The Butterfly Effect

Director: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber Eric Bress

Overview

"A time travel thriller that pulls no punches, directors Eric Bress and J. Mackeye Gruber's The Butterfly Effect arrives on DVD in fine form thanks to New Line Cinema's Infinifilm series. Whether the viewer chooses to watch the original, theatrical cut of the film or the newly assembled director's cut, both presentations of the feature are offered in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is clean, offering rich, vibrant colors and little evidence of artifacting or edge enhancement. Likewise, the DTS audio mix rings through, loud and clear, with effective use of surround channels and low-frequency audio that will certainly keep viewers on their toes. As can be expected from any release in the Infinifilm series, this disc is brimming with some informative and entertaining bonus materials. Director's audio commentary offers the good-humored Bress and Gruber detailing many of the film's subtle hints and messages while also discussing effects work and character development -- a matter which merited an extra modicum of attention given The Butterfly Effect's multi-layered realities. Viewers can also study the true origins of the film's central conflict with ""The Science and Psychology of the Chaos Theory,"" which offers interviews with numerous physics experts and psychotherapists as they attempt to demystify the sometimes dense subject. ""The History and Allure of Time Travel"" offers a brief history of cinematic time travel while simultaneously examining the psychological implications that may result when one tries to alter the future, and though the ""fact track"" does offer the occasional interesting tidbit, it works best when guiding viewers toward features that will offer a better look at the filmmaking process. After learning about the complicated road to actually getting the feature before the cameras in ""The Creative Process"" (which offers Bress and Gruber attempting to detail how they broke from convention while scripting the film, among other details), viewers can check out how the film's visual effects were conceived and executed in a visual effects documentary that offers interviews with visual effects supervisor Ralph Maiers and visual effects coordinator Christopher Elke. A storyboards feature allows viewers to watch 11 scenes side-by-side with the rough sketches that provide a visual outline for the feature, and nine deleted scenes with optional commentary are also included. In addition to the features on the disc, viewers can go even further by accessing such DVD-ROM features as script-to-screen comparison (a fantastic film-school lesson for aspiring filmmakers) and an image gallery that's loaded with still images from The Butterfly Effect. An original theatrical trailer is also included."

Product Details

Release Date:	07/06/2004
UPC:	0794043717321
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	R
Source:	New Line Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround EX]
Language:	English
Time:	2:00:00

Special Features

Closed Caption;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

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ashton Kutcher	Evan Treborn
Amy Smart	Kayleigh Miller
Melora Walters	Andrea Treborn
Ethan Suplee	Thumper
Elden Henson	Lenny
William Lee Scott	Tommy Miller
Eric Stoltz	Mr. Miller
John Patrick Amedori	Evan (age 13)
Irene Gorovaia	Kayleigh (age 13)
Kevin G. Schmidt	Lenny (age 13)
Jesse James	Tommy (age 13)
Logan Lerman	Evan (age 7)
Sarah Widdows	Kayleigh (age 7)
Callum Keith Rennie	Jason
Jake Kaese	Lenny at 7
Cameron Bright	Tommy at 7
Lorena Gale	Mrs. Boswell
Nathaniel DeVeaux	Dr. Redfield
John Tierney	Priest
Kendall Cross	Mrs. Kagan
John B. Lowe	Professor Carter
Camille Sullivan	Cricket
Tara Wilson	Heidi
Jesse Hutch	Spencer
Jacqueline Stewart	Gwen
Grant Thompson	Hunter
Andrew Olcott	Andrea's New Husband
Sadie Lawrence	Mrs. Halpern
Bill Croft	Boss
Glenn Richards	Pinching Customer
Sam Easton	Theta Chi Pledge
Daniel Spink	Senior Brother
Douglas H. Arthurs	Karl
Kevin Durand	Carlos
Paul Lazenby	Rick
June B. Wilde	Waitress
Kimani Smith	Orderly
Trevor Jones	Sunnyvale Guard
Colby Chartrand	Teen Punk
Shelly Schiavoni	Mrs. Miller
Brandy Heidrick	Kristen
Chapelle Jaffe	Madame Helga
Scott Swanson	Obstetrician
Kevan Ohtsji	Anesthesiologist
Melanie Hall	Gesela
Amy Esterle	Gothic Coed
David Cook	Moviegoer
Magda Apanowicz	Teen Punk Girl
Gary Little	Wedding Priest
J. Jackson Kocela	Evan at 3
Ted Friend	Actor
Cameron Crigger	Tommy Miller at 8
Michael Suby	Composer

Technical Credits

Eric Bress

J. Mackye Gruber

Eric Bress	Director,Screenwriter
J. Mackye Gruber	Director,Screenwriter
Chris Bender	Producer,Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
A.J. Dix	Producer
J.C. Spink	Producer
Carmen Cuba	Casting
Ashton Kutcher	Executive Producer
Cale Boyter	Executive Producer,Producer
Richard Brener	Executive Producer,Producer
Toby Emmerich	Executive Producer,Producer
William Shively	Executive Producer,Producer,Executive Producer
Jason Goldberg	Executive Producer,Producer
David Krintzman	Executive Producer,Producer
Anthony Rhulen	Producer
Christopher Elke	Special Effects
Corbin Fox	Special Effects
Lorraine Rozon	Special Effects
James Bamford	Stunts
Murray Campbell	Special Effects
Nick Allen	Stunts
Christopher Assells	Sound Effects
Lisa Richardson	Producer
John Bires	Sound Effects
Weldon Brown	Sound Effects
John Cannon	Sound Effects
Coreen Mayrs	Casting
Heike Brandstatter	Casting
Geoffrey Grubay	Sound/Sound Designer
Daryl Powell	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

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.