7/10
Well-plotted thrill ride, but with a predictable twist.
23 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
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.
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