Description: During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and tries to deal with people in his town, like the school bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism and worse. The new Director?s Cut includes a production diary of the film (with optional commentary by Director of Photography Steven Poster), a story-board to screen featurette, the Director?s cut theatrical trailer, They Made Me Do It Too ? The Cult of Donnie Darko and the #1 Fan: A Darkomentary.
Amazon.com: This unclassifiable but stunningly original film obliterates the walls between teen comedy, science fiction, family drama, horror, and cultural satire--and remains wildly entertaining throughout. Jake Gyllenhaal (October Sky) stars as Donnie, a borderline-schizophrenic adolescent for whom there is no difference between the signs and wonders of reality (a plane crash that decimates his house) and hallucination (a man-sized, reptilian rabbit who talks to him). Obsessed with the science of time travel and acutely aware of the world around him, Donnie is isolated by his powers of analysis and the apocalyptic visions that no one else seems to share. The debut feature of writer-director Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko is a shattering, hypnotic work that sets its own terms and gambles--rightfully so, as it turns out--that a viewer will stay aboard for the full ride. --Tom Keogh
Great Movie, VERY Confusing. I have had many smart friends debate on what actually happened in this movie. If you want a psychological type movie this is the best one I've ever seen.
The dark side of Physics Donnie Darko is what happens when Stephen Hawking gets high and writes a film. This dark, surreal movie is brilliant if a little confusing. The director's cut is MUCH easier to digest, as all the cut scenes actually EXPLAIN what the hell is going on. If you enjoy the ideas of Theoretical Physics, hallucinations, and/or insanity you should check out Donnie Darko.
Brilliant! Bizarre and Brilliant! I love the way this movie plays with reality and imagination. The viewer is thrown into the world of a bi-polar, highly intelligent young man, Donnie Darko, who is sleepwalking his way toward disaster. There is a strange way to prevent all the tragedy and the 'way' is exposed after Donnie's near death experience awakens him to the possibility of portals and time travel. Will he go back through the portal to save lives, even though it may bring an end to his own life? I love tales that 'bend the brain', and this one sure works on the ole noodle.
Chrissy K. McVay - Author
Life in the Tangent Universe The Good Things *Very interesting filming style. Lots of vivid, memorable imagery. Good special effects that don't overwhelm the film. *Rather interesting story (although it's very weird and hard to figure out; at the very least, everything came into full circle though). *Interpreting the story is only half of the fun. There are also many thought-provoking elements regarding theology, the nature of humanity, the nature of youth, and the nature of space and time. *Characters are good; acting was great. I could almost relate to the title character, as he tried to stand up against so many self-righteous adults. *Frank is probably the freakiest bunny rabbit I've ever seen. *Good music.
The Bad Things *Good luck trying to figure it out! Aside from being strange, it's also quite complex.
Definately the strangest high-school film I know of, but also probably the most thought-provoking. It's definately more than a story about a schizophrenic kid; there are many different elements, both visual and in the content, that are crammed into the film. At the very least, it will leave you trying to figure out the plot. Then, perhaps you'll be thinking about the characters or the themes. It's definately food for thought.
The DVD has good video and sound quality. The two-disc special edition includes a fifty-minute production diary, about forty minutes of fan cult featurettes, some storyboard comparisons, and the trailer.
This is why I don't review movies... Well, the first intriguing aspect of Donnie Darko is the fact that it combines quite a bit of variety into the movie. I like the fact that it's a science fiction movie mixed in with a little bit of (black) comedy and stars a teenager just like you or I, a bit of a teenage aspect to it, but not in any phony way like anything that Not Another Teen Movie makes funs of. Considering that fact, the acting is great, it's nice and long (long movies are pretty much necessary to make character development), and it pretty much knocks down some barriers on the teenage aspect, more realistic and not stupid like one would think of a teenage movie.
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