The Blue Butterfly

This movie is not slow-moving at all. Only 10-15 minutes is spent on build-up; then they're in the jungle. If you only like action movies and want things to bleed and blow up all the time, this is simply not the movie for you. It's not slow, it's just different.

It is a beautiful movie. It held my attention, and it's full of delightful close-up shots of the jungle and its animal (mostly insect) life. If you like nature films, you will definitely enjoy this as a great visual experience.

William Hurt once again plays a father figure to a troubled little boy (see "Second Best" and "A.I."), and he does it very well. As an honest, well-produced, well-filmed movie, this would earn a 7 out of 10 rating from me. I have to detract one, however, because the actors who play the mother and the brain-tumored kid are sentimental "types" that are obviously designed to evoke excessive pity and compassion in the viewer, Disney-style. This is a bit too much, and mars an otherwise very beautiful little story.

6 out of 10.

I saw this movie when it premiered at the National Screen Institute Film Exchange in 2004, and i thought it was the best movie there. I think the DOP on that production is probably one of the best in the world. The camera effects were great, and the story itself was very inspiring. And yeah ill admit it was very slow, but if you really love watching movies and art of making them, then this movie you should see. Plus the Art director must have had is work cut out for him the set designs were very detailed, I mean the whole village it took place in was built from ground up and i think they did an awesome job. And then the sounds they put into the movie of the insects and the colors it was all so well done. I would so definitely see this movie again and again. trust me I think you would love this movie its a must see if your a movie buff. I gave the film a 9 out of 10...for greatness!!

The Blue Butterfly tells the extraordinary story of a 10-year-old boy diagnosed as terminally ill whose dream is to catch the most beautiful butterfly on Earth the mythic and elusive Blue Morpho. His mother persuades a renowned entomologist (William Hurt) to take them on a trip to the Costa Rican rain forest to search for the butterfly leading to an adventure that will transform their lives. And so their journey begins. A journey of courage redemption and love. A magical film about a courageous young boy and a jaded man who chase a dream and whose lives are forever changed. Now fourteen years later the young boy who was given hopefully six months to live is now a young man. This magical story is true.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie and the longer I watched it the more enjoyable it became. William Hurt does a wonderful job but Marc Donato steals every scene he is in. Everyone in the cast does an excellent job and bring the film to life. The Canadian director and her crew have certainly established themselves as premier movie makers. There is some very beautiful cinematography in this movie and even if it were not an excellent movie that alone would make it worthwhile The elusive Blue Butterfly becomes a symbol of hope and well as the source of problems. Right to the end of the film the director never leaves you wondering but tells the story and leaves you feeling completely satisfied. The entire family can watch this movie and each person will thoroughly enjoy it.

This is a movie based on a true story, so there is just so much one can do to dramatize it, you must count on acting, and even if William Hurt played well his role of an asocial entomologist, the other actors seemed to be there just for the money. The script also lacked a certain proof of effort, while the beautiful nature scenes seemed to be put in the movie only to make it long enough.

In conclusion I could watch it, although I desperately wanted to go to sleep on it, but it disappointed me. I have seen a lot of cancer movies and even if 95% of them were obviously made for the quick buck rather than to help cancer patients, they managed to evoke at least some positive feeling. In this movie, William Hurt is the only slightly likable character and cancer or not, nobody seems to care in the movie either.

The movie is a failure, although one cannot expect too much of dramas these days. Average.