Anyway, it turns out that The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations had already crossed that line where the sequels have almost no relation to the original. There is lip service to ‘the rules’ of the first film, although there seems to be some sort of common knowledge of ‘jumping’ that the characters share. Hell, the film’s resolution depends on one character knowing how to jump and not telling anybody. But it is very possible to watch this film without any knowledge of the original.
This film, the brainchild of first time screenwriter Holly Brix and director Seth Grossman (whose other credits include producing On The Rocks: The Search For America’s Next Great Bartender), concerns Sam Reide (Chris Carmack, who was in the magnificently goofy Shark Night 3D). Sam first used his jumping powers to save his younger sister, but in doing so caused the death of his parents. He now works as a freelance psychic for the Detroit Police...and as such is approached by Elizabeth, the sister of his murdered girlfriend. Elizabeth is convinced the man who was convicted was innocent, and asks him to exonerate him. Somehow in doing so, Sam has inadvertently created a serial killer who has not only killed both Elizabeth and her sister but six other women...and may have done something with his mentor (Kevin Yon) to prevent him from learning the truth.
This has 'Direct-to-Video Cash In Sequel’ written all over it. The acting is kind of soap opera level, even though I was impressed with Rachel Miner, who plays Sam’s sister (at least until the last act, where she plays Regulation Movie Crazy in a way that pissed me off). The special effects aren’t very special, and the gore is a little restrained given the film’s R rating. There is a tendency to utilize most female characters in a pervy way--one is pretty much defined by an extended sex scene that emphasizes her heroic breasts, and the other’s major scene seems to be a play rape scene so she can do most of her dialogue in her bra and panties. Even though there are some striking beauty shots of Detroit throughout, the story takes no advantage of its unique property as a city that came violently close to being a feral city. And the solution smacks more of a desperate attempt to come up with a ‘shocking’ ending than any logical extension of what we’ve seen before.
I admit that I had kind of checked out at the two-thirds mark and stopped trying to find anything, something that I could latch onto. This was not somebody trying to do something unique; this was somebody tacking the Butterfly Effect name onto his film in the hopes of attracting a few more eyeballs at Redbox. I think it thinks it’s being profound with the way Sam eventually solves the problem of 'The Pontiac Killer,’ but it comes off as a sad attempt to create a resonance with that first movie.
While I did not necessarily like the original (and will admit that it inadvertently punched a number of my triggers), it felt like something the creators wanted to get off their chest, and that they were trying to fashion something worthwhile. Not here. This is just an attempt to make some money off a known brand name...even an obscure one like The Butterfly Effect. I cannot recommend this film.
Our sponsor tomorrow is my friend, journalist and Twisted Woman Next Door Chauncy K. Robinson. Chauncey has chosen for me the Danny Boyle/Alex Garland (very British) love letter to George Romero, 28 Days Later. I’m looking forward to revisiting it and the ‘five minutes before’ appearances of Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Christopher Eccleston.
If you’d like to join Damien and other Patreons, there’s four slots open for this year’s Halloween Horrorfest. Anyone who joins the Patreon at the $3 or more slot not only gets bits of writing and exclusive podcasts (like the upcoming Pacific Rim Rialto), but can sponsor one of those slots and choose the film I have to watch and report on!
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