Rating of
3/4
"The Butterfly Effect" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/17/12
A boy suffering from memory lapses is diagnosed with a hereditary mental illness but later in life learns he is capable of revisiting previous moments in his life. A variant on the whole wish fulfillment concept we've all thought about where you imagine going back to a point in your own life and try to change things for the better, this hokey sci-fi involves the ever perfectly coiffed Ashton Kutcher revisiting his past with various disastrous consequences. I feared the worst as the beginning of the film was very soapy and teen-friendly, but as the tone darkens it gets progressively more interesting. Some of the character development (if you can call it that; Kutcher's personality undergoes drastic rewrites at regular intervals) can be a little difficult to swallow and it's very episodic, but if you're willing to accept some flaws in logic it's actually quite a decent little diversion. Considering it's essentially a vehicle for a teen heart throb The Butterfly Effect is surprisingly inventive and entertaining.
