dark, brooding, intelligent and utterly engaging ....

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2002)

donnie darko is one of those rare movies. a movie that makes you think and feel at the same time. most horror movies, or scary movies with fantasy themes are steeped in one ingredient intended to scare you. donnie darko doesnt. so those of you looking for a good scare, skip this.

donnie darko is about a clumsy, troubled teenager, growing up in a welcoming environment, but still unable to come to terms with life. its a classic case of a coming of age movie. the darkness before the dawn. forget the philosophising though, for a while. even at a very simple script level, it is highly engaging and the audience is made to think. think like never before, there is so much happening in the movie, it operates on so many different platforms nd there are so many subtle messages that it is simply mind-boggling. this on the other hnd is the exact reason why the movie esp. towards the end is a bit tedious, u tend to lose track a bit.
but anyway i immediately saw the movie again. to figure out some of the loose ends and it all fitted in brilliantly. i had a long conversation with a friend discussing the movie to understand it better. donnie darko is that kind of a movie. it demands attention, but it is all well worth it. huge kudos to debut director richard kelly for coming up with such a daring movie.
a must see in my books, just a little too demanding maybe, but well worth the effort.
a brilliant 9!!