-At the start of “The Butterfly Effect,” a quote from “Chaos Theory” tells us that an event as minute as a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a typhoon on the other end of the world. An interesting thought — if only more like it was to follow.

What does follow is the story of Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher). Our first real meeting with Evan comes when he is 7 (John Patrick Amedori), and we learn that he is drawing some very violent images in his grade school class (always the worst cinematic sign of childhood horrors). The trouble with Evan is that he has no recollection of drawing the pictures.

Like every other child who draws something violent, Evan’s mother whisks him away to the local sanitarium, where a doctor (in his very doctorly white jacket) instructs him to keep a journal in case it may spark his memory.

The key to the story, or at least what writer/directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber want us to figure out, are the tragic events that are causing Evan’s blackouts. We learn the events consist of pedophilia, vandalism gone haywire and Evan’s dog being stuffed in a burlap sack and set on fire just after his young friend Kayleigh (Irene Gorovaia) is slammed in the face with a railroad tie by her psychotic brother Tommy (Jesse James).

After Evan’s mother moves him away from such a place where all of these things can occur before the age of 10, his blackouts stop. Seven years later, he’s a straight-A, super-stud smart guy at Hollywood U.

Let me explain Hollywood U. It’s a school where women in sororities all look like supermodels and constantly walk around naked. Such sisters are also quite comfortable with men strolling in and out of their bathrooms, even while they’re in the shower.

It’s a school where hazing takes place right on the front lawn of the frat house for all to see. It’s place where a woman tells a man that his dorm room “smells like sex,” then stays because she hopes to add her own stench to the mix. A place where …

Anyway, while at this mythical college, Evan stumbles upon some of his boyhood journals. When he reads them, something really strange happens. He goes back in time and relives the memory. Soon enough, he realizes that he has the power not only to learn what happened in his blackouts, but also to alter the past to erase his mistakes.

What a novel idea! If only I hadn’t seen it in “Back to the Future Part II.” Remember, the one where Marty steals the sports almanac, in turn causing a whole chain of events that causes an alternate 1985, one in which the evil Biff holds the world in its clutches?

Or how about that “Simpsons” episode? You know, the one where Homer screws up that toaster and goes back in time and keeps screwing up the human race?

The point being that this idea is not as novel as it might seem. All we’re left with is some hipster CGI and false hopes that we paid for something clever enough to make two hours fly by.

Unfortunately, we lose here, too. We’re left with a star vehicle for the media’s newest darling, Ashton Kutcher. I like Ashton Kutcher, and his first real performance is not too shabby. What harms him more than anything is today’s media and their tendency to turn people like Kutcher into walking cliches. Just notice the onslaught of Kutcher look-alikes parading the streets in their mesh John Deer hats.

Kutcher’s main fault in this film was reading the script (I can’t believe I still assume that this happens), then agreeing to star in it.

Writers Bress and Guber could have revamped this old story or at least added some flashy dialogue. Here’s a few snippets from this mess:

When Evan finally gets to bed his long-lost love Kayleigh (Amy Smart), who sweetly refers to him as “goofus,” we enter on the climax. Evan asks, “Was that weird?” Kayleigh replies, “If you call multiple orgasms weird!”

Girls, when was the last time you said “multiple orgasms” after sex, let alone had them? Then again, this is Hollywood U we’re speaking of — these happen when you walk to class.

Then, there’s my favorite line, one that takes place in the very same sack. After Kayleigh calms from her multiple pleasures, Evan looks in her eyes and asks, “What is it about us that makes us so perfect?”

That’s easy. Viacom, goofus.