a beautiful film and nothing less than this (spoilers within)

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2003)

For a long time, i knew nothing about the existence of Donnie
Darko, it happened to just appear to me one day, in a synopsis
and review. And from here, although i knew nothing more of it than
this, i bought the region 1 dvd; eagerly awaited its arrival with a
feeling of dread as much as a feeling of possible oncoming
wonder, and thankfully, it was the second of these emotions that i
fell into. Donnie Darko, was amazing. Every aspect of it , i found
almost perfect. I dont think i am yet to see a perfect film: even the
very best films can have an ingrediant or two missing from what
could be classed as a personally perfect film. But boy does this
film come so close. The story line is rather complicated but at the
same time it can also be seen as quite simple: a teenager, at
emotional war with the world around him realises that to save it
from its oncoming desruction, and to save everyone around him,
he must let himself die. Of course, this pleasant though
melancholic story is told by quite a bizarre plot, which makes
things seem a little more complex. But in the end, things are not.
Donnie Darko tells a beautiful, if sad, fairy-tale like story and it tells
it with brilliance. Brilliant characters; brilliant pace; brilliant
direction and an absolutely amazing score ( which is laden with
some great 80s tunes) I loved this film. It doesnt have the
grandeur of The Two Towers, but it is definately my favourite film of
last year. 9.5/10