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Overall Rating : 5/10
Directed By : John R. Leonetti
Eric Lively (The Breed)
Erica Durance (Smallville (TV) )
JR Bourne (The Exorcism of Emily Rose)
Gina Holden (AVP 2 : Alien Vs. Predator 2)
Supplied By : New Line Cinema
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Oct. 5, 2006
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| PLOT Nick Larson is on his way to making his dreams come true. He is in love with his girlfriend, Julie, and he’s in the running for a career-making promotion at work. But tragedy strikes on the drive back from a hiking trip, killing Julie and their two best friends and leaving Nick as the sole survivor. Unable to cope with their deaths, Nick discovers that he has the ability to transport himself back in time by focusing on photos from the past. In an attempt to alter the events of that tragic accident, Nick travels back to the day of the crash to change the fate of those he loves. Unbeknownst to Nick, however, changes to past events carry unforeseen consequences in the present – and the future is always a mystery. |
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| THE REVIEW Well, 2004's THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT was a surprise hit, so like many films as of late, it is one of the next in line to receive it's direct-to-DVD sequel. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT 2 is a sequel that, instead of continuing with the originals primary characters, the power or curse if you will, possessed by Evan Treborn in the first it seemingly passed on to someone new - this being Nick Larson. This story starts off with Nick, his Girlfriend Julie and friends on a hiking trip, they are at the location celebrating Julie's 24th Birthday to be exact. As any setup would go, on the way back the group is involved in a terrible accident, one that leaves all but Nick dead. We pick up exactly a year following the horrible accident, and we find that Nick has moved up the ranks at his office job, he should be happy for all of this, but the void that his loss left still exists. Julie had been an aspiring photographer had taken many photographs during the ill-fated hiking trip that would ultimately in the end kill her, Nick going through the photos one night, is overcome with a power in which he has never felt when looking at these pictures, and it turns out that whatever picture his eyes are focusing on - he can revisit that time in the present. Once Nick grasps his new found ability, he goes back in time in hopes of fixing things but in fixing them he makes other things go wrong.... he goes through cycles on his flashback journey, ones that find him at odds with different individuals that could lead him or the ones around him in harms way. First things first, I am a huge fan of the original BUTTERFLY EFFECT, I actually see it as one of the most brilliant films in recent years(especially the Director's Cut), so when I heard of this sequel I was a little iffy. My first reaction was "is this needed?" my 2nd "how would they be able to make this original enough to continue the story?" and then finally "Would the previous actors be reprising their coveted roles?" well the latter questions were answered by they were kind of disappointing - The only way they were able to continue it with any originality was to have the same exact plot as the original but this time substitute Evan's journal with Nick's photographs - not a far stretch and not well thought about...I mean anyone could've dreamed up this plot, only one major element has been changed. And to further the disappointment disappoint, not even one actor has returned for this sequel, and although the new cast does a fairly decent job....they just can't pull it off quite like the original cast did, more notably Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. I never thought i'd ever say this, but this is a film in which Ashton Kutcher can NOT be replaced, I don't know what it is, but Ashton was perfect for his role in THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT. With THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT 2, one thing that is missing is explanation, and this is something the original did very well. Here we are told that Nick Larson has been suffering from Migraine headaches for years, yet, we never are even made aware of it's connections with Nick's flashbacks - we just assume they are. It seems as if the basic purpose for this film even to exist is to use the first film's concept in a different setting, about how JASON X was to the FRIDAY THE 13TH series. Don't get me wrong here, it is nice to see the flashback concept once again as I think it is an awesome idea, but this time around, the story is present, but just not solid enough. Perhaps one thing that made the first film so successful in that we were able to revisit the character of Evan Treborn from childhood all the way up to his adulthood, this offering plenty of story to keep one hooked, and simultaneously it let us get inside of the characters and become invested in their lives. In this film however the primary focus is solely on Nick, while the supporting characters there just to serve as mere obstacles in the way of Nick as he searches for an answer - a great cast especially the character of Julie, but neither of them, besides Nick used in a beneficial manner. The acting is decent, but like I said not nearly as effective as the acting that of the original film. Eric Lively as Nick, is our main character he does a decent job, but just does not pull it off in the "very believable" department and with the film's Sci-Fi plot, believability is mandatory in most cases. Erica Durance is great in the role as Julie and she will be more than likely one of the main reason's guys even tune into this DVD sequel. I can't think of a better way to say this other than Durance, simply lights the screen on fire with her sex appeal. Too bad, that in my opinion, she is just not utilized correctly and is seen too little - But she does give us a love scene that is well worth the viewing. Again, as a huge fan of the first one, it's indeed nice to see that the studio wants to carry on the title. What they gave us is a fairly decent effort, but it lacks skill and preparation, as it does seem a little rushed, it is definitely a film that wasn't needed. In the end, it does warrant moderate entertainment value, perhaps if the original BUTTERFLY EFFECT had not existed prior to this film, my feelings would be completely altered. | ||||
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| GORE
METER 2/10 Not much in terms of gore. All I can seem to remember is blood splatter on a windshield from the crash, and Nick's bloody noses.... |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 4/10 The typical orchestrated themes, mixed with some soft rock and club music. It also featured the sound effect which is heard before a flashback occurs...it is carried over from the previous film. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM As I said, had this been the first film of it's kind, THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT 2 would have been far more impressive in my eyes, But the point is, the original film did so well, that we have all seen everything THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT 2 has to offer and we have arguably seen it at the best it could possibly be done. However, I do recommend checking it out because it is still a rather decent film, just don't expect the same quality of it's predecessor. This DVD will be available on October 10, 2006 |
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