The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations (2009) Reviews

• Well-plotted thrill ride, but with a predictable twist.

  Faisal-Hashmi2009-03-23

  I went into Butterfly Effect: Revelation with very low expectations, especially after the mediocre sequel. But it is a surprisingly well-plotted and thrilling puzzle of a movie that has it share of great moments, but the twist can be guessed by most and it changes up the rules of the first two. We follow Sam who lives whose girlfriend Rebecca was murdered 5 years ago. Like the previous movies, he has the ability to travel back in time to key moments to gain some new information and sometimes even alter the past. He uses this to help the FBI catch killers beforehand. Only this time, the movie adds a few new elements: 1)Sam can travel back to ANY moment in the past, whether he was present there when it originally happened or not. 2) He doesn't need to use journals/pictures to travel back and can do so at his will anytime. 3) A few more but they are spoiler territory. But once he gets the information that the killer who is behind bars for Rebecca's murder is wrongly convicted, he decides to break his own rule of not altering his own past to travel back to the night of the murder, but through a mistake creates a serial killer for the world. Unlike the second movie which had a large amount of plot holes and ridiculous decisions by the protagonist, this one is for the most part well-plotted, presented as a puzzle piece instead of a traditional thriller, and creates suspense by adding the element of guessing the killer's identity. It has a lot of thrilling moments, particularly in the last half hour. Unfortunately, the twist the movie tries to pull is predictable in the movie if you are paying attention. Although that doesn't mar the experience, it ruins the element of surprise. Also, some fans of the original may not like the changes to the rules of the first. The actor's did a surprisingly good part in the movie. The dialogue was good, although the little attempts at humor failed more than worked. Overall, this is a recommended thriller, especially if you are a fan of the original. It tries to do something different by adding the element of a serial killer into the mix and gives the protagonist much more stake in the movie rather than just saving the life of a loved one. If only it wasn't for the predictable twist, my rating would be higher.

• Not too Shabby

  digitalmaleficus2009-04-01

  Well lemme just say I've seen the first movie of the series and was semi impressed, but more confused. Never saw the second one. Just watched the 3rd. Let me just say I honestly was intrigued through pretty much the whole movie. FOcused around 'time travel' but not in the traditional 'got a special machine sense'. Based around a number of grisly murders, where the main character is attempting to 'witness' or even change the course of events by finding out who the killer is. I have to say I was curious to find out who it was and even though the discovery moment of the movie was kinda a weak climax for such awesome horror foreplay I have to say I went away generally satisfied. Not too bad of a twist, but then generic at the same time. However the overall experience is very entertaining. I recommend watching it. The acting isn't bad for the most part and while the movie seems really confusing at first, if you pay attention it actually makes sense at the end. Check it out, not for anyone but I'm sure a lot will get a kick out of it.

• really enjoyed this surprising sequel

  marvingardens242009-03-30

  I was a huge fan of the original Butterfly Effect, although I liked the concept more than the execution. When Ashton screamed, "You don't know me! I don't even know me!", it made me remember why certain actors should stick to lightweight material. I had very low expectations for this one, mostly because the second movie was unwatchable. Aside from a couple of problems, I was pleasantly surprised. First, the problems: This movie has nothing to do with the original or the sequel except that the Butterfly Effect power is SIMILAR -- not exactly the same, because in this one the main character Sam travels by just focusing on the past, and his sister Jenna monitors him, but then he seems to forget the intervening years when he returns to the present. The other problem is that sometimes characters and relationships are unclear and a couple times I had to ask my wife who this person was or why this person thinks that now, but she understood it pretty well and felt that the confusion was intentional so that the audience would feel like the main character, who's really confused by all the time travel. The two leads in this one -- which probably couldn't get big stars because of its low budget -- were both outstanding. Chris Carmack shows major dramatic chops. I can see him being the next Viggo Mortensen. Rachel Miner is also really great, and so are the minor characters, especially the well-endowed bartender. (Was that a visual reference to Catholic Schoolgirls in Trouble, from the Kentucky Fried Movie, or am I reaching?) There were a couple of strong dramatic scenes that wouldn't have felt out of place in a studio Oscar-bait type of movie. I guess that's a credit to the writing/directing too, since it didn't feel overdone or hammy. The cinematography was also solid, and I liked the score. Usually movies like this skimp on those elements and just use a cheesy synth score, but this one was solid. My only complaint about the cinematography is that sometimes it felt claustrophobic -- we're always inside someone's apartment, or in some dark, cramped place. I guess that fits with the theme, but I would've liked to be able to breath every now and then with a nice landscape shot or something. Maybe that was also a budget issue. Overall, although I didn't see this movie in the theater -- it was out for a week, apparently - - watching it at home felt like I'd caught a really cool late-night TV show. It's a fun ride. I could see this turning into a TV series or something, like Quantum Leap.

• Low expectations equals surprising results

  tikileelee2009-01-12

  To say that expectations are low for the third installment of a franchise that was fairly woeful to begin with is a pretty massive understatement. The original "Butterfly Effect" starring Aston Kutcher was more a vaguely interesting concept masquerading as a feature film than a fully-realized story. Butterfly Effect 2 is an inept pile of cinematic garbage that was only made because the same German audiences that go apeshit for David Hasselhoff also think that Butterfly Effect is the "Citizen Kane" of Aston Kutcher time-travel movies. And, lastly, "Butterfly Effect: Revelation", the anchor of Horrorfest's 8 Films to Die For festival, has had such a lackluster marketing plan that it was nearly impossible to find out when and where it was playing until a few days before it opened. So as the lights dimmed at the 10:00 showing of "Revelation" at Mann's Beverly Center Cinema, the odds were that it was going to be a long night. But then a funny thing happened. The movie started and it was actually pretty...good. Okay- it was clearly made on a pretty small budget and there were some of the edges were a little rough, but generally this was a pleasant, if not elevated, genre movie with some good scares, at least one standout performance and an interesting take on a series that was worn out before it began. Unlike its predecessors, the most surprising thing about "Revelation" is that it actually has a story and fully-realized characters. A disturbing cold open murder in a Detroit park sets a gloomy tone and introduces us to Sam Reed (Chris Carmack) who callously watches the murder take place from a safe distance. We soon learn that Sam possesses the power to jump back anywhere in time in his own personal past. Unlike the protagonists of the previous two Butterfly Effects, Sam uses this power not to change the circumstances of his own life but for a tidy paycheck from helping Detroit police to solve cold case murders. This by itself earns the film, penned by up and coming screenwriter Holly Brix and directed by equally rising filmmaker Seth Grossman, a gold star over the previous efforts in the franchise. The Kutcher version at least had novelty going for it even if it was missing a story but the second film is simply a remake of the first with an unknown cast and director. Brix's script, while not perfect, is miles ahead of its predecessors in terms of creating a film that is more plot than gimmick. Grossman's direction is interesting as well but flawed. Some very nice moments in the film are undercut with overlong scenes and sloppy editing. Several times in the movie I caught myself mumbling the word "cut" to myself with increasing urgency. Good lines of dialogue that should have ended the scene were lost in unnecessary further expository jibber jabbering by the actors. As the film goes on we're introduced to Sam's sister (Rachel Miner) who is both his caretaker when he is having his time traveling out of body experiences and his ward as an emotionally fragile, sardonic shut-in. Miner's performance nails a character really well and when she's on screen the movie really comes to life. Miner, best known for her relationship to the Home Alone kid, shines in this movie to the extent that she overshadows Carmack's heavy-handed take on his character. This appears to be a problem with the direction or casting as the acting is frequently uneven but Miner proves that all of the performances could have been better. Although spotty, Carnack manages to pump out a few scenes that reach an authentic emotional quality. Sam soon learns that someone else is jumping into a mutual past and changing events faster than he can. Soon he is a suspect in the murders that he formerly helped solve and the real killer is closing in on him. The killer's identity is well concealed until it is very close to being revealed at which point it seems the filmmakers had run out of red herrings to use as distractions. Overall, however, "Revelation" is a pleasant surprise against such radically low expectations and, while it is not "Citizen Kane" it is an entertaining genre movie with some great writing, decent direction and an inspiring performance from Miner.

• Some efforts but a bit short of a great flick

  jerry072012-12-08

  Have to say, loved the first Butterfly Effect movie and decided to watch the second which everyone would agree is a total disaster. This third one worried me but I gave it a try. It ended not to be the best flick ever but has at least has some storyline. In fact, the movie even has a tiny bit of a surprise as the plot deepens and end to be a fine movie. The acting is not bad at all (Sam Reide character is well enacted and Jenna tend to appear as a believable sister character). So in truth, I may even go to say that if you are looking for a easy to understand SciFi movie genre (making some sense), you will probably be entertained by watching this sequel. Do not expect a follow-up of the first however (theme theme but no real relation).