Alternate universes are a concept not often used in film because the concept itself is seen as nothing but a risky addition to a story. Despite this fact, the film Donnie Darko seeks to utilize the concept of alternate universes to tell a heartfelt and genuine story. Donnie Darko is able to successfully make a simple story turn mind boggling without making it devoid of entertainment and substance.
Set in the year 1988, Donnie Darko is a story of a teenage boy named Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) who suffers a lot of psychological problems. One night after arguing with his parents, Donnie is lured outside of his house by an "imaginary" humanoid bunny named Frank (James Duval) and is told that the world will end in 28 days. After being lured to a golf course and falling asleep, Donnie awakes the next morning and returns home only to find that a jet engine has fallen onto his house, specifically Donnie's bedroom. Donnie then takes this psychosis-induced threat seriously and spends the next 28 days trying to figure out how to prevent the end of the world.
Written and directed by Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko is a film that showcases immense amounts of character development and unique plot devices. Plot devices as unique as a time traveling demented bunny help make this film most effectively send its message of how one's issues can help break through the conventions of society. Considering Donnie Darko is Richard Kelly's debut film as a director, it is very impressive that he is able to create such a well rounded story with such well written characters. For instance, characters such as Donnie turn from a psychologically challenged troublemaker to a quote unquote "superhero" as referenced in the film. The film itself does a very good job of making Donnie a relatable character. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal has quite an amazing performance as he goes on to make viewers truly believe Donnie's struggles. Being Gyllenhaal's first starring role, Donnie Darko took a risk and rolled dice with its chances of being an enjoyable motion picture. Similar films such as Unbreakable take risks by being a serious story accompanied with a superhero narrative. Although the film proves itself to be successful, there are some characters that could have been better written. For example, characters like Donnie's love interest Gretchen (Jena Malone) don't do a great job connecting with the audience and seem rather dull. Gretchen, like Donnie, is also a troubled teen, but she fails to make her struggles adequately believable to the audience.
Overlooking certain character elements of the film, Donnie Darko proves to satisfy its audience by having very beautiful and strategic cinematography. The film's opening scene showcases Donnie waking up on a dirty mountainside road with an enigmatic swirling storm of clouds and debris on the horizon. Another scene shows the jet engine gracefully yet violently collapsing on Donnie's house. Richard Kelly overall did an amazing job of crafting each and every scene.
Though many may view such a cult classic as "pretentious", Donnie Darko succeeds in strongly sending an underlying message of how nonconformity in a society is not a weird but rather important thing. It tasks viewers to think differently about the so-called "weirdos" in society. Weirdos are special...weirdos have the power to save the world. The film suggests that Donnie lives in a tangent universe, which can be created when the fourth dimension is corrupted. A tangent universe is similar to a primary universe in every way except it is greatly unstable and can collapse in on itself in only a few weeks after being created. The idea of saving the world is brought upon Donnie by his hallucinations: Frank tells Donnie that the world will end and then guides him to help stop it. Donnie soon comes to find that he must stop the tangent universe he is living in from collapsing in on itself and swallowing the primary universe. The story does such an outstanding job of coming full circle and it really makes you sit back and think about the philosophy behind it all.
Is Donnie Darko a film that's too difficult to grasp? I would say that it is not considering all the underlying philosophical jargon that is spread between the lines of the movie. Donnie Darko is a risk taker. It proves that incorporating difficult concepts to make a great story is not impossible. It ultimately sets up its own challenge and successfully tackles these challenges beautifully.
2,041 Reviews
I didn't understand the story but I still enjoyed it.
roujin_d17 October 2021
From the first scene this movie had me hooked till the end. There wasn't a single dull moment. The characters were interesting, had good acting and sound design.
I'm rating this movie a 7 after my first viewing. The problem I have with it is the fact that I don't understand the story, I blame this on my own limited intellectual capabilities rather than being the fault of the writer/director. Last thing I would want is for movies to dumb themselves down to appeal to a wider audience. So the 7 score might be underrated to the true value of the movie but it helps me to keep track of how my perception changes in case I decide to watch it again in the future. I hope whoever reads this can understand.
All that being said, I would recommend this film to any adult fan of cinema, it's well executed and entertaining.
I'm rating this movie a 7 after my first viewing. The problem I have with it is the fact that I don't understand the story, I blame this on my own limited intellectual capabilities rather than being the fault of the writer/director. Last thing I would want is for movies to dumb themselves down to appeal to a wider audience. So the 7 score might be underrated to the true value of the movie but it helps me to keep track of how my perception changes in case I decide to watch it again in the future. I hope whoever reads this can understand.
All that being said, I would recommend this film to any adult fan of cinema, it's well executed and entertaining.
Philosophy and quantum physics mashed into a cult classic
UniqueParticle21 June 2019
I love everything about this film! It's been among my favorites for many years. The theories that could be well in depth for hours, the soundtrack, sweet camera shots, and the brilliant writing! I'm proud of the fact that this is my 300th review on here. I'd say this is my 4th favorite film ever after Fight Club, The Matrix, and True Romance. The floating wormholes is super cool to me and the soundtrack is so damn good!
Thought provoking films are my favorite ever, the fact that you could float on talking about different aspects and possibilities is beyond fascinating to me! It's extremely impressive that Richard Kelly was 26 when he wrote the script and made such a profound experience!
Thought provoking films are my favorite ever, the fact that you could float on talking about different aspects and possibilities is beyond fascinating to me! It's extremely impressive that Richard Kelly was 26 when he wrote the script and made such a profound experience!
Bizarre, but oh so great!
megamatt-8019423 May 2020
Donnie Darko is a truly fascinating film experience. It's not a perfect film, but it's an ambitious one, and for the most part, it fulfills its ambition.
I will give no spoilers here, as the experience of watching this film for the first time is something I dare not strip away from any readers. For a small plot summary, Donnie Darko is a teen in high school who sleepwalks, and begins to experience ethereal visions from a ghostly rabbit named Frank, who informs him about a dangerous event, which plagues Donnie's life for a month.
Why is this film great?: Jake Gyllenhaal gives a stellar performance as Donnie Darko. The character goes through so many emotional beats, and Gyllenhaal nails each one. The teen angst is played perfectly, and he's truly someone we can all say we've felt like, or seen at some point. His development is realized expertly by Gyllenhaal, and is truly a character who has made a change by the end of the film. It's not heavy handed though, so you might have to go on a symbolism hunt whilst watching the film. Don't worry though, because it's a fun film to find symbolism in. Remember, in this film, the secrets lie within the subtext.
The script and direction from Richard Kelly are simply incredible for a first film effort. While some of Kelly's characters do have loose ends, and some aren't explained well or given enough screen time, the plot is fully realized, and mesmerizing. The twists in this film are confusing, but so ingenius once you understand the film. Kelly crafts a plot that makes sense in the end, and better yet, is not only constructed well, but has several meanings. The film is interpretable in many ways, and it uses ambiguity in the way ambiguity should be used: Sparsely, but effectively.
If you don't get this film upon first viewing like me, don't assume you didn't like it, and forget about it. Watch a couple of analysis videos, and it will not only make sense, but you might be like me, and feel like a big dummy for not noticing it the first time. That's the fun of watching film though! Learning about new things, and experiencing topics and messages in new visual experimentations and arrangements. Don't feel bad if you don't get it. It's meant to be understood over time. It's just that good of a film. It's the kind of film that lingers with you after the credits roll.
In conclusion, Donnie Darko suffers from some early 2000s corniness and has some faults in characters, but the plot and main character are so incredibly solid that it renders those mistakes seemingly unimportant and unnoticeable. You might not get it, but that's okay. Donnie Darko is a purposefully complicated film, and is also a purely emotional film upon first viewing. All that thinking comes after the credits roll. Not too many films these days make you think and feel directly after one another. Give this film a watch. I don't think you'll regret it if you give it a chance. It's a thought provoking film to view while in this time of quarantine!
I will give no spoilers here, as the experience of watching this film for the first time is something I dare not strip away from any readers. For a small plot summary, Donnie Darko is a teen in high school who sleepwalks, and begins to experience ethereal visions from a ghostly rabbit named Frank, who informs him about a dangerous event, which plagues Donnie's life for a month.
Why is this film great?: Jake Gyllenhaal gives a stellar performance as Donnie Darko. The character goes through so many emotional beats, and Gyllenhaal nails each one. The teen angst is played perfectly, and he's truly someone we can all say we've felt like, or seen at some point. His development is realized expertly by Gyllenhaal, and is truly a character who has made a change by the end of the film. It's not heavy handed though, so you might have to go on a symbolism hunt whilst watching the film. Don't worry though, because it's a fun film to find symbolism in. Remember, in this film, the secrets lie within the subtext.
The script and direction from Richard Kelly are simply incredible for a first film effort. While some of Kelly's characters do have loose ends, and some aren't explained well or given enough screen time, the plot is fully realized, and mesmerizing. The twists in this film are confusing, but so ingenius once you understand the film. Kelly crafts a plot that makes sense in the end, and better yet, is not only constructed well, but has several meanings. The film is interpretable in many ways, and it uses ambiguity in the way ambiguity should be used: Sparsely, but effectively.
If you don't get this film upon first viewing like me, don't assume you didn't like it, and forget about it. Watch a couple of analysis videos, and it will not only make sense, but you might be like me, and feel like a big dummy for not noticing it the first time. That's the fun of watching film though! Learning about new things, and experiencing topics and messages in new visual experimentations and arrangements. Don't feel bad if you don't get it. It's meant to be understood over time. It's just that good of a film. It's the kind of film that lingers with you after the credits roll.
In conclusion, Donnie Darko suffers from some early 2000s corniness and has some faults in characters, but the plot and main character are so incredibly solid that it renders those mistakes seemingly unimportant and unnoticeable. You might not get it, but that's okay. Donnie Darko is a purposefully complicated film, and is also a purely emotional film upon first viewing. All that thinking comes after the credits roll. Not too many films these days make you think and feel directly after one another. Give this film a watch. I don't think you'll regret it if you give it a chance. It's a thought provoking film to view while in this time of quarantine!
I liked this much less than I hoped
Oliveraandreasson6 February 2020
This movie had a really cool feeling to it that I liked a lot, and I completely understand why it's sort of a cult classic. It's very interesting and, in a way, also quite charming.
Having said that, I.. did not enjoy this all that much. It just does too poorly of a job explaining its plot and instead of feeling satisfied, I felt confused and almost irritated to the point of losing almost all interest inte the film. I watched the director's cut that, at a 25 minutes longer run-time, still didn't have enough time to show the piece of exposition needed to understand what the hell was going on.
Unpopular opinion maybe, but apart from some cool bits, "Donnie Darko" seriously let me down.
Having said that, I.. did not enjoy this all that much. It just does too poorly of a job explaining its plot and instead of feeling satisfied, I felt confused and almost irritated to the point of losing almost all interest inte the film. I watched the director's cut that, at a 25 minutes longer run-time, still didn't have enough time to show the piece of exposition needed to understand what the hell was going on.
Unpopular opinion maybe, but apart from some cool bits, "Donnie Darko" seriously let me down.
Weird, Creepy, Emotional, Funny, Beautiful. All at the same time.
FioMnsfld22 January 2006
I don't know what to type. Honestly. This is just one of those movies you have to see for yourself.
Its also one of those movies that to fully get it, you have to see it more than once. Its a brilliant film, but a bit confusing.
Well, the plot may sound stupid, and if it hadn't been as brilliantly executed, it probably would have been. But its brilliant. I am going to attempt to explain it. Here goes...
A giant rabbit (no kidding) comes to proclaim the end of the world (no kidding) to troubled teenager Donnie Darko. Then, an aeroplane engine crashes into his bedroom while the rabbit is proclaiming the end of the world. (no kidding. Donnie then is able to see peoples 'paths', (represented as a long tube in front of the person, showing where they are going to go next) and is able to deny his own path. Confusing eh? This is a movie I can't explain any more. The rest has to be seen for yourself. Don't go in expecting a fully blown horror movie or any type of film with a straightforward, easy to understand plot. Because this film is really deep. Thought provoking, captivating, mesmerising and moving, this is a work of genius. This isn't the sort of film you can just watch casually though. You have been warned....
Its also one of those movies that to fully get it, you have to see it more than once. Its a brilliant film, but a bit confusing.
Well, the plot may sound stupid, and if it hadn't been as brilliantly executed, it probably would have been. But its brilliant. I am going to attempt to explain it. Here goes...
A giant rabbit (no kidding) comes to proclaim the end of the world (no kidding) to troubled teenager Donnie Darko. Then, an aeroplane engine crashes into his bedroom while the rabbit is proclaiming the end of the world. (no kidding. Donnie then is able to see peoples 'paths', (represented as a long tube in front of the person, showing where they are going to go next) and is able to deny his own path. Confusing eh? This is a movie I can't explain any more. The rest has to be seen for yourself. Don't go in expecting a fully blown horror movie or any type of film with a straightforward, easy to understand plot. Because this film is really deep. Thought provoking, captivating, mesmerising and moving, this is a work of genius. This isn't the sort of film you can just watch casually though. You have been warned....
Captivating but ultimately frustrating
hall89522 December 2014
Putting together a jigsaw puzzle can be fun. And make no mistake, Donnie Darko is a puzzle of a film which asks the viewer to put the pieces together. But in the end there is frustration as you realize you were never going to be able to put it all together. There are pieces missing. So while the film, which is certainly captivating and thought-provoking, is often fascinating it ultimately is setting you up for a bit of disappointment. It's nice to have a film which makes you think, which makes you work to understand it. It's also fine to have a film which is open to interpretation. But if in the end you don't have all the information necessary to make a reasonable interpretation that is a problem. And that is the case here. What just happened here? Hard to say. The untidy ending doesn't completely ruin the film, this is still a film well worth seeing. But there's no denying that the ending is a bit of a letdown.
So who is Donnie Darko? He's a high school kid, a really smart guy. But he's got issues. Paranoid schizophrenia maybe, at least that's what his therapist thinks. He suffers from hallucinations, he sees things. And right now he's seeing a giant bunny rabbit named Frank. One night a jet engine crashes into Donnie's bedroom. But Donnie's not there because Frank has summoned him to a golf course where he tells Donnie that the world is going to end in 28 days. What is Donnie meant to do with this information? Is this schizophrenic teen supposed to somehow save the world? Oh by the way, that jet engine? The one that would have killed Donnie had a giant bunny rabbit not summoned him to a golf course in the middle of the night? Nobody knows where that engine came from. No airplane lost an engine. Well that's weird. Things are only going to get weirder but then again you probably already guessed that since the plot revolves around a giant bunny rabbit.
So the clock ticks down toward the bunny-prophesied doomsday. Among other events Donnie gets himself a girlfriend, rebels against life lessons taught by a ludicrous self-help guru and discusses time travel with one of his teachers. Time travel? Is that what this film is actually about? Who knows. The film never comes close to fully explaining itself. But the film certainly holds your attention. You can't help but be intrigued. You expect that all the weirdness will ultimately pay itself off with some sort of brilliant finish. Sadly that is not the case. The ending, while admittedly powerful, only adds to the confusion. There is a director's cut which makes things a little clearer but in the original version you're left to figure everything out for yourself. And you don't have near enough information to be able to do that. Donnie Darko is a very compelling film. And it is performed wonderfully. Jake Gyllenhaal hits all the right notes in his portrayal of Donnie, a character who is just as confused as we are. And the supporting cast is by and large excellent as well. Whether it be big stars like Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze, or lesser-known performers who you've never heard of, everyone fits their role very well, contributing their solid piece to the puzzle. But that puzzle never does fully come together. And that ultimately makes Donnie Darko a somewhat frustrating film. There's so much good stuff here to recommend it. But there's also that little tinge of regret, a wish that perhaps the giant bunny rabbit could have told Donnie, and us, what the heck was going on.
So who is Donnie Darko? He's a high school kid, a really smart guy. But he's got issues. Paranoid schizophrenia maybe, at least that's what his therapist thinks. He suffers from hallucinations, he sees things. And right now he's seeing a giant bunny rabbit named Frank. One night a jet engine crashes into Donnie's bedroom. But Donnie's not there because Frank has summoned him to a golf course where he tells Donnie that the world is going to end in 28 days. What is Donnie meant to do with this information? Is this schizophrenic teen supposed to somehow save the world? Oh by the way, that jet engine? The one that would have killed Donnie had a giant bunny rabbit not summoned him to a golf course in the middle of the night? Nobody knows where that engine came from. No airplane lost an engine. Well that's weird. Things are only going to get weirder but then again you probably already guessed that since the plot revolves around a giant bunny rabbit.
So the clock ticks down toward the bunny-prophesied doomsday. Among other events Donnie gets himself a girlfriend, rebels against life lessons taught by a ludicrous self-help guru and discusses time travel with one of his teachers. Time travel? Is that what this film is actually about? Who knows. The film never comes close to fully explaining itself. But the film certainly holds your attention. You can't help but be intrigued. You expect that all the weirdness will ultimately pay itself off with some sort of brilliant finish. Sadly that is not the case. The ending, while admittedly powerful, only adds to the confusion. There is a director's cut which makes things a little clearer but in the original version you're left to figure everything out for yourself. And you don't have near enough information to be able to do that. Donnie Darko is a very compelling film. And it is performed wonderfully. Jake Gyllenhaal hits all the right notes in his portrayal of Donnie, a character who is just as confused as we are. And the supporting cast is by and large excellent as well. Whether it be big stars like Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze, or lesser-known performers who you've never heard of, everyone fits their role very well, contributing their solid piece to the puzzle. But that puzzle never does fully come together. And that ultimately makes Donnie Darko a somewhat frustrating film. There's so much good stuff here to recommend it. But there's also that little tinge of regret, a wish that perhaps the giant bunny rabbit could have told Donnie, and us, what the heck was going on.
I just don't get it!
buiger1 June 2015
Well made movie, well directed, well acted, good soundtrack, etc. There is nothing terribly wrong with this film, but I just don't get it. I also 'don't get' why the majority of moviegoers rated this movie so highly...
Maybe I have no 'sensibility' for such matters, or maybe the makers of this movie weren't sure themselves what they wanted to convey. Throughout the movie there are several occurrences which make no sense with the movie itself and confuse the viewer, then there are subplots started but never explained, and the very strange ending only adds to an overall sense of dismay. I just don't get it!
Maybe I have no 'sensibility' for such matters, or maybe the makers of this movie weren't sure themselves what they wanted to convey. Throughout the movie there are several occurrences which make no sense with the movie itself and confuse the viewer, then there are subplots started but never explained, and the very strange ending only adds to an overall sense of dismay. I just don't get it!
You can't watch it only once
Jim-5122 March 2004
I first saw this on cable tv. Thumbing through the channels I stopped just as Donnie Darko was beginning. I thought the title was weird, and readied my thumb on the remote channel selector...pointed it at the TV...and it stayed there for the rest of the movie! I couldn't stop watching! I've never seen a movie like this. The movie has a beautiful aspect (especially the end). And there are a few chuckles as well. Contrary to the more critical commentary, there is depth and complexity to the story that kind of requires you to see it more than once. I'm no genius, but what I gathered the basis of Donnie Darko to be is about our part in the deliberate DESIGN of our destiny, and I catch more each time I watch it.
Regardless of anything, sincere thought and expression went in to the making of Donnie Darko. Mixed with skill and technical ability = Art.
A WORK OF ART! In the top 100 movies of all time in my opinion.
Regardless of anything, sincere thought and expression went in to the making of Donnie Darko. Mixed with skill and technical ability = Art.
A WORK OF ART! In the top 100 movies of all time in my opinion.
Perhaps the most relevant social commentary on U.S society ever put on screen.
gogoschka-116 December 2013
Above all, this film has a kind of flow to it like nothing I've ever experienced in any other film before. The magic sets in from the very first moment, when we see Donnie waking up (and the song 'The Demon Moon' starts), and you just go with that flow and let yourself be drawn into that world. The story unfolds like a dream and the ambiguity (at least in the theatrical cut) as well as the fantastic songs help create an absolutely unique and strangely compelling atmosphere.
Fantastic script and fantastic performances: this film has a richness in its characters that amazes me every time I watch it. Forget the director's cut - here for once the theatrical version is the masterpiece. Probably the best social commentary on American society I've ever seen but beautifully woven into an ambiguous, slightly surreal fantasy tale with a haunting soundtrack.
My vote: 10 out of 10
Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/
Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/
Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/
Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/
Fantastic script and fantastic performances: this film has a richness in its characters that amazes me every time I watch it. Forget the director's cut - here for once the theatrical version is the masterpiece. Probably the best social commentary on American society I've ever seen but beautifully woven into an ambiguous, slightly surreal fantasy tale with a haunting soundtrack.
My vote: 10 out of 10
Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/
Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/
Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/
Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/
the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
lwjoslin23 May 2002
"Harvey" meets "The Mothman Prophecies," as a troubled teen starts hallucinating a horrific 6-foot-tall bunny rabbit that brings him dark forebodings about death and disaster in the very near future. A streak of "Heathers" is mixed in as well, with trenchant satirical observations of high-school life in the late '80s (story set in Oct. 1988), involving a priggish teacher, a self-help guru (Patrick Swayze!), and a put-upon fat girl at the fringes of the herd. Finally, a whiff of "Back to the Future," in the form of a local eccentric who just may have discovered the secret of time travel, but a secret that has more to do with spirituality than technology.
A lot goes on here. There's a meditation on the possible overlap between madness and the ability to perceive the divine. There's a demonstration of why, in the Bible, angelic messengers (if that's what "Frank" can be taken to be) are often so terrifying that they have to start by saying "Fear not." There's an enlistment of what martial artists refer to as the "ki" (or personal energy, emanating from a person's midsection) in the type of time travel depicted here (the term "ki" is never used in the flick, but the term "path," another word for Tao or "Way," is). Quantum physics theory about wormholes is tied to the Fortean phenomenon of things falling unexplained from the sky, in a way that's more pivotal, and therefore more interesting, than the gratuitous rain of frogs in "Magnolia."
Time travel paradoxes and ironies enter the picture as well. One character (no spoiler!), whose life is saved by Donnie's ultimate trip back in time, wouldn't have died in the first place if he hadn't dragged her along to the opening of the wormhole. Another character (again, no spoiler!), whose truly terrible secret comes to light in the wake of an arson investigation, must go unexposed as a result of that same time reversal, since the arson now won't happen. Surely that's no oversight on the part of the screenwriter; it must be an acknowledgment of the choices and trade-offs in life, as well as of a confidence that no such terrible secret can remain hidden forever.
Somehow this pastiche works, largely on the strength of good performances. Jake Gyllenhaal is appropriately moody and, also appropriately, not always likeable in the title role. Drew Barrymore, who executive produced, appears as a frustrated first-year teacher. The movie's often dreamlike atmosphere is enhanced by the cinematography, the subdued but effective special effects, and the choice of the music on the soundtrack, which includes '80's pop tunes, of course, and a haunting original song (over the end credits) titled "Mad World."
Not for all tastes, but better, stranger, and more complex than I expected.
A lot goes on here. There's a meditation on the possible overlap between madness and the ability to perceive the divine. There's a demonstration of why, in the Bible, angelic messengers (if that's what "Frank" can be taken to be) are often so terrifying that they have to start by saying "Fear not." There's an enlistment of what martial artists refer to as the "ki" (or personal energy, emanating from a person's midsection) in the type of time travel depicted here (the term "ki" is never used in the flick, but the term "path," another word for Tao or "Way," is). Quantum physics theory about wormholes is tied to the Fortean phenomenon of things falling unexplained from the sky, in a way that's more pivotal, and therefore more interesting, than the gratuitous rain of frogs in "Magnolia."
Time travel paradoxes and ironies enter the picture as well. One character (no spoiler!), whose life is saved by Donnie's ultimate trip back in time, wouldn't have died in the first place if he hadn't dragged her along to the opening of the wormhole. Another character (again, no spoiler!), whose truly terrible secret comes to light in the wake of an arson investigation, must go unexposed as a result of that same time reversal, since the arson now won't happen. Surely that's no oversight on the part of the screenwriter; it must be an acknowledgment of the choices and trade-offs in life, as well as of a confidence that no such terrible secret can remain hidden forever.
Somehow this pastiche works, largely on the strength of good performances. Jake Gyllenhaal is appropriately moody and, also appropriately, not always likeable in the title role. Drew Barrymore, who executive produced, appears as a frustrated first-year teacher. The movie's often dreamlike atmosphere is enhanced by the cinematography, the subdued but effective special effects, and the choice of the music on the soundtrack, which includes '80's pop tunes, of course, and a haunting original song (over the end credits) titled "Mad World."
Not for all tastes, but better, stranger, and more complex than I expected.
Stunning.
yellowrobe27 October 2001
The fact that this is the Directors first film is amazing to me. The scenes dripped with style, yet that style never seemed distracting. None of it was self congratulatory or gluttonous. The visuals were supported by a truly emotional score and its hard to find fault in the 80's pop tunes that found their way into some of the more impressive scenes.
The story is very much thought provoking. Its the type that leaves you pondering the possibilities voiced by the characters. There is nothing condescending about this film. Answers arent simply handed out, rather the viewer is left to draw many conclusions instead. The acting is also top notch. If i hadnt known beforehand that Patrick Swayze was in this film I would have been shocked. His character is amusing and interesting all at the same time. A great cameo for him. Drew Barrymore is forgetable, though that in no way detracts from the film. Of course the star is Jake Gyllenhaal. There is nothing that can be said to properly praise his performance. The rest of the cast chosen fit their roles perfectly. All of these things combine to create a stunning film. One can only hope that filmgoers will give this little gem a shot and support a true wonder. This is the only film I have awarded a 10/10 on the IMDB.
The story is very much thought provoking. Its the type that leaves you pondering the possibilities voiced by the characters. There is nothing condescending about this film. Answers arent simply handed out, rather the viewer is left to draw many conclusions instead. The acting is also top notch. If i hadnt known beforehand that Patrick Swayze was in this film I would have been shocked. His character is amusing and interesting all at the same time. A great cameo for him. Drew Barrymore is forgetable, though that in no way detracts from the film. Of course the star is Jake Gyllenhaal. There is nothing that can be said to properly praise his performance. The rest of the cast chosen fit their roles perfectly. All of these things combine to create a stunning film. One can only hope that filmgoers will give this little gem a shot and support a true wonder. This is the only film I have awarded a 10/10 on the IMDB.
Don't Be Ashamed To Say It's Not A Masterpiece
Theo Robertson6 August 2005
I've heard so much about this " Wonderful , mind blowing masterpiece " . Interestingly enough most of the rave reviews of DONNIE DARKO came via this very website which goes against the grain of other reviewers . Roger Ebert only gave the movie two and a half stars while many other websites dedicated to film reviews claim this movie is confused and overrated . It should also be mentioned that if it's such a great , thought provoking piece of cinema then why did it miss out on so many nominations at the more prestigious film award ceremonies ? And don't say politics , an independent feature like IN THE BEDROOM didn't pick up any Oscars but that didn't stop it being nominated for several
DONNIE DARKO is by no means terrible but it is overrated . Dare I say it's a case of the emperors new clothes ? That is people are somewhat embarrassed upon seeing this film and not understanding it that they feel they must praise it in order to spare their supposed ignorance . Let me ask you this - What genre of film is this ? Everyone will give a slightly different answer I'm sure and if an audience is undecided about the genre then how can they decide what the ending is about ?
And there is a quite serious plot hole involved in the story . Donnie sees a demonic rabbit called Frank throughout the movie who tells him at exactly what moment the world will end . Wormholes , time warps etc may actually exist in scientific reality as may the ending but the central plot does not since the whole movie rests on Frank or Donnie being able to see into the future and no scientist will claim there's any scientific basis for fortune telling . So you see it's not really about time travel , it's about mysticism , predestination and other superstitious mumbo jumbo which Richard Kelly is using to fool the audience . In effect this movie is one big cheat and most people have failed to notice this
Having said that Richard Kelly does deserve some credit for making a movie that's not about car chases and explosions , this is a movie dealing with teen angst and the dark side of middle American small town values but Kelly has missed an opportunity to make the most of the potential . I know the film was released before the war on terror so there'd be little need to see news broadcasts on the fall out of the original Gulf war but from a pop culture point of view wouldn't this have been better set in the early 1990s when grunge culture was the rage instead of 1988 ? I mean what music best suits this movie's atmosphere ? Echo And The Bunnymen or Nirvana ? In fact if it had have set in the presidential elections of early 1990s this would have coincidentally tied in with what's going on in the world today with Saddam and Iraq getting a mention ! And wouldn't this movie be held up in superstitious awe now ?
As it stands it's nowhere as clever as it thinks it is for the reasons outlined . Perhaps Mr Kelly started out on with two movies , one a high concept science fiction thriller and the other a low concept drama about a mentally ill teenager and decided to merge the two with not too successful results . Watching DOnnie Darko this was the gut feeling I got
DONNIE DARKO is by no means terrible but it is overrated . Dare I say it's a case of the emperors new clothes ? That is people are somewhat embarrassed upon seeing this film and not understanding it that they feel they must praise it in order to spare their supposed ignorance . Let me ask you this - What genre of film is this ? Everyone will give a slightly different answer I'm sure and if an audience is undecided about the genre then how can they decide what the ending is about ?
And there is a quite serious plot hole involved in the story . Donnie sees a demonic rabbit called Frank throughout the movie who tells him at exactly what moment the world will end . Wormholes , time warps etc may actually exist in scientific reality as may the ending but the central plot does not since the whole movie rests on Frank or Donnie being able to see into the future and no scientist will claim there's any scientific basis for fortune telling . So you see it's not really about time travel , it's about mysticism , predestination and other superstitious mumbo jumbo which Richard Kelly is using to fool the audience . In effect this movie is one big cheat and most people have failed to notice this
Having said that Richard Kelly does deserve some credit for making a movie that's not about car chases and explosions , this is a movie dealing with teen angst and the dark side of middle American small town values but Kelly has missed an opportunity to make the most of the potential . I know the film was released before the war on terror so there'd be little need to see news broadcasts on the fall out of the original Gulf war but from a pop culture point of view wouldn't this have been better set in the early 1990s when grunge culture was the rage instead of 1988 ? I mean what music best suits this movie's atmosphere ? Echo And The Bunnymen or Nirvana ? In fact if it had have set in the presidential elections of early 1990s this would have coincidentally tied in with what's going on in the world today with Saddam and Iraq getting a mention ! And wouldn't this movie be held up in superstitious awe now ?
As it stands it's nowhere as clever as it thinks it is for the reasons outlined . Perhaps Mr Kelly started out on with two movies , one a high concept science fiction thriller and the other a low concept drama about a mentally ill teenager and decided to merge the two with not too successful results . Watching DOnnie Darko this was the gut feeling I got
Worth a Second Look
Hitchcoc22 February 2011
This is a film that crept up on me. It takes one time to sense the rhythms of this film and to accept the strange apparitions that dominate it. As the closing song, "Mad World," typifies, the central character can only accept his demons and, in doing so, have a scintilla of joy. This is about a different kind of altruism, unstuck in time, that some of us wish we could have. Donnie is a popular guy with all kinds of possibilities. He is loving, smart, and eccentric. His family has him seeing a psychiatrist because his actions due to misunderstood visions have caused him to act violently at times. They love him and want him so badly to sort things out. He finds a soul mate, but she has her own demons and never fully understands what is going on. I can't say much because a first time viewer needs to be kept completely in the dark. I would like to watch this again to see things unfold with foreknowledge. It's one of the most intriguing movies I've ever seen.
Quirky film that's wide open to interpretation
BrandtSponseller20 February 2005
Upon awakening, Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds that he's been asleep in the middle of a secluded mountain road. It seems that Donnie regularly wanders out at night and sleeps in strange places. The night that he ends up on the neighborhood golf course, a stray jet engine crashes through Donnie's bedroom. He's saved by his odd behavior. Shortly after, we witness him hearing voices and having visions of an odd, evil-looking, bipedal, man-sized bunny. The voice begins giving him unusual suggestions, and Donnie slowly finds himself as the key player in a grand scheme.
Donnie Darko is an unusual film. It spans a number of genres and leaves itself wide open to interpretation. Quite a cult of hardcore fans has developed around it, and for those folks, the film is essentially immune to criticism and reinterpretation.
The biggest surprise to me was that the bulk of Donnie Darko is a realist drama. I had long heard about how strange the film was, and heard it described as being partially sci-fi (which it is) and horror (which it isn't if you ask me). It was supposedly a "reality-bender". I'm much more of a "genre" fan, and I much prefer fantasy, surrealism and absurdism to realism. My preconceptions were throwing me off of the film initially. The realist drama stuff seemed to drag on, and it made much of the film a hard sell. I loved the touches of weirdness, but they were too little, too far between--at least until I reached my personal interpretation of the film around the halfway mark.
The film is also odd in that it's so retro. At one point I double-checked the DVD box, thinking that Donnie Darko had to be a late 1980s film. Nope, 2001. Then I started thinking that writer/director Richard Kelly must have had the script in storage for 15 years. But that can't be the case, either, as his bio says he was born in 1975, and it's unlikely that he would have written Donnie Darko when he was 10 or 11. The film is mired in late 1980s pop-culture references, style and music. Realizing that Kelly was born in 1975 still makes this weird. He says on the new DVD commentary that he was following the clichéd advice to write what you know, and he knew school in the late 1980s. He wouldn't have even entered high school until 1989, so it seems odd that he would only know school in the late 1980s. The retro feel of the film was a bit artificial to me, although I enjoyed the way the pop music was integrated.
There were also some questionable performances for my tastes, including Drew Barrymore's, and some bizarre (but not bizarre enough) scenarios that I never quite figured out, such as why a gym teacher was showing motivational videos to a class sitting in desks.
But most fans of Donnie Darko tend to overlook the minutiae, even though it takes up most of the screen time. The hinge tends to be on the overall arc and the meaning of the film. If minutiae are dwelt on, it's usually concerning the "Philosophy of Time Travel" book, or some bit of dialogue that is thought to be clever, such as the Smurf discussion. The theme of the film is often said to be something like "possibilities", and the film is routinely interpreted as having a messianic subtext, as well as often being interpreted more literally, as a kind of sci-fi story. After I watched the film and it didn't quite pay off as I had been hoping, I was anxious to listen to the commentary and watch the documentaries. Kelly seemed to intend more of the literal, sci-fi interpretation of the film. That was disappointing, because interpreted that way, the most fascinating thing to me is that Kelly believes it even approaches coherency. The Philosophy of Time Travel material, which is a core of this interpretation, is arbitrary sounding gobbledy gook. It has nothing to do with time travel, and even less to do with philosophy. It's more a naïve attempt at something like a parallel universe, ala the multiverse interpretation of quantum mechanics (which tends to be nonsensical anyway).
To make matters worse, there is little attempt to integrate most of this material into the actual meat of the film--the sci-fi interpretation seems very "grafted on". Many of the actual scenes we witness aren't there to service the eventual interpretation of the film as a sci-fi story, but are there because it's some snippet of actual life that Kelly remembers or has thought about or had conversations similar to in the past, and he thinks it's clever or character developing. For me, this material was neither.
But my personal interpretation of the film made much more sense to me, and under it, I enjoyed it more. To me, Donnie Darko is just a depiction of a kid with schizophrenia (and this is even explicitly suggested, although Kelly seems to be overlooking or not mentioning the interpretation). Even the smallest details of the film make sense in this context. Schizophrenics hear voices. They can have visual, tactile and other sensory hallucinations. Some have delusions of grandeur, such as messiah/superhero complexes. They often feel alienated. Donnie mopes around, mumbling, fairly expressionless much of the time and has periodic emotional outbursts. He acts out in anti-social ways. He goes into semi-catatonic states. Even the end of the film makes more sense under this interpretation, as it can be seen as an intentional delusion that Donnie has created due to the relationship-oriented tragedy. He's fantasizing about things being different than they turned out. To me, the film has much more depth under this interpretation.
If you haven't seen Donnie Darko yet, you owe it to yourself to check it out. No matter your final verdict, it's an interesting, quirky film, and one that's sure to be talked about for a long time.
Donnie Darko is an unusual film. It spans a number of genres and leaves itself wide open to interpretation. Quite a cult of hardcore fans has developed around it, and for those folks, the film is essentially immune to criticism and reinterpretation.
The biggest surprise to me was that the bulk of Donnie Darko is a realist drama. I had long heard about how strange the film was, and heard it described as being partially sci-fi (which it is) and horror (which it isn't if you ask me). It was supposedly a "reality-bender". I'm much more of a "genre" fan, and I much prefer fantasy, surrealism and absurdism to realism. My preconceptions were throwing me off of the film initially. The realist drama stuff seemed to drag on, and it made much of the film a hard sell. I loved the touches of weirdness, but they were too little, too far between--at least until I reached my personal interpretation of the film around the halfway mark.
The film is also odd in that it's so retro. At one point I double-checked the DVD box, thinking that Donnie Darko had to be a late 1980s film. Nope, 2001. Then I started thinking that writer/director Richard Kelly must have had the script in storage for 15 years. But that can't be the case, either, as his bio says he was born in 1975, and it's unlikely that he would have written Donnie Darko when he was 10 or 11. The film is mired in late 1980s pop-culture references, style and music. Realizing that Kelly was born in 1975 still makes this weird. He says on the new DVD commentary that he was following the clichéd advice to write what you know, and he knew school in the late 1980s. He wouldn't have even entered high school until 1989, so it seems odd that he would only know school in the late 1980s. The retro feel of the film was a bit artificial to me, although I enjoyed the way the pop music was integrated.
There were also some questionable performances for my tastes, including Drew Barrymore's, and some bizarre (but not bizarre enough) scenarios that I never quite figured out, such as why a gym teacher was showing motivational videos to a class sitting in desks.
But most fans of Donnie Darko tend to overlook the minutiae, even though it takes up most of the screen time. The hinge tends to be on the overall arc and the meaning of the film. If minutiae are dwelt on, it's usually concerning the "Philosophy of Time Travel" book, or some bit of dialogue that is thought to be clever, such as the Smurf discussion. The theme of the film is often said to be something like "possibilities", and the film is routinely interpreted as having a messianic subtext, as well as often being interpreted more literally, as a kind of sci-fi story. After I watched the film and it didn't quite pay off as I had been hoping, I was anxious to listen to the commentary and watch the documentaries. Kelly seemed to intend more of the literal, sci-fi interpretation of the film. That was disappointing, because interpreted that way, the most fascinating thing to me is that Kelly believes it even approaches coherency. The Philosophy of Time Travel material, which is a core of this interpretation, is arbitrary sounding gobbledy gook. It has nothing to do with time travel, and even less to do with philosophy. It's more a naïve attempt at something like a parallel universe, ala the multiverse interpretation of quantum mechanics (which tends to be nonsensical anyway).
To make matters worse, there is little attempt to integrate most of this material into the actual meat of the film--the sci-fi interpretation seems very "grafted on". Many of the actual scenes we witness aren't there to service the eventual interpretation of the film as a sci-fi story, but are there because it's some snippet of actual life that Kelly remembers or has thought about or had conversations similar to in the past, and he thinks it's clever or character developing. For me, this material was neither.
But my personal interpretation of the film made much more sense to me, and under it, I enjoyed it more. To me, Donnie Darko is just a depiction of a kid with schizophrenia (and this is even explicitly suggested, although Kelly seems to be overlooking or not mentioning the interpretation). Even the smallest details of the film make sense in this context. Schizophrenics hear voices. They can have visual, tactile and other sensory hallucinations. Some have delusions of grandeur, such as messiah/superhero complexes. They often feel alienated. Donnie mopes around, mumbling, fairly expressionless much of the time and has periodic emotional outbursts. He acts out in anti-social ways. He goes into semi-catatonic states. Even the end of the film makes more sense under this interpretation, as it can be seen as an intentional delusion that Donnie has created due to the relationship-oriented tragedy. He's fantasizing about things being different than they turned out. To me, the film has much more depth under this interpretation.
If you haven't seen Donnie Darko yet, you owe it to yourself to check it out. No matter your final verdict, it's an interesting, quirky film, and one that's sure to be talked about for a long time.
A complex story about adolescence, alternate realities, and the possibility that we are not masters of our own destiny
Elvis-Del-Valle9 November 2023
At first, Donnie Darko is a difficult film to understand and can seem absurd. What helps a lot to understand it and has made it a very beloved film is taking into account the concepts of parallel realities. It mentions time travel and although that is not exactly witnessed, the complexity of the film is based more on the fourth dimension. Donnie is the protagonist of a science fiction story in a parallel world, which is forced to play a role to prevent the destruction of existence itself. The mysterious Frank and many around Donnie become pawns for him to achieve his goal. The film mixes a whole series of elements, allegories, metaphors and messages that make it a quite enigmatic film. Using a book given to Donnie, he gives clues that the world Donnie stars in is not what the viewer initially thinks. The film uses Donnie and the events of the story quite a bit to raise the point that everything that happens in the world is connected and therefore the events of the world are part of a grand scheme. That would imply that all the actions and decisions that human beings take are already planned and that destiny is what really controls our lives. What would be raised would be something compared to the Loki series that raises the idea that there is no free will and that we must all fulfill a destiny that has been implanted in us to maintain a universal order. Even according to the philosophy of The Matrix, the decision is an illusion and the paradox arises as to whether we can really control our destiny or are we only tools of a great scheme forged by destiny. Donnie questions what he has to do a lot and that makes you think about what consequences there could be in the universe if someone goes off their path, breaking the scheme that maintains universal order. The Butterfly Effect theory and even other time travel films raise the question of what things would be like if such important events had not occurred. The film also gives Donnie a savior role, turning him into an allegory for Jesus Christ and other martyrs whose sacrifices were essential to a cause. The mention of the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" is also a key because of the plot it had. Like that film, Donnie Darko is a story about sacrifice and death as a necessary destiny for future events and for the universal scheme. In that aspect, the film has a biblical metaphor behind it. Another element that makes up this film is its allegory about adolescence and it is something that is reflected in Donnie when upon entering that stage, he asks himself many questions, reflects a lot, knows love and suffers this internal struggle about whether to fulfill his destination. Frank even becomes his guide of sorts and symbolizes the aggressive rebellion that many young people go through. It can be said that the film knows how to use Donnie to represent the psychology of young people and think about the kind of role that destiny has in store for them. It is not strange that it has some moments of cringe humor that are characteristic of teenagers. It can be concluded that Donnie Dark is another independent film with an unconventional plot that gives it a lot of resistance, although it leaves a couple of doubts to decipher. It is not a film that can be understood by those who do not take into account the aforementioned elements, but all the elements that characterize it are what make it an authentic cult film. It is not a film recommended for everyone, only for educated people and movie buffs. My final rating for this movie is an 8/10.
Original but difficult movie.
Boba_Fett113814 October 2005
"Donnie Darko" is a movie that remains difficult to understand. Everybody has his own interpretation of the ending and the story in general. That is a good thing. Everyone looks at this movie differently in his own way, which makes "Donnie Darko" an unique movie.
It's a good first long featured movie for director Richard Kelly. Still I didn't liked it as much as everyone else seems to do. The movie has some odd moments and almost nothing is explained. Everything is left to the viewer his own interpretation and imagination, which seems like a lazy but of course also original way of movie making. The story is good but there are several missed opportunities, such as the whole time traveling element of the movie that is hardly used at all.
There are some good actors in the movie. Jake Gyllenhaal is a good leading man but even better are the supporting actors played by well known actors Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore and Noah Wyle.
In my opinion the movie is still overrated. Just because it's original and 'odd', doesn't make a movie brilliant. It's professionally made all and well written but not everything is making sense and the movie makes little effort in making the movie its story understandable.
I can give my own interpretation of the movie and its story and try to explain everything about that but in my opinion that would be useless. Just watch this movie and form your own ideas and interpretation of the movie, since everyone will have a different opinion and interpretation of it. It certainly is a thought provoking movie that is worth watching.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
It's a good first long featured movie for director Richard Kelly. Still I didn't liked it as much as everyone else seems to do. The movie has some odd moments and almost nothing is explained. Everything is left to the viewer his own interpretation and imagination, which seems like a lazy but of course also original way of movie making. The story is good but there are several missed opportunities, such as the whole time traveling element of the movie that is hardly used at all.
There are some good actors in the movie. Jake Gyllenhaal is a good leading man but even better are the supporting actors played by well known actors Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore and Noah Wyle.
In my opinion the movie is still overrated. Just because it's original and 'odd', doesn't make a movie brilliant. It's professionally made all and well written but not everything is making sense and the movie makes little effort in making the movie its story understandable.
I can give my own interpretation of the movie and its story and try to explain everything about that but in my opinion that would be useless. Just watch this movie and form your own ideas and interpretation of the movie, since everyone will have a different opinion and interpretation of it. It certainly is a thought provoking movie that is worth watching.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Not My Cup of Tea
view_and_review6 February 2016
I know I'm in the minority here. I know that this movie is a cult classic and has gotten rave reviews; that's the reason I watched to begin with--well that and the fact I thought it was a time travel movie.
"Donnie Darko" was not my cup of tea. This is where I'm told I don't get it, it's too deep for me and then I'm called all kinds of pejoratives. This isn't the first movie that I opposed the majority on and it won't be the last.
I saw a dramatic unfolding of the life of a mentally disturbed teenager. And it seemed that every character was formed through the lenses of said character. Everyone was odd. Comically odd. From Donnie Darko down to Cherita Chen. And characters like Cherita Chen seemed purposeless. If that's appealing then color me unimpressed.
I know, this was a movie I didn't get and I'm fine with that. It was dark, the humor was strange, and in my opinion it lacked a true message.
"Donnie Darko" was not my cup of tea. This is where I'm told I don't get it, it's too deep for me and then I'm called all kinds of pejoratives. This isn't the first movie that I opposed the majority on and it won't be the last.
I saw a dramatic unfolding of the life of a mentally disturbed teenager. And it seemed that every character was formed through the lenses of said character. Everyone was odd. Comically odd. From Donnie Darko down to Cherita Chen. And characters like Cherita Chen seemed purposeless. If that's appealing then color me unimpressed.
I know, this was a movie I didn't get and I'm fine with that. It was dark, the humor was strange, and in my opinion it lacked a true message.
Great movie
buckwheat889 January 2005
Donnie Darko was a great and thought provoking movie. Most people will probably not understand the movie the first time they watch it, because they don't know what to watch for, but the 2nd time you watch the movie most will consider it a great and profound movie. Another way to understand Donnie Darko is to have someone that has already seen the movie to watch it with you and tell you which parts of the movie to remember towards the end of the movie. This is not a movie to watch if one does not like to think during movies. Donnie Darko is also not a movie for the lazy movie watcher to watch. I normally like the easy brained movies that require no thought-process but this is one thought provoking movie that I give a 10 out of 10.
Not as impressive as the original
FilmOtaku21 September 2004
*This is a review of the Directors Cut*
I've already reviewed the originally released cut of 'Donnie Darko' so I am not going to review the film again. Instead, I'll comment on the differences between the two versions; unfortunately most of the differences took away from the original film, which I think is truly excellent.
I traveled two hours round-trip with several friends to see the Directors Cut since it was not playing in Milwaukee at the time, and while I am glad that I saw it, I feel that the original is the superior version. There were many superfluous scenes in the new cut which did not add to the film; rather I almost felt that they made the pacing falter a bit. For example, the new scene between Donnie's parents in the café a completely unnecessary scene which did not add anything relevant to the story. There were a handful of scenes like this, as well as some added dialogue that indeed added to the development of some characters, (Drew Barrymore's character, the teacher 'Karen' was enhanced a bit) for some it just seemed silly (One of Donnie's bus stop friends telling Cherita that he 'hopes she gets molested' turned him from just being an incidental character into being an incidental character who is a jackass.)
Another major difference between the two films was the addition of several special effects to the new cut. There were a lot of dream-like sequences (the file cabinets floating among the clouds ala Rene Magritte) and all of the stuff focusing on Donnie's eyeball, computer-ish codes, etc, that just did not work in my opinion. Also, some of the most subtle changes, soundtrack for example, were disarming. The opening song was 'The Killing Moon' by Echo and the Bunnymen in the original, which provided a great backdrop in the introduction to Donnie, his environment and his family. Kelly used 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS in his directors cut. Certainly, a good song, but after using a perfect song originally, it is hard to get used to an inferior replacement.
Which is how I sum up my feelings about Kelly's directors cut in general? Why mess with (near) perfection? 'Donnie Darko' is a fantastic film that was so thought-provoking it made some people run the other way. Only those who were interested in something beyond the ordinary stayed to ponder and theorize its meaning, and still are to this day. Kelly's new cut does not enhance the film, rather, it made it plodding and a little dumbed-down two adjectives I never thought I would ascribe to this film. See the directors cut to play 'spot the new stuff', but stick with the original.
--Shel
I've already reviewed the originally released cut of 'Donnie Darko' so I am not going to review the film again. Instead, I'll comment on the differences between the two versions; unfortunately most of the differences took away from the original film, which I think is truly excellent.
I traveled two hours round-trip with several friends to see the Directors Cut since it was not playing in Milwaukee at the time, and while I am glad that I saw it, I feel that the original is the superior version. There were many superfluous scenes in the new cut which did not add to the film; rather I almost felt that they made the pacing falter a bit. For example, the new scene between Donnie's parents in the café a completely unnecessary scene which did not add anything relevant to the story. There were a handful of scenes like this, as well as some added dialogue that indeed added to the development of some characters, (Drew Barrymore's character, the teacher 'Karen' was enhanced a bit) for some it just seemed silly (One of Donnie's bus stop friends telling Cherita that he 'hopes she gets molested' turned him from just being an incidental character into being an incidental character who is a jackass.)
Another major difference between the two films was the addition of several special effects to the new cut. There were a lot of dream-like sequences (the file cabinets floating among the clouds ala Rene Magritte) and all of the stuff focusing on Donnie's eyeball, computer-ish codes, etc, that just did not work in my opinion. Also, some of the most subtle changes, soundtrack for example, were disarming. The opening song was 'The Killing Moon' by Echo and the Bunnymen in the original, which provided a great backdrop in the introduction to Donnie, his environment and his family. Kelly used 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS in his directors cut. Certainly, a good song, but after using a perfect song originally, it is hard to get used to an inferior replacement.
Which is how I sum up my feelings about Kelly's directors cut in general? Why mess with (near) perfection? 'Donnie Darko' is a fantastic film that was so thought-provoking it made some people run the other way. Only those who were interested in something beyond the ordinary stayed to ponder and theorize its meaning, and still are to this day. Kelly's new cut does not enhance the film, rather, it made it plodding and a little dumbed-down two adjectives I never thought I would ascribe to this film. See the directors cut to play 'spot the new stuff', but stick with the original.
--Shel
Nothing more than tricks... but, god, how they work.
Patuquitos8 February 2005
Sweets. They are not nourishing, but they're delicious.
This is how I feel about this film. If I make a conscious attempt at explaining why I like "Donnie Darko", I can see no real meat in it. I got no lessons from the flick, I hardly got a story... Forget what others say about this movie as "philosophical", "clever" or "trascendent". It's not. But, my!, how such a young director almost manages to make you believe it is... I don't know about you, but I call that talent.
Yes, the movie is empty. The story goes nowhere, there is no message, no moral, but the way it's all wrapped up keeps you salivating throughout. Don't think it's mere flashy fireworks, though. This is not a case of style over substance. It's something more complex, and that's where "Donnie Darko" distances from the rest. This movie is freaking special, is full of personality. I wish more films had this character. The charm of this film relies on a lot of pieces that fit like a giant puzzle:
-Chosen time (1988) is strangely proper (you'll have to see this movie to understand it, sorry).
-The movie is BLUE. Its photography is blue, its characters are blue, its story is blue. Everything is blue.
-Music is great.
-Emotions are overwhelming. They come from everywhere and at the same time. You don't know what's happening, but what might be happening actually affects you.
-I can see some Lynch influences. The scene where the gym teacher talks to Donnie's mother at the doorstep is 100% Lynch.
-Some scenes are, almost, scary.
-This is one of the movies that present the idea of "beyond" in a most seductive way. You feel there's something more than this world. It never gets explained, but heck, I don't care.
-Finally, and most important, the main appeal of the movie is that it throws together unrelated concepts in such a way that they feel ghostly linked. The movie is a melting pot of vague ideas, that, thanks to a great direction, get connected in the subconscious.
Exactly because of this, I understand this movie has so much appeal for some people, and so little for others. If you fall in the trap, it will touch you, and this movie could mean the world to you. If you don't, it won't, and you won't see more than a bag of tricks. Whatever the category you fall in, you have to recognize the skill of Richard Kelly. The execution of "Donnie Darko" is more than remarkable.
I like to think of "Donnie Darko" not as a movie, but as a niche some people feel comfortably unsafe inside, that people being 25-30 year olds with an affection for sci-fi and darkness. The more you fit in this role, the more you'll get into this.
RATING: 8.3
This is how I feel about this film. If I make a conscious attempt at explaining why I like "Donnie Darko", I can see no real meat in it. I got no lessons from the flick, I hardly got a story... Forget what others say about this movie as "philosophical", "clever" or "trascendent". It's not. But, my!, how such a young director almost manages to make you believe it is... I don't know about you, but I call that talent.
Yes, the movie is empty. The story goes nowhere, there is no message, no moral, but the way it's all wrapped up keeps you salivating throughout. Don't think it's mere flashy fireworks, though. This is not a case of style over substance. It's something more complex, and that's where "Donnie Darko" distances from the rest. This movie is freaking special, is full of personality. I wish more films had this character. The charm of this film relies on a lot of pieces that fit like a giant puzzle:
-Chosen time (1988) is strangely proper (you'll have to see this movie to understand it, sorry).
-The movie is BLUE. Its photography is blue, its characters are blue, its story is blue. Everything is blue.
-Music is great.
-Emotions are overwhelming. They come from everywhere and at the same time. You don't know what's happening, but what might be happening actually affects you.
-I can see some Lynch influences. The scene where the gym teacher talks to Donnie's mother at the doorstep is 100% Lynch.
-Some scenes are, almost, scary.
-This is one of the movies that present the idea of "beyond" in a most seductive way. You feel there's something more than this world. It never gets explained, but heck, I don't care.
-Finally, and most important, the main appeal of the movie is that it throws together unrelated concepts in such a way that they feel ghostly linked. The movie is a melting pot of vague ideas, that, thanks to a great direction, get connected in the subconscious.
Exactly because of this, I understand this movie has so much appeal for some people, and so little for others. If you fall in the trap, it will touch you, and this movie could mean the world to you. If you don't, it won't, and you won't see more than a bag of tricks. Whatever the category you fall in, you have to recognize the skill of Richard Kelly. The execution of "Donnie Darko" is more than remarkable.
I like to think of "Donnie Darko" not as a movie, but as a niche some people feel comfortably unsafe inside, that people being 25-30 year olds with an affection for sci-fi and darkness. The more you fit in this role, the more you'll get into this.
RATING: 8.3
this is how minds become bent
campbellz15 August 2008
I'm not one for top 10 polls, or top fifty or what have you, point in case, such things are too subjective and stir up useless debate. However, if I was making my own top 10 poll, this movie would certainly sit comfortably on it as far as the best of the decade. Storytelling this dense and compelling transcends intellectual engrossment. This movie runs in the vein of films like 'The Fountain' and even shows shades of renaissance noir as in 'Memento'. Jake Gyllenhal rips this film apart as he ebbs and flows from fits of hostility to drowning in pure delusion. His performance in Darko flies under the radar as one of the best in recent memory. This is a film that deserves several repeat views, and is deserving of equal amounts of debate and analysis. It is also demanding to the nth degree, it will leave you spent as the credits begin to roll but also dreaming. If this film doesn't haunt you, I'm not sure what will.
the soundtrack is beautifully curated
christopher-underwood15 December 2020
I think my main problem here is that the film is not completely serious enough for me to fully engage nor frivolous for me to just sit back and enjoy. I found it pleasant enough and remembered little from watching it on theatrical release but there had to be a reason it has taken so long to look at it again and it must be that it is ultimately unsatisfying. There is an abundance of ardent extras on my disc but I just didn't feel up to giving this any more time. On the positive side Jake Gyllenhaal does well in the lead and is convincing in a very difficult role, the film looks great all the time and the soundtrack is beautifully curated with some beautiful songs sounding batter than I remembered them.
Amazing
maitre_des_ombres17 August 2008
Its really hard to say something else about this movie except that its just amazing.I watched it recently and just don't know what to say.It affected me so much that i can watch it over again and again and it just won't get boring or something like that.The whole idea of the movie is so philosophic and distracted from the real world and in the same time so easy to see, so easy to feel.The moment when he finally understands what he needs to do its so highly romantic and tragic(I even cried at that moment and I'm not afraid to say it), but after all its a kind of beating your own instinct for survival.But i don't know a person who,in case he had everything friends,family and love would let them fade away.The meaning of the life is in having people you love and care about and you are sure they are OK. Because at the end if your really close person has died or got hurt and only you have the chance to make it all right,would you let this chance go away....?
Somewhat Overrated
Widdall_7 July 2022
The performances are good and visually it's a nice looking movie that does an impressive job immersing the viewer into 1980s suburbia. However the pacing is slow (the director's cut VERY SLOW) with a running time that doesn't really justify a rather silly story that takes itself too seriously. I can see why it's a cult movie but it isn't that great.
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