However, years later we see the matured Evan (Kutcher) who, despite his early traumatic experiences is a double psych major, liked by everyone- predictable? Not so when he discovers how to revisit his past blackouts and altar the future.
As you can imagine with each time alteration comes something unexpectedly terrible in the present, soon he is thrusting himself into every missing moment of his childhood looking for another chance to fiddle with history and set things right (or at least try to). Of course the tragedies get greater and greater so it’s hard to remain serious after the third attempt from Mr. Fix It, but it’s a movie after all.
Ultimately Evan manages to blow himself apart, kill his childhood sweetheart only to bring her back as an addict whore and give his mother lung cancer. Oh, I almost forgot, he does manage to help one person; the disturbed dog-murderer turned Christian who steals Evan’s perfect life.
Oddly enough, despite the drastic changes around him that painfully flood his mind with new memories his personality, psyche and hairstyle remain the same.
It may be said that Ashton Kutcher, like Keanu Reeves, is only capable of playing the comical idiot from hits such as “Dude Where’s My Car?” .And it is clear that he doesn’t have the emotional heft for us to genuinely feel his inner suffering, but he carries the movie believably enough and we all benefit from his boyish turned rugged looks, which, to be honest is the reason for his existence as an actor/director.
Well done Ashton, not bad for your fist step but I’d stick to your hit series “Punk’d” and other light hearted treats for now.
“The Butterfly Effect” is a lot to get your heads round and I don’t suggest it as a ‘cuddle-up-on-the-sofa-with-some-wine’ kind of film, but overall it’s a must see. The film is intriguing and rather daring of Bress and Gruber to tackle the raw teen violence image rather than portray them as innocents, incapable of evil.
Its twister and raw but full of unique inspiration that is rare in the thriller industry. There may not be another around for a while so I’d suggest you too become tangled in this eerie tragedy and see it for yourself.
