The Butterfly Effect 2
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| The Butterfly Effect 2 | |
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| Directed by | John Leonetti |
| Produced by | AJ Dix Michael D. Weiss |
| Starring | Eric Lively Erica Durance Dustin Milligan Gina Holden J. Larose |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | October 10, 2006 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
The Butterfly Effect 2 is a 2006 sequel to the 2004 film The Butterfly Effect, starring Eric Lively. The film was released direct-to-video on October 10, 2006.
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[edit] Plot
A group of friends, Nick (Eric Lively), Julie (Erica Durance), Trevor (Dustin Milligan) and Amanda (Gina Holden); celebrating Julie's 24th birthday, outside of the city. Nick and Julie walk off to talk while the other two smoke pot. Julie begins to tell Nick something important but gets interrupted by Nick. They discuss their future together. Nick feels his job will make him successful enough for the both of them. He asks her not to move to New York to pursue her photography. Nick is called away by work before Julie can tell him her important news. The four friends drive back to the city in Nick's SUV. Julie is taking photographs while Nick is driving. She undoes her seatbelt to snap a picture of Trevor and Amanda. Suddenly, the tire blows out and the SUV spins out of control, finally resting in the middle of the road. A semi-truck then smashes into them.
Nick lies in a hospital bed unconscious having flashbacks of the accident. At his side is his mother who informs the nurse that he is having a nightmare. He has had nightmares since childhood. He awakes to learn the rest did not survive the crash. Back home he holds a camera in his hand remembering Julie's birthday. Later while looking at a photograph of Julie he begins to show early signs of a "butterfly effect" but does not travel through time.
One year later. Nick is back at work. His supervisor, Dave (J. Larose), a former sales agent like Nick is and Trevor was before he died, informs Nick his work is slipping and gives him a warning. While giving a sales pitch to investors for his company's new handheld blackberry camera device, Nick begins to get another slight episode of his environment becoming unstable and rattling after seeing an old photograph of Trevor. This ruins his sale pitch and he gets heat from the company's boss, Ron. He is given a week suspension. Back home while looking at photographs from Julie's birthday a year ago. He sees a picture of him driving everyone home when his "butterfly effect" transports him back to that moment just before the accident. He tells Julie to buckle-up just before the tire goes flat and manages to avoid the semi-truck.
He awakes on the floor in a new shirt. Julie is now living with him. Nick is pleasantly surprised to see her. It is her 25th birthday. At dinner he tells her about how he remembers the past year differently. Trevor and Amanda arrive. Nick is happy to see them and then learns he is in charge of Trevor's bachelor party. The next day at work, Nick is researching why he doesn't remember the last year. He prints out an article about a mental hospital patient with similar syndrome he has been experiencing. The patient is Jason Treborn, Evan Treborn's father (Ashton Kutcher's character in the first movie was Evan). At a staff meeting he learns that Trevor has been fired. Nick accuses his supervisor of using Trevor as a scapegoat for a sales deal that fell through. Nick is fired on the spot. Julie is angry with him and begins giving him guilt trips. She reminded him that she could have moved to New York but did not for him. She has a minimum wage job she does now instead and for what they lost during the accident (she was pregnant with their child). Nick tells her he understands now what is important in life: That they both are together.
Later, Nick sees a Christmas photograph of him, his friends, and his supervisor Dave on the fridge. He takes a closer look at the photo while venting some frustration. An episode (his environment becoming unstable and rattling) is triggered and he is at the party. The party takes place after the accident but before Dave got his promotion to Vice-president (supervisor). Trevor and Amanda have revealed their engagement. Nick sees Dave and fakes tripping so he is able to spill wine on him. Earlier Nick mentioned Dave got his promotion off of the work Nick did. Nick then goes to Dave's file cabinet and steals the file of a specific investor.
"Butterfly effect" Nick is now the vice-president of the company. Nick phones Julie, getting her answering message. It appears now she is a local photographer. Nick leaves her a message to meet him tonight after he finishes a sale pitch meeting. The meeting happens and Nick gives a successful pitch. Nick learns next that he and the boss' daughter are having an affair. He gives into temptation and they have sex. Using Nick's handheld she takes a photograph of Nick kissing her. Trevor is waiting for Nick back at his place. There is trouble with a deal between Trevor and a shady investor named Malcolm. Nick tells his friend he will fix things, and then asks about Julie. Trevor mentions he has not kept in touch with Julie since Nick broke up with her a few months back. Next day at work, Nick learns the sales pitch to the investor the previous night did not go through. He then tells his boss about Malcolm wanting his investment money back. His boss informs him the company is broke. It turns out it is Nick's fault. Nick was unable to get a crucial investor several months ago. The investor from the file which he stole from Dave at Christmas. The investor who Dave was able to get in a previous timeline. Nick continues his attempts to contact Julie.
Nick and Trevor are at Malcolm's night club to discuss matters when Nick sees Julie taking photographs there. She wants nothing to do with him and has a new boyfriend. Nick tells Malcolm he is unable to return his money. Trevor is killed. Nick runs out of the room being shot at. Julie is shot and dies. Nick attempts to escape from the gunman through "butterfly effect" with the handheld photo of him and the boss' daughter. He fails and is captured. Nick is now the sex slave of Malcolm and his gay business partner, and is expected to return Malcolm's investment in other ways. He escapes.
Nick confesses everything to his mom. She tells him his father also tried to control things and committed suicide in the end. Nick meets with Amanda. She has with her a photograph from Julie's 24th birthday, which he had asked her to bring.
Nick returns to the start of the movie. He tells Julie she should move to New York and breaks up with her. Julie tells him she is having his baby. Upset, Julie takes his SUV. Nick takes a jeep and chases after her. Nick tries to get her to stop the car, but ends up driving off the road to avoid an oncoming vehicle, presumably dying.
One year later. Julie lives in New York with her son, Nick junior. Nick junior has a slight episode of his environment becoming unstable and rattling while looking at a photograph of his mom, Nick and their friends at her 24th birthday.
[edit] Reviews
The Butterfly Effect 2 was met with poor reviews. Reviewers claim that the sequel adds nothing to the message of the first movie, covering exactly the same ground with different characters. With a limited temporal scope (one year), the story of this movie isn't as intertwined as the first. Also, the less-impressive special effects and very short filming time combine to give the movie a much less impressive feel than the original. [1]
Additionally, it was argued that the protagonist of The Butterfly Effect, Evan Treborn, was a likeable character in his own right who tried to make things correct for his friends and family. The main character in this movie often does things such as going back in time to get himself promoted instead of one of his colleagues, or having sex with his boss' daughter even though he did not know if he had any relationship or not anymore yet. This in effect made him into a highly unlikeable 'salesman'. The ending scene with his child in particular was also highly criticised as only being used to be able to continue the successful concept started with the first movie.
