The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations

Have to say, loved the first Butterfly Effect movie and decided to watch the second which everyone would agree is a total disaster. This third one worried me but I gave it a try. It ended not to be the best flick ever but has at least has some storyline. In fact, the movie even has a tiny bit of a surprise as the plot deepens and end to be a fine movie. The acting is not bad at all (Sam Reide character is well enacted and Jenna tend to appear as a believable sister character).

So in truth, I may even go to say that if you are looking for a easy to understand SciFi movie genre (making some sense), you will probably be entertained by watching this sequel. Do not expect a follow-up of the first however (theme theme but no real relation).

I'll start with saying that I saw the first two films and while the first one actually caught my attention (reason why i watched second and third) I actually enjoyed it, second one was really just interesting to watch see what else the character does and how it changes the present, the third has not much background information on the characters, borrows no info from the first two, it just starts in the middle of the story. Most people say that is wrong but if they were to cover everything they would need a whole series. I would normally know about the launch of the movie but like everyone else, I have not heard and commercials or anything promoting the movie, I kind of stumbled upon it.

The acting I thought it was pretty good, especially Rachel Miner, and in spite of being a low budget film, it accomplished it's goals quite well. I had not seen the plot, I wasn't expecting it and I thought it was quite good actually. All the changes that Chris Carmack makes during his "jumps" are quite interesting and the way they change the story as well.

If you just want some good entertainment, watch it, even with its not so good parts, it still falls into the first 15% movies in the world especially with all the crap (don't even know what else to call it) that has been coming out lately...

Enjoy and drop a few words so others can benefit as well..

peace&love

I cant remember the first two in the series, so long since I have seen them, though I did see time travellers wife on Sunday (does that count?). I actually watched the film through twice (which I often do) because its easy to miss things in this movie. an earlier commentary is probably right' see the first thing and be satisfied. This is not a great movie but it does hold suspense and intrigue and does keep you8 entertained until the end. the opening scene of the woman and child being battered is gruesome but we need to spend more time on working out Nicks relationship with the Brown sisters and what his neurotic sister is really up to. but the first clue we really get is when they confirm in conversation that they 'jump, there we go, another time travel movie if I remember (or was it jumper). anyway, the fire thing could have done with more explaining and the big guy but Nick hangs out a lot at the Bar and he knew the guy well and even better the barmaid! wow, what tattoos and how unlucky for her to miss out on the action. Wouldn't bother with number 4 though, draw the line at this one, though the actual ending of the film was a nice twist.

I was a huge fan of the original Butterfly Effect, although I liked the concept more than the execution. When Ashton screamed, "You don't know me! I don't even know me!", it made me remember why certain actors should stick to lightweight material. I had very low expectations for this one, mostly because the second movie was unwatchable. Aside from a couple of problems, I was pleasantly surprised.

First, the problems: This movie has nothing to do with the original or the sequel except that the Butterfly Effect power is SIMILAR -- not exactly the same, because in this one the main character Sam travels by just focusing on the past, and his sister Jenna monitors him, but then he seems to forget the intervening years when he returns to the present. The other problem is that sometimes characters and relationships are unclear and a couple times I had to ask my wife who this person was or why this person thinks that now, but she understood it pretty well and felt that the confusion was intentional so that the audience would feel like the main character, who's really confused by all the time travel.

The two leads in this one -- which probably couldn't get big stars because of its low budget -- were both outstanding. Chris Carmack shows major dramatic chops. I can see him being the next Viggo Mortensen. Rachel Miner is also really great, and so are the minor characters, especially the well-endowed bartender. (Was that a visual reference to Catholic Schoolgirls in Trouble, from the Kentucky Fried Movie, or am I reaching?) There were a couple of strong dramatic scenes that wouldn't have felt out of place in a studio Oscar-bait type of movie. I guess that's a credit to the writing/directing too, since it didn't feel overdone or hammy.

The cinematography was also solid, and I liked the score. Usually movies like this skimp on those elements and just use a cheesy synth score, but this one was solid.

My only complaint about the cinematography is that sometimes it felt claustrophobic -- we're always inside someone's apartment, or in some dark, cramped place. I guess that fits with the theme, but I would've liked to be able to breath every now and then with a nice landscape shot or something. Maybe that was also a budget issue.

Overall, although I didn't see this movie in the theater -- it was out for a week, apparently - - watching it at home felt like I'd caught a really cool late-night TV show. It's a fun ride. I could see this turning into a TV series or something, like Quantum Leap.

Good movie, but not a great one. Not one of those movies that make me sit down and imagine myself in the protagonist's shoes. The first movie was thought provoking, during and after the movie. I came up with dozens of tricks and possibilities that I would have pulled off if I was in Sam's place. Revelations was thrilling and well directed, but it did not utilize the possibilities of time travel to its maximum potential, nor did it clearly display the 'butterfly effect'.

COMPARISON WITH THE FIRST MOVIE: -In the first movie Evan went back in time with a plan. However, in Revelations, Sam was clueless and clumsy every time he jumped back. There was no apparent purpose of his time travel and it would become obvious that things were not going to end in his favor. -Revelations did not have as many plot holes as the first movie. But that was only because we were not aware what Sam was doing at the time he traveled back. In the first movie, we knew exactly what Evan was doing and were familiar with the scenes.

WHAT I WANT FROM A FUTURE BUTTERFLY EFFECT MOVIE: -The original concept of time travel be kept,i.e, the protagonist can only travel back to certain life events. -The audience should be intensely familiarized with each of these events. -The time traveler experiments with his abilities to analyze and memorize every piece of information at these events. -The violence be dimmed down a bit so more people can watch it. -The time traveler THINKS BIG. It is annoying to see that such a powerful ability is used for petty issues, compared to what can actually be accomplished.