Orchestrated by Michael Suby and Charles Fernandez

Conducted by Charles Fernandez

Produced by Michael Suby and Ford A. Thaxton

Release Date: January 20th, 2004

            La-La Land Records

     While I have to admit that Ashton Kutcher has quite a career going on right now (in addition to currently dating Demi Moore for however long that fling will last), I seem to find myself in somewhat of a minority of people who absolutely don’t flip out over his projects. Just Married was the last film I saw of his, and it struck me as nothing more than a slightly amusing Meet the Parents rip-off (albeit with a different foundation that makes up the plot). Maybe it wasn’t the best example of his work that I could have been exposed to, but The Butterfly Effect, while moving in the completely opposite direction of that film, just doesn’t get me going through its many advertisements. It may end up better than the trailers make it seem it will be, but I’ll wait for the critical reviews to come out before really making a decision on that one. And even then, I’ll probably wait until it’s out on DVD.

     Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, the writing duo behind Final Destination 2, are making their directorial debut with this film. In addition, composer Michael Suby is making his first impression on the film score community as well. While not his first scoring assignment, it is definitely the one that will give him the most notoriety. It strikes me as unfortunate in some ways that he gets a thriller type film as his opening salvo. They are usually hard to compose for in a way that works both by itself and in the film. Most thriller scores simply rely on atmospheric music that does the job without being very memorable. Be that as it may, Suby seems to be innocent enough that he doesn’t realize that such a generalization exists.

     While there are plenty of atmospheric moments littered throughout, I was surprised at the thematic integrity that Suby imbued the music with. The first comparison that leaps to my mind when trying to describe the style of this music is simply James Newton Howard. While not as refined or as polished as most Howard scores are, the emotional quality in the strings, and especially the piano moments, are definitely Howard-esque. There’s even a lovely solo moment, which is later joined by a full, albeit synthesized, chorus. Ultimately, this is a thriller / sci-fi type score, so for those looking for something more pounding or adventurous, this is not the adrenaline-filled rush that will make your day. Suby’s only cue of that nature, Prison Escape, is quite good, but also quite short (it’s a tad shy of fifty seconds). It offers a great insight into what his action scoring would sound like though.

     While there isn’t the penultimate cue on here which will leave you broken down in tears, Suby’s music is very solid and manages to keep The Butterfly Effect a more enjoyable score than it really has a right to be.