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The Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect Image
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Metascore
30 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 35 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 229 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Amy Smart, Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters
  • Summary: Evan Treborn (Kutcher) has lost track of time. From an early age, crucial moments of his life have disappeared into a black hole of forgetting, his boyhood marred by a series of terrifying events he can't remember. Determined to do something now that he was incapable of doing then, Evan purposely travels back in time, his present-day mind occupying his childhood body, in an attempt to re-write history and spare his friends and loved ones these traumatic experiences. By altering the events of the past, Evan hopes to transform the present. (New Line Cinema)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 35
  3. Negative: 18 out of 35
  1. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    The ending is weak, and may be the result of the filmmakers writing themselves into a corner and not wanting to conclude things in a burst of nihilistic excess. Yet, even though it's a cheat, it retains a degree of resonance.
  2. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    60
    A terrific story, years in the making, that clearly stays true to the uncompromising vision of its creators. The results are on the screen.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    38
    So consistently silly and overwrought that it flirts with the elusive so-bad-it's-entertaining category.

See all 35 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 116 out of 150
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 150
  3. Negative: 28 out of 150
  1. BurakF
    8
    I'm absolutely blown away by how badly 'professional' critics have reviewed this gem. I first watched this film about 3-4 years ago and recently recalled how good it was so i got a hold of it and watched it for the second time, and i must say i enjoyed it just as much the second time as i did the first time. I'd definitely recommend watching this.… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  2. imthenoob
    4
    The potential is there to make such a better movie then what it actually is but they failed to capitalize on it. The plot is all over the place and could have been written a lot better. The acting is average at best, Which is a little disapointing. Yet overall, I would still give it a watch because I did enjoy it to some degree.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. JimmyH.
    3
    This film contains so much unnecessarily creepy imagery and abhorrent characters that one is forced to treat it as camp, lest the viewer become abysmally unhappy with the state of the world. That said, the unintentional-comedy potential (even more so with the director's cut "true" ending) is fantastic. A true must-see for film viewers with at least a half a sense of irony.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes

See all 150 User Reviews

Trailers

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