The Butterfly Effect

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The Butterfly Effect

R

2004

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

34%

Tomatometer

169 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

College student Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is afflicted with headaches so painful that he frequently blacks out. While unconscious, Evan is able to travel back in time to difficult moments in his childhood. He can also alter the past for friends, like Kayleigh (Amy Smart), who was molested by her father (Eric Stoltz). But changing the past can drastically alter the present, and Evan finds himself in nightmarish alternate realities, including one where he's locked away in prison.

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Critics Consensus

The premise is intriguing, but it's placed in the service of an overwrought and tasteless thriller.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/28/2010

1/5

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. So very bad.

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Jonathan Crocker

BBC.com

04/13/2004

2/5

Lobotomised entertainment that's dark, violent, and hilariously dumb.

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Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

01/29/2004

1/4

Nothing can save this repetitive bore. Dude, where's your memory?

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Luke Buckmaster

Flicks (AU, NZ, UK)

05/21/2024

This film is so gut-wrenchingly dark and twisted I’d also call it a horror movie, with virtually no respite once its core premise swings into gear.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

01/12/2022

3/5

Wildly uneven and not exactly high-quality entertainment, The Butterfly Effect has, nonetheless, weirdly turned out to be strangely memorable, especially for certain generation of moviegoers.

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C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

05/05/2019

3.5/5

The Butterfly Effect looks at the power of memory, the repercussions of events from our past that bleed into the present.

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Quinten B

@klimmesil Aug 30

I'm confused how this movie only got 30% from reviewers

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William D

@Iangargan Aug 24

I’d give this a 83. Can’t believe it’s its in the 30’s for critics

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Erin M

@Mightymotes Aug 23

Great movie…watched it when it first was out, and revisited it 20 years later when I found at thrift store on bluray! Movie critics are out of touch living in a bubble of pretentiousness…and aren’t in touch with what normal, traditional valued movie viewers appreciate and enjoy!

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Eric S

@Amok303 Aug 15

To me one of the most underrated movies of all times.

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JOSHUA K

@defmagic Aug 7

I have really fond memories of *The Butterfly Effect* from when I first saw it around 2004. I tend to cherish movies from that period of my life as much for the memories surrounding them as the movies themselves, so take that into consideration. For its time, this felt unique, creative, and really fun. Some of it gets too dark for my taste, especially anything involving animal abuse, which I usually avoid entirely. A few of the other darker moments are also difficult to sit through. The core idea is great, though, and you can tell this was a passion project for the writers/directors. After proving themselves with another film, they finally got to make this with Ashton Kutcher, who was apparently just as invested in the character and story. For my personal experience, it’s a solid **B-**. Judging it purely as a movie today? Probably closer to a **C-**.

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Pedro E

@PeterMovieMagic Jul 28

What do movie critics know about movies, really? they praise terrible movies when they get asked for and destroy others when it doesn't matter to them. They just saw the budget of the film and gave negative reviews to it. The reality is that this film keeps you glued to the screen, from begining to the end, it has a very original script and concept and an ending that makes you remember the movie for many days and even years. Great movie!

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Eric Bress

Director

J. Mackye Gruber

Director

Ashton Kutcher

Evan Treborn

Amy Smart

Kayleigh Miller

Eric Stoltz

George Miller

William Lee Scott

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Synopsis

College student Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is afflicted with headaches so painful that he frequently blacks out. While unconscious, Evan is able to travel back in time to difficult moments in his childhood. He can also alter the past for friends, like Kayleigh (Amy Smart), who was molested by her father (Eric Stoltz). But changing the past can drastically alter the present, and Evan finds himself in nightmarish alternate realities, including one where he's locked away in prison.

Director: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Producer: Chris Bender, A.J. Dix, J.C. Spink, Anthony Rhulen
Screenwriter: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Blackout Entertainment, Benderspink, Katalyst Films, Film Engine
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 23, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.7M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Surround, DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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