The Butterfly Effect
New Line Home Entertainment
Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Elden Henson
Extras: Commentary Track
Rating:
When "The Butterfly Effect" came out in 2004, many people originally had reservations about seeing it, as Ashton Kutcher was known then almost exclusively for his role as Kelso on "That 70's Show" and no one knew whether he'd be able to carry a serious role. The movie, however, met with a lot of praise and now thanks to New Line, it is now also available on UMD for watching on the go.
The movie itself is the story of Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher), and his disturbing childhood. Yet when he reaches college, he finds that with the use of his diaries, he can revisit the past and change it. But even the slightest change can cause drastic events, and Evan finds when he returns to the present that he leads a very different life. He continues to jump back to the past in order to make things right.
Now before continuing the review, I think it is important to note that this UMD only features the Director's Cut of the movie, with no option to watch the theatrical version. While the Director's Cut is still an enjoyable movie, I personally prefer the theatrical version and would have liked the option on the UMD to choose which version to watch, much like New Line's previous DVD release.
That being said, the UMD is still very nicely put together. The film was shot in 1.78:1 therefore it fills the PSP screen completely. The transfer is amazing, featuring vibrant colors that seem to pop out of the screen, especially when the PSP's brightness setting is high. But what is more impressive is when the film is very dark. The blacks are very rich and really help set the tone for the film.
The sound on the disc matches the high quality of the video and is very clear, even when using the PSP's build-in speakers. Even if you find it hard to hear the dialog, there are subtitles in both English and Spanish for the film. Also on the disc is a filmmaker's commentary which is interesting for fans of the movie and a worthy addition. The special features also include a selection of deleted scenes, each with optional commentary. Unfortunately for people who preferred the theatrical release's ending, it is not present in the deleted scenes. The features are rounded out with trailers for other New Line UMD releases.
All in all, New Line has put out a very high quality release of "The Butterfly Effect" on this UMD. Despite the omission of the theatrical cut of the film, this disc is still quite enjoyable, and a great addition to anyone's collection.
