Fantastic

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2003)

Donnie Darko is a difficult film to explain, but I'll try. The film starts confusingly, and this is really the shape of things to come. We see a boy wake up on a road, stand-up, and smile to himself. Then get on his bike and cycle home. Once home things seem normal until that night when a strange voice seems to be talking to the same boy, at which point he gets up and sleep walks out of his house. A few minutes later a jet engine crashes into the house. Confused yet? :-)
Donnie Darko is literally very dark, and also a highly original film. I don't think there are any easy ways to gauge whether someone will like it or not. It doesn't help to hear too much hype about it, as expectations will be driven sky high for what is a very different type of film. Also the film will for most people require repeated viewings to make the most sense, and probably a visit to the DonnieDarko.com web site will be in order as well for those that want to understand the most about the story. Some moviegoers will not want to do this and/or not appreciate this. You have been warned.
I was fortunate to see Donnie Darko in mid-2001 before a lot of the hype surrounding the film had built up. I caught a trailer, and was very curious as to what this film was about. Personally, I wasn't dissapointed. A first time effort from Richard Kelly, this has that wonderfully original feel of someone new to cinema and with a childlike perspective, someone who wasn't adhering to convention. The movie plays a little like a stream of conciousness. Things happen, it isn't obvious whether they make any sense to begin with, but you soak it up and think about it later. As I thought about the movie, watched it second and third times, and read a little more about it, it all began to make sense. I don't think it requires a genius to understand it, but it does require some imagination. People often compare this to David Lynch's films, but it is not like Lynch in my opinion. Jake Gyllenhal, although not a total newcomer to Hollywood, puts in a fantastic performance as Donnie really capturing what is a difficult role. Everyone else puts in good performances, the only exception being Drew Barrymore, and although she helped produce the movie, her characterisation seems very patchy. In terms of cinematography, there are some particularly nice sequences. The music is fantastic for any fan of the 80's and "resurrects" some strangely timeless and apt tunes, and an original score my Michael Andrews is also extremely well done and suited to the film. Overall one of my all time favourite movies. 5/5