The Butterfly Effect

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 01 23 (USA)

UPC: 794043717321

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Drug Content, Children in Peril]

Summary: 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 Henson), and Tommy (William Lee Scott). When he discovers he can travel back in time in order to set things right, he tries to save his beloved friends. However, he finds out that relatively minor changes can make major problems for the future. The Butterfly Effect also stars Eric Stoltz, Ethan Suplee, and Melora Walters. The title was inspired by the story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Film Presented – Sundance Film Festival

Features: cc Both directors' cut and theatrical version of the film
Beyond the Movie features: "The Science and Psychology of the Chaos Theory," "The History and Allure of Time Travel," "Fact Track"
All-Access Pass features: Filmmaker commentary by co-directors and co-screenwriters Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, "The Creative Process" documentary, "Visual Effects" documentary
Storyboard gallery
Original theatrical trailer
DVD-ROM content: Script-to-screen, image gallery, exclusive Infinifilm content, and more

The Butterfly Effect

Format: DVD

Release Date: 07/06/2004

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD-EX Dolby Digital Surround EX (simulated 6.1), DTS-ESD Digital Theater 6.1 System, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 120 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Directors' Cut
1. The Beginning (Young Evan Experiences Blackouts in His Childhood)
2. Two Fathers (Evan Has Run-Ins With a Couple of Father Figures)
3. Six Years Later (A Prank Goes Awry)
4. No Memory (Hypnosis Brings Back Bad Memories)
5. The Junkyard (A Pivotal Event in the Kids' Lives Occurs)
6. Seven Years Later (Evan Is Now at College)
7. Opening Up the Past (Evan Opens Up Some Bad Memories)
8. Dinner Talk (Evan and His Mother Talk About the Past)
9. Unwanted Memories (Evan Finds Kayleigh and Opens Up Deep Psychic Wounds)
10. Healing Scars (In Order to Save Kayleigh, Evan Alters the Past)
11. Fraternity Life (Life Is Seemingly Better for Evan and Kayleigh)
12. A Special Night (A Romantic Moment for Evan and Kayleigh)
13. Incarcerated (Evan Suffers the Consequences and Ends Up in Prison)
14. Breakout (Evan Makes a Great Escape)
15. Day of Atonement (Lenny Is Given a Second Chance at the Junkyard)
16. Kayleigh Hears the Truth (Evan Tells Kayleigh the Whole Story)
17. Sacrifices (Evan Goes Further to Right Things)
18. Saving Mom (To Save the Life of His Mother, Evan Returns to the Past)
19. Institutionalized (Evan's Actions Land Him in Dire Circumstances)
20. Final Solution (Evan Makes a Last Desperate Bid to Fix Things)
21. End Credits
1. The Beginning (Young Evan Experiences Blackouts in His Childhood)
2. Two Fathers (Evan Has Run-Ins With a Couple of Father Figures)
3. Six Years Later (A Prank Goes Awry)
4. No Memory (Hypnosis Brings Back Bad Memories)
5. The Junkyard (A Pivotal Event in the Kids' Lives Occurs)
6. Seven Years Later (Evan Is Now at College)
7. Opening Up the Past (Evan Opens Up Some Bad Memories)
8. Dinner Talk (Evan and His Mother Talk About the Past)
9. Unwanted Memories (Evan Finds Kayleigh and Opens Up Deep Psychic Wounds)
10. Healing Scars (In Order to Save Kayleigh, Evan Alters the Past)
11. Fraternity Life (Life Is Seemingly Better for Evan and Kayleigh)
12. A Special Night (A Romantic Moment for Evan and Kayleigh)
13. Incarcerated (Evan Suffers the Consequences and Ends Up in Prison)
14. Breakout (Evan Makes a Great Escape)
15. Day of Atonement (Lenny Is Given a Second Chance at the Junkyard)
16. Kayleigh Hears the Truth (Evan Tells Kayleigh the Whole Story)
17. Sacrifices (Evan Goes Further to Right Things)
18. Saving Mom (To Save the Life of His Mother, Evan Returns to the Past)
19. Institutionalized (Evan's Actions Land Him in Dire Circumstances)
20. Final Solution (Evan Makes a Last Desperate Bid to Fix Things)
21. End Credits
Side #2 -- Theatrical Cut
1. The Beginning (Young Evan Experiences Blackouts in His Childhood)
2. Two Fathers (Evan Has Run-Ins With a Couple of Father Figures)
3. Six Years Later (A Prank Goes Awry)
4. No Memory (Hypnosis Brings Back Bad Memories)
5. The Junkyard (A Pivotal Event in the Kids' Lives Occurs)
6. Seven Years Later (Evan Is Now at College)
7. Opening Up the Past (Evan Opens Up Some Bad Memories)
8. Dinner Talk (Evan and His Mother Talk About the Past)
9. Unwanted Memories (Evan Finds Kayleigh and Opens Up Deep Psychic Wounds)
10. Healing Scars (In Order to Save Kayleigh, Evan Alters the Past)
11. Fraternity Life (Life Is Seemingly Better for Evan and Kayleigh)
12. A Special Night (A Romantic Moment for Evan and Kayleigh)
13. Incarcerated (Evan Suffers the Consequences and Ends Up in Prison)
14. Breakout (Evan Makes a Great Escape)
15. Day of Atonement (Lenny Is Given a Second Chance at the Junkyard)
16. Kayleigh Hears the Truth (Evan Tells Kayleigh the Whole Story)
17. Sacrifices (Evan Goes Further to Right Things)
18. Saving Mom (To Save the Life of His Mother, Evan Returns to the Past)
19. Institutionalized (Evan's Actions Land Him in Dire Circumstances)
20. Final Solution (Evan Makes a Last Desperate Bid to Fix Things)
21. End Credits

Derek Armstrong

Moviegoers who loved Back to the Future or Frequency salivated over the promise of The Butterfly Effect. Unfortunately for them, the film is more a repeating game of "do over" than a thought-provoking look at space-time conundrums. Taking inspiration from the notion that even a butterfly's flapping wings can send a ripple of causation through the world, the film tries to flesh out a murky premise about a boy (Ashton Kutcher) who can alter his past by mentally rearranging the writings in his diary. The words flutter, the physical world reverberates like a massive earthquake, and suddenly history has been rewritten. If what the film did with its core existential ideas was interesting, Kutcher's gift would not require in-depth explanation, nor would the rules that govern it be very important. But Butterfly is no Donnie Darko, despite stealing some of that film's tone and plot elements. Darko is far more successful at de-emphasizing plot clarity in favor of style and a penetrating emotional truth. Crucially undercutting this film's power is the fact that it presents Kutcher's alternate pasts in a sequence that builds toward the most comic version --- intentionally or otherwise --- rather than the most tragic. The writing/directing team behind Final Destination 2 brings a similar slick palette of ominous blue hues to this film. But it's Kutcher's lack of gravitas, the reason he's cast in comedies more often than thrillers, that becomes an insurmountable problem at exactly the wrong time. As a result, The Butterfly Effect has no effect. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jason Goldberg  Executive Producer 
Richard Brener  Executive Producer 
Ashton Kutcher  Executive Producer 
Chris Bender  Producer 
Toby Emmerich  Executive Producer 
J.C. Spink  Producer 
Eric Bress  Director 
Eric Bress  Screenwriter 
J. Mackye Gruber  Director 
J. Mackye Gruber  Screenwriter 
A.J. Dix  Producer 
Anthony Rhulen  Producer 
Bill Shively  Executive Producer 
Cale Boyter  Executive Producer 
Michael Suby  Composer (Music Score) 
David Krintzman  Executive Producer 
Ashton Kutcher  Actor 
Amy Smart  Actor 
William Lee Scott  Actor 
Elden Henson  Actor 
Melora Walters  Actor 
Eric Stoltz  Actor 
Logan Lerman  Actor 
Nathaniel de Veaux  Actor 
Ethan Suplee  Actor 
Kevin Schmidt  Actor 
Jesse James  Actor 
Cameron Crigger  Actor 
Callum Keith Rennie  Actor 
John Patrick Amedori  Actor 
Irene Gorovaia  Actor 
Brandy Heidrick  Actor 

Country: USA