Well done Richard Kelly. I think you've done it!

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2005)

I am studying media studies and have been asked to study this film for my examinations.
...Well, there are supposed to be negative connotations to any exam material I have to study but this one isn't.
Donnie Darko, a story about a teenage boy, who depending on your view, is experiencing hallucinations or is ahead of time. An unusual concept of time-travel, which has been experienced in the past but not quite like this, set in an unusual time zone of the 1980s. The reason I say its an unusual time zone is because the 1980s is very recent history and not many films set them selves in history that recent. It's genius.
This film is a masterpiece, it makes the audience search for the answers by watching it a second and perhaps a third time. Also it's one of the few films that I don't think can ever be remade, or at least to the same standard. With the clever use of CGI, using just enough to tell the story that it isn't overloaded with the special effects.
The acting is the root of the story, the actors provide the anchor in the surrealism. Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone are superb in their portrayal of teenagers of the 1980s, their characters are quite obscured also.
It is an interesting film to watch, you'll remember it whether you liked it or not.