Movie Review: The Butterfly Effect

I will begin to review movies which I have recently seen, and perhaps you will get to know me a bit better. My rating system is entirely my own. All movie scores begin at 0 points (being neutral) before gains and losses are factored in. I'm going for as close to 0 as I feel I can, to keep the scoring more syncronized

Gains: 2 points
The Butterfly Effect has a fascinating plot, with pretty good acting. I can say that I enjoy watching Ashton Kutcher in anything. Amy Smart is also very good. The pacing and script were also worthy of mention.

Losses: 5 points
The writing, while it reaches my overall expectations, has way too much negative content. Cursing was overabundant (I get the point, now can you spare my ears?). Random nudity occurs in a couple places. Several times there was ample opportunity but it was avoided; however other times, the viewer receives a quick flash. Too much violence was shown. In a dark movie, you can gain points for tastefulness. I like dark movies that have good sense in what they show and what they merely imply. They did not do enough to censor themselves. Also, the movie felt downright malicious in its graphic nature -- even spiritually evil by the end. It was kind of disturbing.

Final Judgement: -3

Did the producers get what they wanted out of the movie? I think so. Did the dark elements contribute to the storyline? Yes, they did. The problem was that there was so much evilness and no redeeming qualities. Even the hero has to be evil to get a good resolution. They could have toned the "rawness" of the movie down a bit to make their movie more palpable to a larger audience. The movie was a blockbuster idea wrapped in filth. If they had cleaned it up a bit, I think it could have been awesome.