The Butterfly Effect

The psycho beginning aside, this is a nice and sensual film. However, I was quite confused in the first few minutes and had absolutely no idea who was getting the beating. Then it got clearer and I couldn't stop staring. Ashton Kutcher played like we haven't seen him before and Amy Smart was a great partner for him. I experienced that killing feeling of helplessness with them to the maximum. And it scares me just to think that someone would sacrifice themselves for me like that without me ever knowing about it. I even shed a tear at the end. Nice, 4 stars. (02/07/2012)

Where its genre brothers (for instance, 12 Monkeys or Donnie Darko) in their complexity are just starting to warm up they’re wheels of logic, The Butterfly Effect with its “plot based and time paradox" line are still standing at a red light. Even so, it’s still a good movie, especially in the first half. After that the screenwriters (and, because they also directed it, the directors too) start running out of breath and ideas, while Kutcher runs out of talent. The whole movie starts to sink into the waters of mediocrity, with one cliché after another, and only thanks to the timely ending it didn’t sink even lower. (06/05/2004)

I’m not sure how to approach this movie. On the one hand, it is excellently filmed, and the overall concept and atmosphere of the movie were really captivating. Even Ashton Kutcher, one of my least favorite actors in Hollywood, seemed likeable. On the other hand, I really couldn’t bear the last 20 minutes. Maybe it's because I don't like the sight of blood, the subject of mental illness or who knows why. The atmosphere of the movie made me physically sick and I had to pause it a few times, because it even gave me a slight headache, that’s how much it got to me. A great movie with atmosphere, but I can't tell you what my reaction will be the second time I watch The Butterfly Effect as I’m not planning to do so anytime soon. (10/14/2015)

I was definitely expecting more from this film, at least based on the reviews, the word of mouth and the audience reviews. But after it was over, I thought it was pretty obvious how this was going to end, so what's so bombastic about it? It's definitely a good subject, but they could have gleaned a whole lot more from it. (12/06/2017)

Quite a disappointment. I expected something interesting, like Donnie Darko, but alas. The Butterfly Effect is a viewer-friendly film aimed at an undemanding younger audience, the games with time are only for effect and without any depth. It is watchable, but it doesn’t have a chance to win my heart. (09/24/2008)