The Butterfly Effect (2004)
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A man discovers he can travel back in time to inhabit his younger self, only to find that every change to the past carries unforeseen and often devastating consequences.
The story
Evan Treborn, a college student, experiences mysterious blackouts and memory loss throughout his childhood. In his late 20s, he discovers that these moments were actually instances where his adult self traveled back in time to inhabit his younger body. Upon realizing he can consciously manipulate these jumps, Evan begins to use his ability to alter his past and correct the traumas he and his friends endured. However, he quickly learns that even the smallest change to the timeline creates a ripple effect, resulting in unpredictable and often tragic consequences for everyone involved as he struggles to find a way to fix the past without destroying the present.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Evan Treborn, a man plagued by childhood memories of trauma and frequent amnesia, discovers that his blackouts were caused by his older self traveling back in time. After the suicide of his friend Kayleigh, Evan begins a series of time-traveling attempts to change the past. Each intervention—from preventing a molestation to stopping a dynamite accident—alters the present in unpredictable ways, leading to outcomes where his friends become addicts, are imprisoned, or suffer physical injuries. After several failed attempts that leave him and his friends in various states of misery, Evan eventually finds a way to create a timeline where his friends are safe, though it requires him to sever his own connection to them. In the 'Director's Cut' version, Evan ultimately travels back to the moment of his birth and ends his own life to stop a multi-generational cycle of trauma.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Eric Bress; J. Mackye Gruber
- Writers
- Eric Bress · writer; J. Mackye Gruber · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ashton Kutcher · Evan Treborn; Amy Smart · Kayleigh Miller; Eric Stoltz · George; William Lee Scott · Tommy; Elden Henson · Jason; Logan Lerman · Crockett; Ethan Suplee · Lenny; Melora Walters · mother
- Genres
- science fiction; thriller
- Themes
- consequences of actions; fate; trauma
- Tone and mood
- dark; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; butterfly effect; multiverse
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Blackouts (1998)
- Reception
- The film received a poor critical reception but was a commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 34% · scale: percentage · review count: 169; Metacritic · score: 30 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Pegasus Audience Award · Audience Award · Won; Best Science Fiction Film · Saturn Awards · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The script was initially considered too dark for general audiences.; The film features four different endings that were shot.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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