I went to see the film, The Blue Butterfly, this afternoon and came away with mixed emotions. A mix, really, of disappointment yet of awe.

This is a film based on a true story. I wish I knew how much of it was *embellished* because while the story itself was interesting, there were parts that just simply made me groan at how *Indiana Jones* it felt. A bit contrived, obviously to move the action along. The main actress, a well-known French-Canadian woman named Pascale Bussieres, was, in my opinion, pretty awful but the other actors, including William Hurt, were quite good.

What WAS worth the price of admission alone, however, was the cinematography. Just to be able to see the wildlife in the rainforest was amazing. I only wish the camera had spent more time on that, than the all-too-brief glimpses we had of some absolutely incredible creatures. There were brilliantly-coloured tree frogs, a vast array of insects, including many butterflies, leaf-cutter ants, a walking stick, many, many types of beetles, also some snakes, spiders, lizards, monkeys and some stunning birds, including toucans, macaws and some I couldn't identify. There was also a great, but fleeting, shot of a praying mantis, Leequi! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I did get the feeling that there was some degree of *special effects* involved, though, and the fact that I could tell, or at least sense it, bothered me. It was subtle but I don't want to tell you more than that because I don't want to ruin it for anyone; all I can say, at the end of it all, is that while the storyline didn't completely grip and hold my attention, the scenery sure did.

Here is a link that gives a bit more info and a brief review:
http://www.preview-online.com/may-jun02/feature_articles/bluebutterfly/