I've never been a fan of movie critics. Seems to me that it's only critically acclaimed if it's this tear-jerking drama about life as we will never know it. They are in love with Disney movies, good, bad and ugly. If it's action... tsk.. please, it just might get a decent rating, if enough people believe in the hype.
So, I take this time to review a movie I've seen recently. Not as a critic, but as a movie fan. The movie for this entry will be for the "Butterfly Effect". If you didn't see the movie, go see it before you read any further! For those of you that watched, what did you think? Did Ashton Kutcher prove that he can act past the words "dude" and "sweet"? Would this suspense-thriller prove worthy of a fan-base? All this and more! Keep reading...
I love the idea of being able to go back in time within your mind and relive, even change, the not-so-good aspects. That's always fun to roll around in your imagination. What would you change about your life if you could go back? How much would it change your surroundings? Would you end up with more money? Would you end up with a different mate than you have now? I'm not sure what your answer is, but I am sure that I wouldn't change anything because I might not be the person I've grown to be. For better or worse, I trust that God knew what He was doing all this time, even if I didn't.
Now, would somebody please tell me who thought it was "in" to kill yourself? In entertainment, people seem to remember you better than you were, and maybe even get more famous. But, in reality, you're probably worse off than you were before, not to mention eternal consequences. The real question is: Is that the answer? In the case of this movie, Kutcher's character felt like he needed to just end the madness that he had created, and everyone else would be happier. Kayleigh, his love interest, married someone else. His friends grew up to be decent people. His mom was sent sobbing forever over the loss of another baby. Even by killing himself, he still couldn't solve all the problems.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this movie, but I find it hard to believe that the screenwriter, director and/or producer had no idea what implications they were making in this film. Nevertheless, the bottom line is this: A for creativity; A for plot; A for casting; A for special effects; C- for the ending. Questions, class?
10/18/2004
In Review
Posted by Kent at 6:20 PM
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4 comments:
I think it was kind of rotton that the ending made it seem like the whole world revolved around Ashton's character's every move. Like he was the all important factor in whether or not these people's lives worked out good or bad. Other than that I thought it was good because it was a fairly original idea.
Having seen the movie right after Elias was born, watching the baby die made me weep like a schoolgirl. I loved and hated the ending, though.
I hated the suicide... mainly because it is a short-term answer to long-term problems. But, I think the writers drew a pretty thick line between this character's life and any viewer's life as to not leave any area for connection. At least I hope so.
I loved that they threw you for a loop. I loved that they left you hopeless about his ability to change the world... like his dad said, "You can't play God" (BTW, don't forget that he was the 4th miscarriage, implying his older siblings came to the same conclusion he did). I also loved the unspoken message that every decision you make today echoes in the future.
Oh, and Ashton is still a bad actor. The kid Ashton was much better than the real Ashton.
I would ditto what my husband said. Although, I did think Ashton did a pretty good job. I enjoyed the different story lines as he hopped in and out...the fraternity jock, etc...
Um, okay. I only saw the movie on DVD and I thought the 'happy ending' was the version they used in theaters....
If you haven't seen it:
He goes back to the party where he first meets Kayleigh and when she asks to be his friend he says some really mean nasty things to her and she runs away from him. Therefore, they never become friends and she never goes to live with her father and therefore...etc..(you get it)
And then it shows him living somewhere else having lost everything but knowing that she gained everything. Then it fades to showing her marrying someone else and the other people he knew all having good lives.
My wife loved that ending and hated the killing himself one. I thought the 'happy ending' didn't fit the theme of the movie (especially the other sibling thing and this dad saying that it was impossible to improve things)
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