he Butterfly Effect”” deals with an interesting idea, that of chaos theory ‹ that the batting of a butterfly’s wings can eventually cause a hurricane. Putting that theory to test, Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) goes back in time to enter his childhood body and change his life and the lives of everyone around him. The film has a good start, but it fails to fulfill its potential mainly because of poor directing and acting.

Evan struggles with a mental disorder passed on to him by his insane father. He grows up repressing moments of his childhood and college years, and discovers how to travel back in time to relive those moments with his childhood friends who include Keyleigh (Amy Smart), Tommy (William Lee Scott) and Lenny (Elden Henson). All of these friends are related to his blacked out memories. As Evan realizes what happens during his blackouts, he tries to change the traumatic events in his past and present.

The storyline and the unfolding of the plot are good, but the logic and drama are lost as the film goes on. The first 45 minutes are incredibly intriguing, but the movie loses its hold and never really regains it again until the very end.

For directors J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress (“”Final Destination 2″”), this is probably their best work. However, that’s not saying much. The directors are inconsistent with the overall theme of the movie. At times, they do a wonderful job of showing the dark traumatic side of Evan’s life, but at others, they seem stuck in teen-horror-flick land.

Kutcher, who is difficult to see in a serious role after “”Dude, Where’s My Car,”” does not have a strong grasp of his character and his performance is seriously wanting. Smart, who delivers a very fine performance, outshines him considerably. Kutcher has potential talent; there are a few moments when you almost believe him, but he still remains unbelievable.

In the end, the film does manage to satisfy the audience and doesn’t leave them hanging.