If you only saw the Butterfly Effect in the theaters, it’s time to gave it another look.
First time I saw this movie was on DVD, and I thought it was amazing. It was almost perfectly constructed, with only one notable plot hole (where Ashton’s character stabs himself in the hands). I wondered at the time why it wasn’t a bigger hit.
Then I watched the Theatrical version on DVD. Wow. The ending was terrible. And I mean terrible. It’s tough not to discuss this without giving away what happens, but let’s just say that the Director’s Cut, while extremely awesome, might have been a little too challenging for the American Public, whereas the Theatrical Version was probably Watered-Down But Acceptable.
I noticed that it was the writers themselves who directed this movie, so that neatly explains its dual nature. They shot the movie they wrote, showed it to a producer who was all like, “you can’t show that to the American Public”, and were forced to re-shoot with the horrible compromise.
The message here is that if writers direct a movie, you should listen to them. Produces gave the Wachowski Brothers a lot of leeway and we got the Matrix. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck gave us Good Will Hunting. I feel certain the Butterfly Effect would have enjoyed the same success if Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber had been able to make the movie they wanted to make.