X
  • 2004
  • R
  • New Line Cinema
  • 1 h 53 m
  • 2004
  • R
  • New Line Cinema
  • 1 h 53 m

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 mi...

Directed By: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber

Written By: J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress

  • 2004
  • R
  • New Line Cinema
  • 1 h 53 m
  • 2004
  • R
  • New Line Cinema
  • 1 h 53 m

The Butterfly Effect

Metascore Generally Unfavorable Based on 35 Critic Reviews
30
User Score Universal Acclaim Based on 547 User Ratings
8.5
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

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 mi...

Directed By: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber

Written By: J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Unfavorable Based on 35 Critic Reviews
30
9% Positive
3 Reviews
40% Mixed
14 Reviews
51% Negative
18 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable Based on 35 Critic Reviews
30
9% Positive
3 Reviews
40% Mixed
14 Reviews
51% Negative
18 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
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.
By James Berardinelli FULL REVIEW
50
With a surprisingly unhappy, anti-Hollywood ending that will appeal to those who like things dark.
By Michael O'Sullivan FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 547 User Ratings
8.5
84% Positive
459 Ratings
11% Mixed
60 Ratings
5% Negative
28 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 547 User Ratings
8.5
84% Positive
459 Ratings
11% Mixed
60 Ratings
5% Negative
28 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
10
Austin200
Oct 31, 2023
This movie truly changes ur aspect on how important making the correct descisions is
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10
matthias17
Apr 28, 2023
One of the most mind-blowing movies out there with the very deep profound effect to its audience
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50
Kutcher's performance isn't terrible, but the brilliant, bewildered, increasingly desperate Evan is the film's center, and grounding its flights of fantasy in rock-solid emotional reality is more than Kutcher can manage.
By Maitland McDonagh FULL REVIEW
38
So, here's the problem with The Butterfly Effect: It's silly.
By Chris Kaltenbach FULL REVIEW
30
You have to, if not love, at least not mind a movie in which the very act of Ashton Kutcher reading is enough of a cosmic trauma to rip a hole in the fabric of space-time.
By Dennis Lim FULL REVIEW
25
If you approach this movie in the right frame of mind -- that is, with total contempt -- you can still enjoy it as a comedy.
By Jack Mathews FULL REVIEW
10
Inhabited by a genuine spirit of cruelty, both toward its characters and its audience.
By Dave Kehr FULL REVIEW
See All 35 Critic Reviews
10
Sosmooth1982
Dec 11, 2022
Love this movie. I've never seen any type of movie like this before when it came out. The ending is a little weird, but a pretty good movie.
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6
justrussian1337
Sep 7, 2021
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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6
hama33644
Aug 1, 2020
this movie is probably the only one with this huge **** between critics and user... I do not agree with either ... the movie is not as bad as critics portrait it but it's also not good... just ok, I could watch it til the end and somewhat enjoyed it... story is not bad...
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6
elana
Mar 24, 2020
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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3
sy19890515
Nov 25, 2015
there's dead loop in the story. Evan can travel time only if he has his diaries. But the reason he wrote diaries is because he suffered from memory loss when he was a child. And the reason he suffered from memory loss is because the future-him travelled back to the past-him's body. So imagine the original case: he grows up without memory loss, then he has no reason to write diaries, therefore he won't be able to time travel and cause himself a memory loss.
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See All 58 User Reviews

Details

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Production Company BenderSpink, FilmEngine, Katalyst Films, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit
Release Date Jan 23, 2004
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline Changer une chose. Changez tout (Change one thing, Change everything) (French)
Website https://www.facebook.com/thebutterflyeffectofficial/
View All Details

Awards

Golden Schmoes Awards
• 4 Nominations
Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film (BIFFF)
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination

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