Script, plot line yield horrifying 'Effect'

Kutcher beefs up repertoire with challenging character different from usual banter

Almost two hours of some of the most horrifying acts of violence committed by humans — child molestation, animal abuse and murder — could be seen as a gratuitous excuse for gore and sensationalism. However, presented correctly — as it was in "The Butterfly Effect" — the result is a moving, fascinating take on the changeability of life.

Ashton Kutcher ("Just Married") plays Evan Treborn, who, since he was 7 years old, experienced blackouts during traumatic periods in his life, of which there were many. Evan endured his shocking childhood with friend Kayleigh Miller (Amy Smart, "The Battle of Shaker Heights"), with whom he eventually falls in love.

As a college student, Evan discovers that he, like his father, inexplicably can go back in time to the moments when the blackouts occurred and change the tragic events in his past. However, by changing the past, Evan alters the future and ends up destroying the lives of his friends and his mother.

Evan continues to try to fix the problems he's created and thus constructs many new realities, since having changed one instance in the past altered his entire future. When Evan changes the outcome of an event in his life and it goes badly for his friends, he attempts to fix it. He is the only one who remembers each reality, as his friends' memories are changed with each new reality.

The subject of the film is not new and, as a quote in the beginning of the film indicates, is derived from the chaos theory that even the flapping of a butterfly's wing could cause a tidal wave somewhere else in the world. The presentation of the subject matter, though, is quite unusual.

There is a great deal of extremely distressing violence and emotional disturbance in the film. Evan, Kayleigh and her brother Tommy (William Lee Scott, "Identity") each are molested by Kayleigh's father (Eric Stoltz, "The Rules of Attraction"). Tommy, in turn, commits a truly devastating act of animal abuse. These scenes are difficult to process, and leave the audience emotionally drained by the end of the film.

However, the scenes succeed in driving the point of the movie home — even the smallest thing one does in life can leave an irreversible imprint on one's future. The story line gives the actors more range with which to work and allows them to display grief, desperation and rage, but also happiness and relief when the events of their lives seem to be going better.

"The Butterfly Effect" is Kutcher's first attempt at starring in a dramatic film. While he has mastered the art of being a goofy jokester, his portrayal of a dramatic character is not quite as good.

Kutcher's performance is believable most of the time, and he is able to portray Evan's utter desperation with remarkable accuracy. Where Kutcher seems to fall short is the area in between, when he seems to overact in certain scenes where he simply needs to be serious. Nevertheless, his performance was relatively good as Evan.

Smart's performance as a troubled, emotionally distraught woman is excellent, and she is easy to relate to in this role. In one of the realities Evan creates, Kayleigh becomes a prostitute, and Smart delivers the cynicism and depression one would expect to see from such a character.

Directors Eric Bress (writer for "Final Destination 2") and J. Mackye Gruber do a commendable job in creating a chaotic world in which these troubled characters live.

Attention-grabbing special effects are used to show the transition of Evan's mind from his current reality to the past, and give the film a sense of chaos and insanity. The look of the film is remarkable as well, as the scenes in which abuse or violence occur are grimy and dirty, making the movie more realistic.

"The Butterfly Effect" does have some plot holes, such as the inconsistencies in Evan's physical reactions to his time traveling. Evan experiences nose bleeds and seizures after he changes the past, as he develops his new memories. The nose bleeds and seizures seem to get progressively worse and then, for no apparent reason, seem to get better again.

"The Butterfly Effect" is not for the faint of heart, as it can be very disturbing in its content. But, if an emotion-packed, intellectually fascinating trip through life is what viewers are looking for, then see this one in the theatre — it's worth the price.