Theories on why it became cult

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2009)

For some reason, it wasn't as good as I remembered although it does have its strong qualities. I think it became cult because of 3 of those in particular: the memorable confusing ending, the great eighties soundtrack and the central character who's a dark (;), troubled and rebellious teen. I should also say that the overall mysterious tone and "impending doom" atmosphere helps a lot in its appeal. When that weird surreal guy in a rabbit suit with the freaky mask tells Donnie the world will end in 28 days at the very start of the movie, you want to know what will happen and the plot slowly builds up on the suspense while being clever enough to make you doubt Donnie's grip on reality. I quite enjoyed the jabs on American conservatism. Jake Gyllenhaal did very well portraying the awkwardness and ambiguity of Donnie. The secondary characters were all very good and you wish there was more with them (probably in the Director's cut which I haven't seen). It's definitely worth watching for fans of teen or quirky movies.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10