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The Butterfly Effect
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The Butterfly Effect (2004) More at IMDbPro »

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The Butterfly Effect (2004) -- TH soon

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   87,194 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers (WGA):
J. Mackye Gruber (written by) &
Eric Bress (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Butterfly Effect on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 January 2004 (USA) more
Tagline:
Verändere die Zukunft, durch die Vergangenheit (Change the future, through the past.) more
Plot:
A young man blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
A Much Better Movie Than You Would Suspect... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
El efecto mariposa (Argentina) (International: Spanish title) (Spain) [es]
L'effet papillon (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Butterfly Effect (Germany) [de]
Domino efekt (Croatia) [hr]
Efeito Borboleta (Brazil) [pt]
Kelebek etkisi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Liblikaeffekt (Estonia) [et]
Nabi hyogwa (South Korea) [ko]
Perhosvaikutus (Finland) [fi]
To fainomeno tis petaloudas (Greece) [el]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug use. (also director's cut)
Runtime:
113 min | 120 min (director's cut)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Company:
BenderSpink more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ali Larter was offered the role of Kayleigh, but dropped out. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When in the diner with prostitute Kayleigh, the slice of pie constantly changes direction when alternating between Evan and Kayleigh's shoulder views. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[reading aloud as he writes a note]
Evan: If anyone finds this, it means my plan didn't work and I'm already dead. But if I can somehow go back to the beginning of all of this, I might be able to save her.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Righteous Kill (2008) more
Soundtrack:
The End more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Any recommendations for other movies that involve time travel?
Does Evan's condition cause the nose bleeds and brain damage?
more
76 out of 107 people found the following comment useful:-
A Much Better Movie Than You Would Suspect..., 21 November 2004
8/10
Author: hokeybutt from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT- THEATRICAL CUT (4 outta 5 stars)

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT- DIRECTOR'S CUT (3+ outta 5 stars)

Now normally I tend to prefer movies that let the writer/director tell the story that they want to without having to water it down for mass consumption. In this case I have to say that the ending they they were forced to re-shoot for the theatrical release of this movie is a much more emotional, resonant and appropriate ending than the bleak, cold and grotesque finale they had originally planned. On the US DVDs you get the choice of which version to see (foreign editions only have the less compelling director's version)... so North American viewers can make up their own mind about which ending they prefer. I would suggest watching the theatrical cut first... and then check out the director's cut... which would you prefer to think of as the "real" ending?

As for the movie itself... don't be put off by the idea of Ashton Kutcher in the lead role. He does quite a good job in a serious part quite different from his usual TV persona. He plays a college student who, having been plagued by mental blackouts all his life, devotes himself to the study of human memory. Eventually he finds that by re-reading old journal entries he can will himself back in time to experience the events he had blacked out... and even CHANGE THEM using the knowledge that his older self possesses. Unfortunately one small change in the past causes some HUGE ramifications in his present day world. Can't say too much more about the plot without giving away the many fun surprises. Believable performances and a basic seriousness give the film an urgency that is sometimes missing in modern fantasy films of this type.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Director's Cut Ending Question (SPOILER) steveb_007
Who ALL LOVED this movie ?? rahul_ssg
Evan in jail, WTF???? alextrevelian
Confused about drawing *spoilers* joonyung90
what happens to evan's alternate self when evan shifts into his body voyagerandsouthpark
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