Cinema The Butterfly Effect (2004) - A Small Movie Release That Affected Millions Around the World

[Arnox]

Rating

4.00 star(s)

​

I saw this movie a long while ago and, while I liked it, I thought it was kinda brutal. Well, a long time later, I find I still really like this movie, and I still think it's kinda brutal, though I do have two new minor complaints about it. Just to get them out of the way, I was very annoyed with the movie's heavy reliance on jump-scares during the first half of it and I don't like how Evan constantly acts like an idiot every time he changes timelines. Yes, it's a new timeline. No, people are not going to know what the ever-loving fuck you're on about when you ask them weird questions about a time that technically never happened.

And furthermore, Evan seems to sometimes be so socially oblivious, it's astounding. Apparently, he think it's totally A-OK to show up to his friend's houses after years of no contact and just immediately ask questions about an extremely traumatic event in their past, and then gets shocked when they respond poorly or even violently. In the beginning parts of the movie, this can be somewhat forgiven as Evan doesn't actually remember those events, so of course he's confused, he's scared, and he badly needs to know. But when he starts finally reliving those events, that excuse goes right out the window. At very least he could have approached such subjects with a little more tact.

Those two annoyances aside though, this movie was pretty damn trippy for me, making me think about the events in my life that make me who I am and those I've met and lived with who they are today. If I hadn't found TOTSE, would I be the rebel I am today? Would a site like Sanctuary even exist? What if I did school differently? Would I even want to change anything about my life if I could? I can at least safely say that I'm not currently happy with my life as it is right now, but at the same time, my disappointments and my struggles pushed me to obtain the knowledge and the skills I have. And some of the knowledge and skills I have, I consider to be extremely valuable.

And what about those I care about? Could I have done more to help them? Could I have done better? I guess this line of thinking very often invites a certain amount of self-centeredness. Something the movie ironically talks about already. People are gonna be who they're gonna be. You can't play God and think you can fix everything. Sure, if you had the abilities that Evan did, you could alter the circumstances. Change possible environments and events. But in order to evoke real actual change, you'd have to not only alter nurture, you have to alter nature too. But that would be, you know, getting into straight up mind control. What kind of fantasy movie do you think this is anyway? Next you'll be talking to me about a movie where some rando cheats Death and Death gets mad at them about it.

 

[Houseman]

Also serves as an inspiration for Life Is Strange, play that game if you like this movie (and can tolerate whiny teen girl drama).

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

Did you ever watch eXistenZ by the way?

 

[Arnox]

Also serves as an inspiration for Life Is Strange, play that game if you like this movie (and can tolerate whiny teen girl drama).

Am I gonna get cooties playing it?

Did you ever watch eXistenZ by the way?

Not yet, but it's on the list.