The Emperor's New Clothes

Rating: Null/10 (29 October 2001)

I'd like to advise any one who has read this far down on the additional reviews page to disregard any positive reviews you have read about this movie. I strongly believe it is a waste of time. The director, Richard Kelly, comes from USC film school, which trains him to take what is successful in other films (i.e. Magnolia, Being John Malkovich, to name a few) and slap them together. Unfortunately, he doesn't add anything else to this mix except for a convoluted, plotless story and TV sitcom, one-dimensional characters. I'm sure many people have commented on how the plot was "confusing" or "complicated" - it is. That is all it is. It means nothing. And then, in one scene Darko yells at a teacher who is trying to get him to label a situation as either "Love" or "Fear". He says that life is more complex that that duality. Ironically, every character in this film is either good or bad. There is the mean, knife-wielding bully, the sweet girlfriend, the good, daring teacher, the mean, narrow-minded teacher, etc. etc. Watch any other film besides this one, please. Don't support this schlock.