The Butterfly Effect Details

Just Married and Dude, Where's My Car? goofball Ashton Kutcher takes on a more serious role in this ambitious supernatural thriller. Written and directed by Final Destination 2 scribes J Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, it's based on the idea of chaos theory, which speculates that the smallest of events can have the hugest of consequences. In a plot that feels lifted from The Twilight Zone, Kutcher plays a troubled college student who discovers he has the ability to go back in time and re-write the past. Touching on provocative themes such as child abuse, disability and terminal illness, Gruber and Bress have created a powerful and disturbing tale. Despite being spoilt by a rushed and overly simplistic conclusion, it's surprisingly dark and adult for a Hollywood project. In contrast to his joker reputation, Kutcher delivers a strong and believable performance, though his co-stars, with the exception of a stomach-churningly good Eric Stoltz, are largely unremarkable.

Structured a little like one of those Russian dolls, with smaller dolls nested in one another, this needlessly complex thriller reveals a succession of its protagonist's differing memories until finally revealing that it is empty inside.