The Butterfly Effect

R

Released Jan 23, 2004

1 hr. 53 min.

Mystery & Thriller

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List

34%

172 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

College student Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is afflicted with headaches so painful that he frequently blacks out. While unconscious, Evan is able to travel back in time to difficult moments in his childhood. He can also alter the past for friends, like Kayleigh (Amy Smart), who was molested by her father (Eric Stoltz). But changing the past can drastically alter the present, and Evan finds himself in nightmarish alternate realities, including one where he's locked away in prison.

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Critics Consensus

The premise is intriguing, but it's placed in the service of an overwrought and tasteless thriller.

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Eduarda O

This review may contain spoilers. Vamos lá: a nota que estou dando é altíssima por ser um tema que seja muito de meu interesse. Não é à toa que tenho uma tatuagem sobre. A ideia do filme é espetacular, e por conta disso, mantém-nos presos à tela. Da mesma forma que a premissa é ótima, da para se notar no início ao fim que o filme apresenta traços fortíssimos de amadorismo. Com toda certeza, com um ator menor medíocre e um diretor melhor, seria um FILMASSO. E essa palavra nem existe. Um grande agravante para eu diminuir minha nota: os personagens são muito convenientes e exagerados. MUITO. Parece que todos eles rodam - de fato - em torno das escolhas do personagem principal, e qualquer escolha que o mesmo faça é o suficiente par alterar por COMPLETO suas vidas já que dependem das ações dele. Tudo, TUDO, gira em torno do Evan, o que é uma ideia que eu absolutamente não comprei e achei que afetou demais minha experiência com o filme. Então quer dizer que um pedófilo doente deixou de ser um pois uma criança de oito anos hablou na cara dele? Ainda nisso, se a criança disse que ele não deveria abusar da filha, logo ele entende que está tudo bem abusar por completo do filho? Se tal coisa acontecer o maninho é internado e acaba com a sua vida, ou fica louco no próprio quarto ou come a namorada do personagem principal?? Colorindo um pouco mais o que estou dizendo: esse extremismo que as ações dele geram faz com que se torne muito fácil de distinguir quando pode voltar no tempo e quando não é preciso. Do tipo: se eu voltei, dei uma lâmina na mão do mano e por fim ele ficou louco, então é só eu voltar um pouco antes e não deixar ele bravinho. Perde a graça. No geral, como eu disse, a ideia do filme é ótima: Eu compro pra caralho o fato de ele voltar no tempo pelos diários (E com tamanha facilidade. Sei que muita gente julga isso mas nah). O filme pode mostrar alguns temas iniciais que podem afastar o telespectador, como uma criança meio psicopata com uma faca, mas a maneira que nos é apresentada é excelente e mesmo as pessoas que pensam em sair e trocar de filme, não o fazem. Isso dada à curiosidade que desperta em nós com os apagões. Queremos descobrir o que são eles. Um filme bom, mas poderia ser 100x melhor. Uma pena. A MÚSICA FINAL DO FILME É FANTÁSTICA !!!!!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

Full Review

Dan R

'The Butterfly Effect' is an intriguing look at the effects of changing events from your past, and as with any film involving time, things get messy. SYNOPSIS: 'Evan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his journal.' Looking at the power of the human memory, Kutcher's character delves back into some of the darkest periods of his life with his changes to the past having some catastrophic effects. Whether this is time travel or something more spiritual is never really explained. Unfortunately, the story does feel like it's all over the place with the true meaning of the butterfly effect theory seemingly being missed completely. New Line Cinema clearly had a lot of hope for this film, and wanted it to become a franchise maybe along the line of the 'Final Destination' franchise. Unfortunately, all that was delivered was two straight to DVD sequels. However, it would not surprise me if a studio went and remade this in the future. An interesting premise that's just delivered poorly. 5/10

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/14/24

Full Review

Zombie J

While it's not without a few noticeable plot holes, the movie manages to be quite enjoyable and definitely worth a watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

matthias s

This movie is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The plot is intricate and well-crafted, weaving together multiple timelines in a way that keeps everyone engaged and emotional until the very end. The performances are strong, particularly Kutcher's portrayal of Evan. He captures the character's desperation and guilt with a raw intensity that is both captivating and heartbreaking. The supporting cast also delivers, with standout performances from Amy Smart and Elden Henson If you're a fan of time travel films, this is the one you should be watching. This film shows you the dark side of travelling trough time. I do feel like the director's cut is the best version so if you're watching it i suggest watching that.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/09/23

Full Review

Kau M

A dense and generic atmosphere that, however melancholicly forced it may be, closes the plot well.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

Full Review

M A

I've watched hundreds of films and this 1 is my favourite!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/24/23

Full Review

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Eric Bress

Director

J. Mackye Gruber

Director

Ashton Kutcher

Evan Treborn

Amy Smart

Kayleigh Miller

Eric Stoltz

George Miller

William Lee Scott

Tommy Miller

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The Butterfly Effect: Trailer 1

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. So very bad.

Rated: 1/5

Dec 28, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

Jonathan Crocker

BBC.com

Lobotomised entertainment that's dark, violent, and hilariously dumb.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 13, 2004

Full Review

James Croot

Stuff.co.nz

Wildly uneven and not exactly high-quality entertainment, The Butterfly Effect has, nonetheless, weirdly turned out to be strangely memorable, especially for certain generation of moviegoers.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 12, 2022

Full Review

C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

The Butterfly Effect looks at the power of memory, the repercussions of events from our past that bleed into the present.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 5, 2019

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an above-average time travel picture that ultimately utilizes (and exploits) its out-there premise quite nicely.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 16, 2016

Full Review

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Synopsis

College student Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is afflicted with headaches so painful that he frequently blacks out. While unconscious, Evan is able to travel back in time to difficult moments in his childhood. He can also alter the past for friends, like Kayleigh (Amy Smart), who was molested by her father (Eric Stoltz). But changing the past can drastically alter the present, and Evan finds himself in nightmarish alternate realities, including one where he's locked away in prison.

Director: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Executive Producer: William Shively, Jason Goldberg, Cale Boyter, Richard Brener, Toby Emmerich, David Krintzman, Ashton Kutcher
Screenwriter: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Blackout Entertainment, Benderspink, Katalyst Films, Film Engine
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 23, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.7M
Sound Mix: Surround, DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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