Opening

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The Butterfly Effect (2004)

tomatometer

33

Average Rating: 4.8/10
Reviews Counted: 167
Fresh: 55 | Rotten: 112

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

19

Average Rating: 3.8/10
Critic Reviews: 36
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 29

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

audience

81

liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 543,714

My Rating

Movie Info

Final Destination 2 screenwriters Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber make their directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller The Butterfly Effect. Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher with facial hair) wants to free himself from his disturbing childhood memories. As a kid, he often blacked out for long periods of time and tried to detail his life in a journal. As a young adult, he revisits the journal entries to figure out the truth about his troubled childhood friends Kayleigh (Amy Smart), Lenny (Elden

Jul 20, 2007

$57.7M

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All Critics (178) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (114) | DVD (27)

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

January 29, 2004
Rolling Stone
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Not one second of this bilge makes a lick of sense.

January 29, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Observer | Comments (3)
New York Observer
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Kutcher is the wrong actor to anchor a psychological freak-out.

January 29, 2004 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
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It's one of the most unpleasant Hollywood films in some time.

January 24, 2004 Full Review Source: Salon.com
Salon.com
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A flawed but serviceable thriller.

January 23, 2004
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Sloppily conceived and clunkily paced, the movie goes from improbable to preposterous within its first few minutes; over the next two hours the filmmakers never miss a chance for some gratuitous piece of sadism, sexuality or sleaze.

January 23, 2004 | Comments (2)
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The Butterfly Effect is a promising and original sci-fi film from newcomer directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber.

September 21, 2012 Full Review Source: We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. So very bad.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment (1)
Common Sense Media

Tries hard to be affecting and mind-blowing, and sometimes it comes close.

January 31, 2008 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment (1)
eFilmCritic.com

More like "The Gag Reflex."

November 18, 2005 Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | Comments (4)
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The film is not eccentric enough to have a lasting cult appeal, but it is reasonably enjoyable as it unfolds.

February 15, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie City News
Movie City News

this is exactly the sort of movie I like to see.

January 16, 2005 Full Review Source: LYTRules.com | Comments (4)

Assez bien dans l'ensemble, mais la fascinante prémise n'est jamais vraiment exploité à sa hauteur.

December 16, 2004

Despite a fairly upbeat ending, the ugly images dominate the film with the time/reality plot a bloody nose afterthought.

October 14, 2004 Full Review

Cool theories...don't necessarily guarantee good stories...[even if Ashton Kutcher] is repeatedly punk'd by the space-time continuum.

September 24, 2004 Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

Walks a super-thin line between horrific believability and hilarious unbelievability.

August 10, 2004 Full Review Source: Window to the Movies
Window to the Movies

Audience Reviews for The Butterfly Effect

Built on one laughable implausibility after another this is a dark work that begs the recycle container ... but go along with what's unbelievable for a minute and after a minute you get a serviceable visit to the twilight zone, one where Kutcher's not a bad actor. And this is a serviceable sci-fi.
July 25, 2007
UniversalDreamer

Super Reviewer

A college student discovers he can go back in time and alter past events, but every change he makes brings about tragic unintended consequences in the new present. Pretty much "DONNIE DARKO for Dummies."
September 12, 2012
366weirdmovies
Greg S

Super Reviewer

    1. Evan Treborn: I've already lost you once, I'm not gonna lose you again.
    – Submitted by Justin C (5 months ago)

Discussion Forum

Topic Last Post Replies
seo 2 months ago 0

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