Move over Harvey, Frank is replacing you…
Donnie Darko is a troubled kid. He has been held back in school, he has burned down a house and he constantly has visions about things that force his parents to make him go to therapy and take meds. Donnie’s biggest problem in his life is his imaginary friend Frank, who keeps him out of trouble, while putting him through trouble. One evening, Frank saves Donnie’s life when he removes him from his room just in time to see a stray airplane engine crash through his home onto his bed. Darko, from this point, begins to listen to Frank and do whatever he says. The first thing that Frank tells Donnie is that the world is going to end in 28 days, 64 hours, 42 minutes and 42 seconds, and asks that Donnie prepare himself for it. Between visions of Frank and and other visions he can’t comprehend, he soon sees the truth to Franks words and begins to prepare himself and his friends/family for would could be their final moments.
For nearly three years I had been told by many people around me that this movie was a movie to check out. Donnie Darko just seemed like an art house piece of crap on the outside. Most of the people who urged me to watch it, I didn’t completely trust with movie taste. Recently, a nice gentleman named Noah (last name excluded) gave me his thoughts on the film. Noah seemed to have good taste in film, so I went with his suggestion/advice. Having watched this last night I can tell you that it’s probably in my top 10 films of all-time. That is amazing considering not a lot has broken into that top 10 list in a while (not counting The Dark Knight — probably #15). For those of you who can’t stand Jake Gyllenhaal let me just say how wrong you are about his acting ability. Sure he’s starred in such ‘wonderful’ films as Bubble Boy and The Day After Tomorrow, but there is something incredible about this kid. He brings a very dark side to his character in Donnie Darko and doesn’t lose focus anytime during the film. He’s a very disciplined actor and it shows. Not many actors his age can say that, most don’t have this type of range. He plays a very convincingly confused kid going through some very confusing problems. You believe that he can’t help himself most of the time. You are convinced that he can’t control what’s going on. You’re also convinced that without any of these issues he would probably be a very intelligent person. All of this combined makes for a fascinating character that you can’t turn away from. He drives the movie, he creates the suspense and you’re waiting for him to figure this entire mess out so that you can understand it. I haven’t been so fascinated with a character in a long time; he truly takes the role and leads you through the movie. Again, this is nothing short of an amazing performance from him. Give this kid some credit and watch him impress you.
As for the storyline, it builds and builds and builds. The payoff at the end is nothing short of miraculous and scary at the same time. Most films that start low, build quickly and don’t end up with the right climax at the end. I’ve seen a dozen films in the last two years that did this. They start with a bang, end with fart. Darko introduces you to a new line of thinking. It brings about the possibilities that maybe people aren’t crazy, rather they could be seeing the fourth dimension of the world. What they’re seeing could possibly prove that science doesn’t know all the answers. As the movie opens it immediately gives you the sense that there’s more to life than what we know. Everything on the outside could be nice and cheery, but what’s on the inside might be how life really is. The movie not only goes far into the fourth dimension, but it also introduces the theory of time travel and the existence of God. A film that has this much to it generally cannot keep up with the multiple paths it has created, but Donnie Darko does it brilliantly and doesn’t leave anything unanswered.
So with the threat of the end of the world, the possibility of time travel through the fourth dimension and the possibility of the proof of God, why wouldn’t you want to see Donnie Darko?
Feeling blue about Blu-ray, but really happy in a dark sort of sense
This film has been given the royal treatment of an HD upgrade. 1080p looks unreal and it really helps tell the story better. The effects look better, the shots look darker, the film is a perfect example of how HD can improve the quality of viewing. The real treat though is the audio. Coming to you in 5.1 DTS-HD, you’ll certainly feel the film. I have not jumped or gotten freaked out in a long time watching a film and the Donnie Darko did that to me on several occasions. I cannot explain to you how creepy the film is and how much the audio plays a heavy role in putting that together. It truly is an experience. Blu-ray makes this movie much better.
As for the features, here’s what you’re looking at:
Disc One
– Theatrical and Director’s Cut of the film
– Commentary with Richard Kelly and Kevin Smith
– Commentary with Cast and Crew
– Commentary with Richard Kelly and Jake Gyllenhaal
Disc Two
– Production Diary
– They Made Me Do It Too — The Cult of Donnie Darko Featurette
– #1 Fan: A Darkomentary
– Storyboard-to-screen featurette
– Theatrical Trailer
The commentary is quite good, as you get all sorts of different perspectives and descriptive experiences from different folk involved. Outside of the commentary, I wish there was more on the plot points in the film, such as the existence of a fourth dimension, a documentary on time travel (there are plenty out there), just something that pushes more information about the film. I’ve seen better features out of a movie, but these are good.