The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations

Someone should go back in time and replace the worthless Butterfly Effect #2 with this one. Like lots of other viewers I had very low expectations, I was just a fan of the premise. But as soon as the music starts, you have to say to yourself, "Just a minute, there seem to be talented people involved here." The biggest improvement is that the hero is not a mere whiner, he's a guy with determination, he's an altruist, he's a crime-solver. That said, the actor playing him suffers from the disadvantage of a fashion-mannequin face.

As sometimes happens as a premise becomes more and more familiar to the audience, it becomes more and more commonplace in the fictional world as well. (How many people turn out to have survived the destruction of Krypton by now?) So in this movie there is an old master time-jumper who presumably has any number of disciples by now. I think a movie is stronger when the hero is alone with his superpower, but I suppose it's impossible to make a lot of such sequels with different heroes.

Others have remarked that the sex scene jumps overboard from the movie; I'd like to add that if you're keeping track of the script, you realize that the scene is important to the plot but that it is supposed to be over with very quickly; the way it goes on and on may have added commercial value but it turns a bit of the movie into nonsense.

Aside from that, thank goodness, the plot does hang together and does carry us along, the ending is solid if not entirely unpredictable, and although time-jumping seems to have become not only more commonplace but much easier than in the first film, the portrayal of a person's struggle to alter the ostensibly inevitable, and the consequences of that struggle, makes #3 a legitimate contribution to the franchise, and I'd say quite a favorable contribution. These guys are good.

I was a huge fan of the original Butterfly Effect, although I liked the concept more than the execution. When Ashton screamed, "You don't know me! I don't even know me!", it made me remember why certain actors should stick to lightweight material. I had very low expectations for this one, mostly because the second movie was unwatchable. Aside from a couple of problems, I was pleasantly surprised.

First, the problems: This movie has nothing to do with the original or the sequel except that the Butterfly Effect power is SIMILAR -- not exactly the same, because in this one the main character Sam travels by just focusing on the past, and his sister Jenna monitors him, but then he seems to forget the intervening years when he returns to the present. The other problem is that sometimes characters and relationships are unclear and a couple times I had to ask my wife who this person was or why this person thinks that now, but she understood it pretty well and felt that the confusion was intentional so that the audience would feel like the main character, who's really confused by all the time travel.

The two leads in this one -- which probably couldn't get big stars because of its low budget -- were both outstanding. Chris Carmack shows major dramatic chops. I can see him being the next Viggo Mortensen. Rachel Miner is also really great, and so are the minor characters, especially the well-endowed bartender. (Was that a visual reference to Catholic Schoolgirls in Trouble, from the Kentucky Fried Movie, or am I reaching?) There were a couple of strong dramatic scenes that wouldn't have felt out of place in a studio Oscar-bait type of movie. I guess that's a credit to the writing/directing too, since it didn't feel overdone or hammy.

The cinematography was also solid, and I liked the score. Usually movies like this skimp on those elements and just use a cheesy synth score, but this one was solid.

My only complaint about the cinematography is that sometimes it felt claustrophobic -- we're always inside someone's apartment, or in some dark, cramped place. I guess that fits with the theme, but I would've liked to be able to breath every now and then with a nice landscape shot or something. Maybe that was also a budget issue.

Overall, although I didn't see this movie in the theater -- it was out for a week, apparently - - watching it at home felt like I'd caught a really cool late-night TV show. It's a fun ride. I could see this turning into a TV series or something, like Quantum Leap.

Well lemme just say I've seen the first movie of the series and was semi impressed, but more confused.

Never saw the second one. Just watched the 3rd.

Let me just say I honestly was intrigued through pretty much the whole movie. FOcused around 'time travel' but not in the traditional 'got a special machine sense'.

Based around a number of grisly murders, where the main character is attempting to 'witness' or even change the course of events by finding out who the killer is. I have to say I was curious to find out who it was and even though the discovery moment of the movie was kinda a weak climax for such awesome horror foreplay I have to say I went away generally satisfied. Not too bad of a twist, but then generic at the same time. However the overall experience is very entertaining.

I recommend watching it. The acting isn't bad for the most part and while the movie seems really confusing at first, if you pay attention it actually makes sense at the end.

Check it out, not for anyone but I'm sure a lot will get a kick out of it.

Good movie, but not a great one. Not one of those movies that make me sit down and imagine myself in the protagonist's shoes. The first movie was thought provoking, during and after the movie. I came up with dozens of tricks and possibilities that I would have pulled off if I was in Sam's place. Revelations was thrilling and well directed, but it did not utilize the possibilities of time travel to its maximum potential, nor did it clearly display the 'butterfly effect'.

COMPARISON WITH THE FIRST MOVIE: -In the first movie Evan went back in time with a plan. However, in Revelations, Sam was clueless and clumsy every time he jumped back. There was no apparent purpose of his time travel and it would become obvious that things were not going to end in his favor. -Revelations did not have as many plot holes as the first movie. But that was only because we were not aware what Sam was doing at the time he traveled back. In the first movie, we knew exactly what Evan was doing and were familiar with the scenes.

WHAT I WANT FROM A FUTURE BUTTERFLY EFFECT MOVIE: -The original concept of time travel be kept,i.e, the protagonist can only travel back to certain life events. -The audience should be intensely familiarized with each of these events. -The time traveler experiments with his abilities to analyze and memorize every piece of information at these events. -The violence be dimmed down a bit so more people can watch it. -The time traveler THINKS BIG. It is annoying to see that such a powerful ability is used for petty issues, compared to what can actually be accomplished.

I cant remember the first two in the series, so long since I have seen them, though I did see time travellers wife on Sunday (does that count?). I actually watched the film through twice (which I often do) because its easy to miss things in this movie. an earlier commentary is probably right' see the first thing and be satisfied. This is not a great movie but it does hold suspense and intrigue and does keep you8 entertained until the end. the opening scene of the woman and child being battered is gruesome but we need to spend more time on working out Nicks relationship with the Brown sisters and what his neurotic sister is really up to. but the first clue we really get is when they confirm in conversation that they 'jump, there we go, another time travel movie if I remember (or was it jumper). anyway, the fire thing could have done with more explaining and the big guy but Nick hangs out a lot at the Bar and he knew the guy well and even better the barmaid! wow, what tattoos and how unlucky for her to miss out on the action. Wouldn't bother with number 4 though, draw the line at this one, though the actual ending of the film was a nice twist.