good...very good.

Rating: 4/10 (21 January 2003)

an auspicious, debut from the man who is the independent scene's latest wunderkind, Donnie Darko feels like the work of a seasoned veteran. it's rhythm and plotline are occasionally interrupted by the use of story cards describing the amount of days left to a mysterious occurance, but the real treasure here is the screenplay and the direction, both by Kelly. while some films are ruined by directors who wear their influences on their sleeves, Kelly takes the teen movie and breathes new life into it. with equal influence from John Hughes, robert redford and martin scorsese, Kelly's film is dark, cynical and clever. it's sad story is about a schizophrenic teen (played by Jake Gylenhaal in a competent performance) with haunting visions of a demonic rabbit. and this bunny is no Harvey. he's a sinister spectre, who forces the boy to commit horrible acts. there a lot of concepts floating around here, such as parents living vicariously through their children, parents misunderstanding their children, children misunderstanding children, time travel, death, life, religion, religion...more religion. an overall decent effort, but no classic.