The Blue Butterfly is about a stage four cancer child who teams up with a famed naturalist to find the elusive eponymous species of butterfly which the kid dreams of seeing before its too late. True story though it may be the execution is not impressive. Plot developments hinge on a few corny and amateurish contrivances, the dialog is weak, and the punchline is a massive letdown.Kudos to William Hurt for a relatively refined and unshowy performance, but at the same time his unrelenting blandness does the movie no favours. The scenery is the highlight, especially one scene in particular which includes strange hallucinations of the local indigenous peoples. The movie throws a lame cheat into the ending. You can't spend an hour plus searching for something and then virtually pull it out of your pocket and expect the audience to accept that. There is a good story cocooned in this movie but it never morphs into anything that can take flight.

The Blue Butterfly tells the extraordinary story of a 10-year-old boy diagnosed as terminally ill whose dream is to catch the most beautiful butterfly on Earth the mythic and elusive Blue Morpho. His mother persuades a renowned entomologist (William Hurt) to take them on a trip to the Costa Rican rain forest to search for the butterfly leading to an adventure that will transform their lives. And so their journey begins. A journey of courage redemption and love. A magical film about a courageous young boy and a jaded man who chase a dream and whose lives are forever changed. Now fourteen years later the young boy who was given hopefully six months to live is now a young man. This magical story is true.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie and the longer I watched it the more enjoyable it became. William Hurt does a wonderful job but Marc Donato steals every scene he is in. Everyone in the cast does an excellent job and bring the film to life. The Canadian director and her crew have certainly established themselves as premier movie makers. There is some very beautiful cinematography in this movie and even if it were not an excellent movie that alone would make it worthwhile The elusive Blue Butterfly becomes a symbol of hope and well as the source of problems. Right to the end of the film the director never leaves you wondering but tells the story and leaves you feeling completely satisfied. The entire family can watch this movie and each person will thoroughly enjoy it.

I saw this movie when it premiered at the National Screen Institute Film Exchange in 2004, and i thought it was the best movie there. I think the DOP on that production is probably one of the best in the world. The camera effects were great, and the story itself was very inspiring. And yeah ill admit it was very slow, but if you really love watching movies and art of making them, then this movie you should see. Plus the Art director must have had is work cut out for him the set designs were very detailed, I mean the whole village it took place in was built from ground up and i think they did an awesome job. And then the sounds they put into the movie of the insects and the colors it was all so well done. I would so definitely see this movie again and again. trust me I think you would love this movie its a must see if your a movie buff. I gave the film a 9 out of 10...for greatness!!