Review of The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations (2009) by Mark C — 18 Jun 2009

(Warning: Minor Spoilers).

Trilogies are usually predictable. The first one has to be pretty good for the trilogy to exist. The second isn?t quite as good and the third goes down hill from there. Occasionally, as is the case with Final Destination, the second movie is as good as the first and the third slips a long way. In the Butterfly Effect we have the rare exception. The third movie is arguably better than the first, and considerably better than the second.

This movie is nicely complicated but the plot is still easy to follow. And what a plot it is. The maze of temporal changes is just delicious. What?s more, the temporal twists and turns avoid the tired clichés. You expect the obvious to happen and it simply doesn?t. This is such a welcome break. Despite the changes Sam makes to the past, most of the present stays relatively similar. This movie even avoids the cliché it is named after, where a small change in one place creates huge changes elsewhere. The Nazi?s never show up in this movie, no matter how much time travel takes place ? thank you!

The plot is fantastic and much effort is made to befuddle the viewer as to who the killer in this murder mystery really is. At the same time plenty of legitimate clues are included. I must admit, because I was braced for a bad third movie, I expected one of the obvious choices to turn out to be the killer. I was greatly impressed with the ending.

Like the first two movies, there is a theme that time travel is bad. However, it is downplayed and overshadowed by how cool and functional time travel is. What?s more, time travel provides all the solutions for this thriller, although the director can?t help but include a final terrible cost.

The time travel brain damage is placed nicely in this movie. It threatens to overshadow everything and ruin the movie with a tired cliché and then backs off and vanishes. The movie also has a rather adult homage to Ground Hog day. This and plenty of gore give the movie its rating. Sam sleeps with an inviting young lady and then time twists around so they don?t know each other any longer.

The dialogue is well written and really drew me in. The time travel genre is rife with cheesy lines that easily could have been used. This movie manages to deliver some age old time travel scenes in a new way, going so far as to use a Scooby Doo reference that was both horrific and funny.

Like many movies, I would have liked five more minutes but instead, it leaves you wanting more. This is probably a good think, heck I know it is. It was the perfect time for an ending. Anymore and you would expect a second shoe to drop. While the director does leave a loose thread for a sequel but the movie wraps things up so nicely and it?s so well done, I just don?t see anyone pursuing that kind of cheesy angle for any further movies in this series.

I can?t believe this movie did not make it to theatres locally. Unfortunately Final Destination 3 and Butterfly Effect 2 put a lot of nails in the time travel movie coffin. Having just watched S Darko and the 2009 Land of the Lost, this is definitely the best time travel movie this year and in the last few.

Mark Charke.