those kids and teenagers were that they got to star in that were worth the price alone. Excellent, excellent choices.

3.5/5

[Jack Straw]

I thought Aston Kutcher very appropriate for the role, the scenarios (except the last) very believeable, and even before Aston got into the movie, I thought the childhood beginning scenes were legitimately chilling.

I've got a role for that little bitch Kutcher. A scenario even. And it's legitimately chilling.

The only thing that queerbo is appropriate for would be to quickly shuffle the mortal coil.

[Worm]

I thought Aston Kutcher very appropriate for the role, the scenarios (except the last) very believeable, and even before Aston got into the movie, I thought the childhood beginning scenes were legitimately chilling.

I've got a role for that little bitch Kutcher. A scenario even. And it's legitimately chilling.

The only thing that queerbo is appropriate for would be to quickly shuffle the mortal coil.

Not excited about the movie then?

[bruce]

The only thing that queerbo is appropriate for would be to quickly shuffle the mortal coil.

"Dan Savage's Snuff Flick."

Bruce

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I thought Aston Kutcher very appropriate for the role, the scenarios (except the last) very believeable, and even before Aston got into the movie, I thought the childhood beginning scenes were legitimately chilling.

I've got a role for that little bitch Kutcher. A scenario even. And it's legitimately chilling.

Did you get "punk'd" or something?