The Cover

Donnie Darko has a philosophical point about the nature of time, the force of fate and a whole lot of other elements that will make your head spin and your mind hurt. It also has a lot to do about mental disease, and the ability of the audience to determine which way is which and if what they're seeing is truly the product of Donnie's mind.

The film is a stylistic and interesting one with plenty to laugh enjoy. It's one of those films that has situations and shots that just make you smile. Slow motion pans set to 80's hits, weird visual effects and strange bits of dramatic acting. It's a real wonder the writer / director, Richard Kelly, hasn't a few more films under his belt since the release of this one.Anyway, the film. It's about a young man named Donnie who seemingly skirts a terrible death. Instead of revitalizing his life and giving him a new found sense of purpose, he begins to see things, hear voices, and otherwise get a little nutty. Things progress at a horrifying rate, Donnie no longer able to control the dark forces that surround him.

Everyone in the movie, as small of a scope as it is, is pitch perfect and smart. Jake Gyllenhaal in particular, plays a great moody and troubled high school student and smartly, his sister plays his sister in the movie to very great effect.

Being a fan, but not a student of the film, I couldn't really spot all the differences between the director's cut and the theatrical version, though there does seem to have a lot more "hints" about the nature of the story, the plot and Donnie's true nature. Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut isn't necessarily a vastly different film from the original, but it is a different experience - more a hand-holding journey into darkness.

Movie Grade: A (Original: A+)

Karate Kid suit.

Video and Audio: 4 out of 5
The newly revamped and slightly monkeyed with audio sounds great and the video looks about as good as you could expect. Not much else to say here.
Widescreen Anamorphic - 2.35:1 / English (Dolby 5.1 & 2.0)

Extras: 5 out of 5
The two disc set includes a lot of goodness. Disc 1 includes a commentary with writer/director Richard Kelly, along with Kevin Smith. Yes, that Kevin Smith. It's a nice enough commentary, but I don't know if it's really necessary. Disc 2 has more, including a 40 min. production diary (behind the scenes footage without narration - but it is available with commentary.) There's a 30 min. UK production filled with fans talking about what's so great about the movie. The last more unusual extra is a fan documentary about one fan's obsession. Nice and strange, and very funny. Rounding out the extras inclusion is the more traditional storyboard-to-screen feature.

Overall: 5 out of 5
It's a great presentation of a great disc. Definitely aimed towards fans, others are probably well advised to check out the theatrical cut first.

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