If only the writer/directer had the ability to go back in time...

The Butterfly Effect
Drama
R
Good/Fun
Anyone who enjoys twisted or dark films (Donnie Darko, Requiem for a Dream, etc.)

I remember when this movie came out, I received instant messages and emails saying that there was a glimpse of a tombstone in the movie that read "Thomas Miller." I was intrigued by this and the fact that Ashton Kutscher was to play a serious role, as I had been a fan of That 70's Show, and sadly, Dude, Where's My Car? I meandered to the movie theater that night expecting to be disappointed by his performance; however, I felt he did alright all things considered. The whole idea behind the movie was the main character (Ashton) grew up having blackouts and began keeping journals of day to day activities. When he grows up, he begins reading the journal entries he made as a child and can return to that day in his childhood and can make changes as he sees fit. It's based on some kind of Chinese or Japanese philosopher's idea that even the flap of a butterfly's wing can change the entire course of history. He continues going back and forth trying to make things better for himself, then over time he begins trying to make things better for his friends and family. Some of the scenes give off (what I will often refer to as) a Requiem for a Dream feel in the pit of your stomach (watch Requiem for a Dream and you will understand, and I will later review it for those who don't have access). My quick run down: The acting is decent. No one in the movie is a seasoned actor/actress...we're talking about a child of a 90's sitcom, another guy who grew up playing the minor minor roles in movies that his friends were making, and a gal who up until this movie was good for nothing but eye candy. The story is a lot of fun. The timeline bounce back and forth isn't too confusing, and there are no slip-ups as far as the timeline goes. The dialog isn't too dry, and the soundtrack is well in tune with the events on screen. It's worth a watch. I give it a 7 out of 10, until I can come up with a better rating scheme...which I will.

THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT
1. There is a reasonable amount of cursing.
2. There are racial slurs in a prison scene.
3. There is a gay rape innuendo in a prison scene.
4. There is animal cruelty.
5. There is violence towards other people.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
If anything, the lesson here is that you cant make your life better without having a negative effect on someone else, or everyone else. Perhaps, something else we can take from the movie is that, sometimes, you just have to put your needs/wants on hold for those you care about. Sorry I had to turn it kind of dramatic there for a second. Personally, I would probably end up using the power to gamble.


The Butterfly Effect 2
Drama/Sequel
R
Bad
Anyone who enjoys twisted or dark films (Donnie Darko, Requiem for a Dream, The Butterfly Effect etc.)

Unfortunately, like most sequels, someone in the studio must have looked at his friend and perhaps the conversation went like this...

Ned: Hey, Larry?
Larry: Yeah, Ned?
Ned: Remember how much money we made with The Butterfly Effect?
Larry: Ummm...
Ned: The one with the kid from Dude, Where's My Car?
Larry: Oh, yeah.
Ned: Well, I think we should make another Butterfly Effect.
Larry: Should we do something different, maybe go another direction?
Ned: No. Why fix it if it's not broken?

Sadly, the "Same Movie - Different Characters" method has NEVER worked, not that I know of, at least. The good news is that this movie does not refer to old characters in an attempt to bring back big names of Hollywood that refused to return in the fear of ending up like Burt from Tremors. The movie does, however, show a picture of a character that was briefly seen in the original Butterfly Effect. He is shown in a newspaper clipping and is not noticeable for the most part. The movie starts light-heartedly enough with two couples on a camping trip by a lake and mountains, the whole nine yards. There's a car accident, everyone dies...except for the main character (a guy) who was driving. A year later, he's working a dead end startup company in a cubicle, being bossed around by some nerd who beat him for a promotion the day he was in the car accident. The car accident creates a "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" (the Get Out of Jail Free card for cops and soldiers turned criminal) which grants him the ability to go back in time by looking at pictures. I guess being that it's pictures rather than journal entries, that's enough to make me feel like Im watching a different movie. Once again, this character ruins his life/his friends lives/his girlfriends life...etc. In the end, he gives it all up to make everyone's life better. Sounds familiar, like something you just read about 2 minutes ago, huh? The quickest comparison I can think of right at this moment is Van Wilder and Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj. Even if you like the first Butterfly Effect, DONT waste your time on this movie. My quick rundown: Bad acting, unoriginal, poor dialog. 1 out of 10.

THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT
1. There is a fairly graphic sex scene.
2. There is another fairly graphic sex scene in a bathroom, making it more graphic.
3. There is a ... *sigh* tricked into an act of gay sex scene...it really made me feel depressed. Don't make me go into any further detail.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Nothing can be pulled from this movie that couldnt be learned from the first movie.