Butterfly Effect, The (Blu-ray) (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Audio Commentary-Eric Bress And J. Mackye Gruber (Writers/Directors) Subtitle Commentary-Text Commentary Featurette-The Creative Process Featurette-Behind The Visual Effects Featurette-Chaos Theory Featurette-Time Travel Deleted Scenes-With Optional Commentary Theatrical Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	113:31
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Eric Bress J. Mackye Gruber
Studio Distributor	Icon Entertainment	Starring	Ashton Kutcher Melora Walters Amy Smart Elden Henson William Lee Scott John Patrick Amedori Irene Gorovaia Kevin Schmidt Jesse James Logan Lerman Sarah Widdows Jake Kaese Cameron Bright
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$29.95	Music	Michael Suby

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 (2304Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English Text Commentary English Audio Commentary	Smoking	Yes, incidental to the on screen action
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

"Change one thing, change everything."

     The term "butterfly effect" refers to the theory that even the smallest of events can have consequences which magnify over time and distance. In The Butterfly Effect, written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, Evan Treborn is a small town American kid living with his single mother Andrea (Melora Walters) and friends Lenny, Kayleigh and her seriously disturbed brother Tommy. Evan is tormented by apparently self-induced blackouts that appear to coincide with traumatic events in his life. His mother and friends aren't convinced that the blackouts are real, and Evan himself is not sure what is real and what isn't. On the advice of a psychiatrist Evan begins to keep a daily journal, however it is apparent that no-one actually reads the entries as its contents include Kayleigh and Tommy's paedophilic father, letterbox bombs, and various other unsavoury events. Evan's mother eventually decides to escape the unsettling influences in their home town so she sells the house and they both move to a new city - but not before Evan promises to Kayleigh that "I'll come back for you".

     It's now some seven years later and Evan (Ashton Kutcher as the adult Evan) is at college as an apparently successful and gifted student. Since the move his blackouts have ceased and his mental state appears stable. An encounter with a girlfriend one night however leads him to read an entry from the journal which he had kept from childhood. This reading triggers a flashback to actual events described in his writings and, astonishingly enough, he realises that by experiencing a flashback he can change the subsequent events and therefore change the present reality. Unfortunately the consequences of changing the past are not necessarily obvious or desirable, and Evan finds he has to go back to the journal so he can flashback and correct his actions. Needless to say this process has a number of consequences for his friends and family, and Evan eventually has to decide when to stop changing the past and accept the present.

     Time travel movies have a rich history in the cinema. One of my favourite movies is the cult classic Donnie Darko, whereas the Back To The Future trilogy gained widespread box-office success. The Butterfly Effect is a worthy contributor to this genre - whilst not quite up to the Donnie Darko standard. The screenplay is really good and is "almost" plausible if you suspend belief and don't look too hard for the numerous plot holes. If nothing else it certainly raises a number of questions as to what implications could eventuate from changing the past. The acting overall is very good with Kutcher surprisingly good as the adult Evan. Amy Smart as adult Kayleigh is suitably beautiful, yet vulnerable, and handles the multiple character changes with aplomb. Elden Henson as Lenny, and William Lee Scott as Tommy are also very effective. The younger actors are less convincing but nevertheless play their part well. I especially liked the thirteen year old Tommy as played by Jesse James, who exhibits just the right amount of malevolence without going over the top.

     The Butterfly Effect is a cleverly written and well directed time travel story with a difference - there are no time travel machines or gadgets used here, just the power of the mind. The acting and direction is strong and the storyline engrossing. Ashton Kutcher should be congratulated for both his acting, and in bringing to the screen this movie as one of the executive producers.

     Note that there are alternate endings to this movie in circulation but the version as reviewed here is the theatrical release which has a somewhat happier conclusion.

Video

     As you would expect this Blu-ray film is presented in 1080p however it is disappointingly in a 1.78:1 aspect rather than the cinematic 1.85:1. Changing aspects from the original really bugs me however it's not too big a change in this instance. The outdoor scenes have a really rich colour palette with beautifully green grass and blue sky with the indoor scenes similarly impressive. The flashback scenes however are deliberately presented in a more washed out palette to differentiate them from the present reality. Grain is quite obvious through the movie however it is not distracting and most would probably not notice it - especially from a distance. The grain seemed to accentuate colour differences in the flesh tones which I though were a bit blotchy. That being said the presentation here is a definite improvement over the region 4 DVD I have, with the extra detail being quite obvious. For example every bump on the black school teacher's face is on show with clear textures and distinct shadow detail. Overall the video quality, while not outstanding for Blu-ray, is very good.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The default DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is encoded at a rate of 2,325 Kb/s with an English subtitle option available. The directors' commentary track is a rather paltry Dolby Digital stereo audio track encoded at 192 Kb/s. This DTS effort is really first class with excellent surround usage and a thunderous subwoofer channel at appropriate moments. Even at relatively quiet moments there is often a low-level murmur coming from the subwoofer to help maintain tension. The surrounds are used throughout to create ambient and directional effects and also to support the musical score. There are no clicks, dropouts, or any other audio flaws. The original music score by Michael Suby is also excellent and complements the screen action very well.

     This audio track is very close to, if not reference quality.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

     The menu featured looping video and audio.

Audio Commentary - Eric Bress And J. Mackye Gruber (Writers/Directors)

     Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 at 192Kb/s. Commentary by writer/directors J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress which covers the filming itself and the actors and includes the difficulty in selling the concept to the film studios. More interesting than many commentaries in that it doesn't just describe what we can see on screen.

     All the following extras have LPCM 2.0 audio at 1536Kb/s with video aspect of 1.78:1.

Featurette: The Creative Process (17:47)

     Includes interviews with cast and crew in particular writer/directors J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress who describe the inspirations for filming and development of the script and screenplay. Discussion on alternate endings is included. Visuals are distinctly blurry in this featurette.

Featurette: Behind The Visual FX (16:04)

     This featurette appears to be filmed at the same time as the Creative Process featurette with a similarly poor video quality during interviews. Covers the subject matter as well as creation of the visual effects.

Featurette: Chaos Theory (8:57)

     Some apparently expert people in the subject of chaos theory explain the concept. Somewhat interesting but really just talking heads trying to explain a difficult concept..

Featurette:Time Travel (13:23)

     The same Chaos Theory experts return with a similar result.

Deleted Scenes: With or without commentary (6:43)

     Seven deleted scenes and two alternate theatrical version endings with an optional but interesting commentary explaining why the scenes weren't used.

Theatrical Trailer (2:22)

     The Canadian version has a 1.78:1 video aspect with a DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. This version appears to be using the Director's cut version although I can't be certain. There are US and locally based releases also available which combine all three Butterfly Effect movies in a three disc pack or a single disc Butterfly Effect 1 and Butterfly Effect 2 combo with no extras. There seems to be considerable conflicting information on the exact specifications of the various versions available so unfortunately you'll have to take your chances if purchasing a different version from that reviewed here. On that basis I think this locally sourced version is your best option although an inclusion of an optional Director's Cut version would have been nice.

     In summary The Butterfly Effect succeeds in presenting an implausible concept in a coherent and effective way. The characters are interesting and well played, the direction is tight, and the script is intelligent. The story itself covers difficult subjects with sensitivity and emotional integrity. Sure there are plenty of plot holes if you want to look, but then what would you expect? This Blu-ray disc has excellent video and audio and includes the extras already seen on the DVD release. Be aware of the different endings available in the Director's Cut or Theatrical Release. Either version has its advantages and disadvantages, however the Director's cut version is a lot darker as far as the Evan character is concerned. Highly recommended.

     The video quality is very good. The audio quality is excellent. Extras are very good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall