IvanKaramasov

If you are going to make a movie with a plot like this you will need a very good script, some very good acting, a brilliant director, and some logical coherence to make it worthwhile. Then it could end up as a good or even brilliant movie. Too bad The Butterfly Effect has none of the above and therefore fails in every possible manner.

The script is trite with a lot of unbelievable inconsistencies. I can accept the premise of alternative stories based on what happens in the past. But people just don't turn into completely different (cliche) personalities just based on whether an event (however disturbing or "significant") happened or not.

The acting is all over terrible. Ashton Kutcher is a mediocre comedy actor, an he is totally unconvincing when trying to do serious acting. Some actors, like for example Jim Carrey, have the talent and skill to be both comedians and serious actors, but even he would have struggled being credible in this mess.

If you want to see a good movie that messes with your mind in a similar way to how this one _tries to_ to do it, I'd rather recommend Donnie Darko, Mullholland Drive, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Pros: Great direction Good story Great acting Great special effects

Cons: Too dark and "serious", it is based on a comic book, goddammit, it is not Dostoevsky! The movie was either too long or too complicated for me, because I was really having trouble following the logic in parts of the story in the second half of the film. Jack Nicholson is still the best Joker. Ledger was good and creepy as a real psychopath, but I found Nicholson's Joker to be more innovative, and much more fun to watch.

Conclusion: don't believe the hype, it is nowhere near the best movie ever made, but absolutely worth watching all the same.