Review of The Butterfly Effect (2004) by Filipeneto — 16 Nov 2019

A good story on a complicated subject.

When I saw this movie I had few expectations. I had read very little about him, but I knew I would address the subject of time travel. It's a tricky subject, which requires some contextualization and script effort to make it credible on screen, and that's been covered a lot in action movies or sci-fi giving rise to arguably quality movies most of the time. So I didn't expect anything particularly bright. However, the film has shown courage in the way it addresses the theme.

In fact, the roadmap focuses on the issue of time travel, which is not really physical but mental travel. The main character, Evan, has a gift (or curse?) Whereby she can mentally return to her own past and modify it. However, the past can never be changed without radical implications for future events. So with each trip, Evan's life changes dramatically as, on the other hand, his mental health deteriorates. Complicated and debated issues among scientists, such as paradoxes or "alter egos" are addressed in a simple, easy to understand, and above all, credible way.

The cast is not the strong point of the movie. Ashton Kutcher did what he had to do as a protagonist, but he had the advantage of good material and a character that captivates our sympathy from the start. Logan Lerman, who gave life to the same character as Kutcher, but in his childhood also seemed very good to me, and has everything to be an excellent actor in the future. Amy Smart and Elden Henson (in some scenes with a very hard-rock costume) also appear in the cast, but only provide some support to the protagonist.

The special, visual and sound effects are regular and the soundtrack is pretty bad, not to mention nonexistent. But this is easily understood: it is a film with a limited budget, but a good story, so let the story be the focus of public attention, minimizing the effects and trying not to disturb the flow of the story told. The result is an engaging movie that doesn't creep into unnecessary scenes most of the time.