I don't fully understand and I don't care

Rating: 2/10 (9 January 2008)

Let me see if I can summarise this extremely confusing plot in the simplest possible terms. "Donnie Darko" follows Donnie (Gyllenhaal) a troubled teenager who one night follows a voice in his head who leads him out of his room and house and avoids death when his room is soon after hit by a falling jet engine from the sky, which would have definitely killed him. The voice that lead him out of his room is an illusionary character in a bunny suit named Frank. Frank warns Donnie that in 28 days the world will end.
In fact, what has happened is that Donnie has entered a tangent universe - he was supposed to be killed but wasn't and as such the current reality (universe) is wrong, and in fact will end in 28 days. Thereafter Donnie follows this voice (Frank) who tells him to do things (which ultimately will lead to the tangent universe being closed off and the primary or proper universe becoming reality again)..confused yet? It eventually turns out that Frank is the man that Donnie kills in this alternate or tangent universe - so had Donnie died as he was supposed to, Frank would still be alive. Frank helps ensure that the tangent universe will end so that he can exist again. And so, there's some predestinational paradox???...yada, yada, it goes back to the beginning where Donnie DOESN't get out of bed and is get my the plane part hitting his room and the normal universe becomes reality again.
You see? It's quite impossible to describe this film in simple or even coherent terms. It simply doesn't make sense because it is science fiction. So what is the film about then? Fate? Ummm. Destiny or something? Tangent universes? Since time travel or the event of some guy in a bunny suit telling you to cheat death and creating an alternate universe are impossible, it renders anything this film purports to be about null and void. If you want to watch something about the different paths our lives can take maybe watch Sliding Doors. Sure its cheesy and sappy but at least you know what the hell is going on. Its not pretentious and doesn't require reading on time travel and time paradoxes.
The film has quite an impressive cast: Gyllenhall, Maggie Gyllenhall, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore. There is nothing really note-worthy about the characters they play. Nothing really needs to be said beyond the attempted analysis of the absurdity of the plot.
There is absolutely no explanation for the ending, really. A plane traveling 28 days after Donnie cheats death, hits turbulence, goes through a wormhole and hits Donnie's house 28 days earlier, killing him? Well, I guess everything's wrapped up in a neat little package, then.
Enough said about the ending, there shouldn't have even been a beginning. Why would Frank lure Donnie out of bed to avoid death, if this alternative universe would result in Frank dying? I don't quite understand that and I don't really care. This isn't calculus, I might try and figure out an equation because it has relevance to life, this doesn't. This has relevance to nothing. Why does this tangent universe exists? No idea. What significance is it? None. How does what happen in this alternate universe relate to themes of destiny, fate? It doesn't. If you're going to do something about time travel stick to the comedy where Michael J Fox has to save his Dad from Biff or something. Let's not get all deep and meaningful about it and pretend like it really could happen.
Well, I certainly wouldn't recommend this film unless you're spaced out of your mind, in which case it would be perfect.