I remember seeing a preview for this film, back in 2004. A very serious Ashton Kutcher was to be taken very seriously as an actor, in some derivative sci-fi film. I yawned and forgot about it entirely, secure in the knowledge that The Butterfly Effect would be a terrible movie that everyone soon forgot.

So when an intelligent friend recommended it to me, I was incredulous. Quietly, I asked if he was joking… you’re all excited about that Ashton Kutcher flick, is that right? He seemed a little embarrassed, but stood by the recommendation. Since then, I’ve heard the same from a lot of people… and not just that The Butterfly Effect is kind of good, but that it’s really good. And now, here it is on our list of contentious films, with a high FCQ of 50.06 (that’s Film Contentiousness Quotient: details here). This means a ton of users loved it, and almost equal numbers hated it, without many in between.

So far, I’ve resisted watching this film. Apparently I trust my blind assumptions more than the effusive praise of my friends, and it precludes me from voting in this poll. So you guys have at it: The Butterfly Effect: Great or Terrible?

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Here are a couple battling opinions from Criticker users.

btyler: “The only reason I ever gave Ashton Kutcher any credit for being an actor was for this movie. That 70’s Show and Punk’d made him look like a complete idiot all the time, but this movie redeemed him. With that said, this is one of my favorite movies of all time. Such an amazing plot and great twists.”

Gr8Googly: “Outlandish melodrama with a silly yet vile story. Turn down the intensity a bit and it might fly but ultimately it’s sunk by the ridiculous story.”

In the last vote, we put Rocky Horror Picture Show to the test, and … well, apparently the readers of the Criticker Blog are far more into transvestite vampires than the general Criticker community, because it was overwhelmingly deemed “great”.

And here’s our up-to-date list of the top 10 most contentious films at Criticker:

1. Eyes Wide Shut – FCQ 58.51 – Poll Result: GREAT!
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show – FCQ 54.98 – Poll Result: GREAT!
3. Dumb & Dumber – FCQ 51.14 – Poll Result: GREAT!
4. I Am Sam – FCQ 50.33 – Poll Result: TERRIBLE!
5. The Butterfly Effect – FCQ 50.08 – Poll Result: pending
6. King Kong – FCQ 49.87 – Poll Result: GREAT!
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – FCQ 49.33 – Poll Result: TERRIBLE!
8. Saw – FCQ 48.91 – Poll Result: TIE!
9. Stay – FCQ 47.72 – Poll Result: GREAT!
10. Contact – FCQ 47.27 – Poll Result: GREAT!