A bizarre and beautifully perfected masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2015)

I've seen this film many, many times. I love this film, and so I felt the need to finally upload a review.
With Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly has created a flat-out masterpiece. It's so good in fact that even with a lifetime of directing and writing movies I doubt he'll ever be able to top it; quite a feat when you consider it was his directorial debut.
Anybody who's seen the film will know that it's a bizarre mix of genres all tossed into one: Drama, teen, comedy, phycological thriller, romance, horror. Trying to define it to somebody who is yet to experience it is by no means an easy task. It is this mystifying cocktail of genre's that make the so great however. It's freakishly unique and will most likely alienate some people who prefer their cinema cliché and predictable.
One of the film's many merits is it's style. The film lunges back and forth from light hearted comedy into some segments which are very dark and unsettling. It's this contrast that makes the film work so well; the dark segments give the film it's sense of danger and intrigue but these are balanced out nicely with lighter elements. Combine these with impressive cinematography and the film quickly establishes it's distinctive feel.
The writing is on certainly on par with the rest of the film. It's often laugh out loud funny and always feels believable and totally un-cliché. The characters themselves are well established. Donnie is a well realised character: he's intelligent, he often speaks sense but deep down we know something is not entirely right. The rest of the cast perfectly supports the rest of the film. There's the perhaps equally unusual but brilliant Gretchen Ross. And of course the hilarious role of Jim Cunningham from Patrick Swayze.
The real elephant in the room to address if of course the ending. Or rather'"That Ending". Throughout the whole story is the backbone of doomsday prophecies given to Donnie by the entity known as 'Frank'. It isn't of course till the end that we begin to realise what Frank was referring to.Or do we? As mentioned by many others the film is not a simple one. Upon first viewing you may think that you've understood what just happened. Of course once you have time to think on it (and/or perhaps discuss it with others) you realise that perhaps you're not quite sure. That, ladies and gentlemen is the brilliance of Donnie Darko. It's not a film that you're really supposed to figure out straight away, or perhaps even ever. The second watch you'll possibly prove yourself wrong, the third you'll pick up new clues. Even after over 10 watches I find myself picking up new clues, disregarding others, changing my theories. That is why it is such a cleverly constructed film. This brings me to also point out why the Original theatrical cut is far superior to the Director's cut. The DC removes a large proportion of the mystery and riddles surrounding the films by attempting to explain what happens, practically spoon feeding you the information. If you're a true lover of interesting and thought-provoking films do yourself a favour and watch the original.
Long story short, Donnie Darko is a mini-masterpiece. A beautifully crafted thrill-ride that is totally twisted, utterly bizarre but most definitely PERFECTION