In this supernatural/sci-fi thriller, college kid Evan ('Mr Demi Moore' Kutcher) discovers that the blackouts that have plagued him for life allow him to revisit and change terrible events from his past.

Unfortunately, every time he tries to change things for the better, there is a knock-on effect on the lives of those around him... for the worse.

With events spiralling out of control he must try to find the single incident in his past that will change the current timeline and save his childhood sweetheart Kayleigh (Smart).

The film opens with an explanation of the title, which is taken from Chaos Theory - the idea that a butterfly can flap its wings and, through a chain of events, this can cause a tidal wave on the other side of the world.

A word of warning - the film is very slow to start. The first hour is overly wordy and the filmmakers insultingly fail to credit the audience with due intelligence.

But once it gets going, the final hour is breathtaking as the plot whizzes through alternate timelines and Evan tries to right wrongs but makes things continually worse due to the unforeseen consequences of his actions.

The Butterfly Effect boasts some good performances (Stoltz makes an effectively creepy dad - always beware of a man who calls kids "Sport"), clever use of make-up and costumes in the alternate timelines...

Plus there are some genuine jump-out-of-your-seat moments.

Comparisons are inevitable but this is far darker than Donnie Darko. A film that demands repeat viewings and a cult in the making.

Adrian Zak