Far from masterful...

Rating: Null/10 (6 November 2004)

The first time I saw Donnie Darko, sometime in the beginning of
2002, I walked out part way through disgusted with its pretensions.
However, to its credit, Darko never left my mind; it was a movie that
I thought about in spare moments, piecing together its fractured
narrative. Because I could not shake the movie from my brain, I
watched it again, in its entirety this time. Although I still found it
pretentious and silly, I also found it entertaining; subsequent
viewings have raised it further above my initial assessment.
That said, I am not about to proclaim Donnie Darko a masterpiece,
nor am I willing to call it a good movie. Ultimately, Donnie Darko is
a failure - an attempt at high-minded science fiction that combines
elements everyone's already noted, John Hughes and horror. Of
course, Hollywood could use a few more failures like this. I
therefore recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies to
see how an interesting idea can turn sour in the hands of an
amateur.
Philosophical movies rarely work (13 Conversations About One
Thing and Waking Life are examples of successful philosophical
films). Donnie Darko does not work on the philosophical level
because it attempts to infuse philosophy into a story that requires
the director to spend too much time on narrative. Philosophical
movies, to be successful, require a lot of talking (and not about
Smurf's sex lives); a science fiction, horror, teen-comedy plot
requires an emphasis on story. Philosophy therefore takes a back
seat to narrative and the whole movie comes off as a cursory
summary of Philosophy 101 (sort of like the Matrix acting as a
primer for Religious Studies). Ultimately, the movie's ideas lack
the depth they deserve; Donnie Darko's philosophical ramblings
are half-baked and appear as such. Ultimately, that's why the
movie flounders.
As I said, though, it is an entertaining failure. The performances
(aside from Jake Gyllenhal who gives easily his worst performance outside of Bubble Boy) are top notch and the
cinematography is mostly fantastic (some slow-motion shots were
annoying, but the exteriors of suburbia were perfect).
Furthermore, the movie, at times, captures a perfect mood and
atmosphere. I am thinking specifically of the scenes toward the
end, after Donnie and Gretchen have left the party, and the scenes
surrounding their date at the movie theater. The mood created in
those scenes cannot be beat, as they combine perfectly with the
music Kelly chooses for the soundtrack. There's a beautiful
elegiac quality to Under the Milkyway, Love Will Tear Us Apart, and
Killing Moon that those scenes mirror. If Kelly had maintained
such a mood more often, I would be more inclined to give this
movie a positive review.
For the most part, people fall into two categories in regard to this
movie - they either love it or hate it. I fall in between. I find there too
many faults in this film to ultimately recommend it, but I also find
that there are enough bright spots for me to abhor it entirely.