Not Bad, Almost great.

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2004)

(This review is for the DVD version of the movie.)
Possible Spoilers (references movies with similar plots)
I just saw Donnie Darko on DVD after blockbuster.com recommended it. I guess it was because I rated 12 Monkeys and Rushmore pretty high. Unfortunately this move did not quite measure op to my expectations and I expected to be blown away as with 12 Monkeys, but I just said "Ahhh.. I think I get it. Let me think about this..."
The DVD extras revealed a different interpretation than I had and more Richard Kelly's (the writer/director) personal vision. The commentary on the movie reveals that he wanted to leave the audience with a more open interpretation. The book of the character Roberta Sparrow is very hard to read (letters are blurry) on the DVD, but provides the most insight.
This is not a bad movie, but it could have been a lot better, I can't put my finger on what is missing. The director creates a great atmosphere and makes you fear and love Donnie at the same time. The fear-love opposites theme is ridiculed in the movie by Donnie Darko.
The good: Music. Effects. Atmosphere. Smart story and interesting story line.
The bad: Language. Unnecessary and excessively bad language. This took down the movie a notch or two in my opinion.
The ugly: The rabbit costume