Overall Rating: 98.6
When sitting down to first watch "Donnie Darko", one should be prepared to be both incredibly confused and mystified. Richard Kelly's debut full-length feature film is an intense sci-fi take on a troubled life of a high-schooler in the 80's.
As a troubled kid, Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) just doesn't seem to fit in. In the height of 80's excess, Donnie refuses to buy in and leads his own life, despite it being considered "dark" by friends and family. Things only get worse once Donnie meets a rabbit-figure who tells him that the world is going to end in 28 days. To make matters even more complex, as the rabbit leads Donnie out of his house to warn him of the coming doom, a jet engine crashes through the Darko house and lands right on Donnie's bed.
Confused yet? Well then hold tight, because the next 2 hours continue to showcase the relationship of Donnie and his imaginary rabbit friend "Frank", Donnie's continued slide into the darkness as the end of the world continues to approach, and the glimmer of light in his life in the form of a new girlfriend (Malone).
What makes Donnie Darko stand out so much (currently #176 on IMDB's top 250) is the unknown. Who is this rabbit named Frank? How is the world going to end? Is time travel possible? All these questions continue to pop up in the mind of both Donnie and the audience during his journey.
Despite it being set in the 80's, Kelly does a great job of keeping his world grounded. Where most movies created after 1995 portray the 80's as nothing but neon colors and big hair, Kelly draws from his own experiences in that it wasn't that much different than how society is functioning today.
While visually the film avoids 80's cliches, the soundtrack does not disappoint in its 80's glory. With hits like "Head Over Heels", "Notorious", "Love Will Tear Us Apart", and "The Killing Moon", Kelly pulls from some of the classic songs of the era and intertwines them with his story magnificently. "Darko" also contains a personal favorite in terms of songs used in film in the unbelievably moving rendition of "Mad World" performed by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews. This dark, somber take on the Tears For Fear hit never fails to gives goosebumps, regardless of how many times I hear it.
Doing a simple Google search for the phrase "Donnie Darko explained" will return a few hundred thousand stories and reviews, all different in their own respect. I've personally always been one to not delve in to the "what does it all mean!?" mentality, but instead sit back and enjoy the ride of Donnie's life. Sure, I have my own opinions on what the film means to me, but each person needs to come to their own conclusions. With so very few films that are capable of making people think in such a way, it's no wonder how "Donnie Darko" became such a cult favorite seemingly overnight. It's highly recommended, but be prepared for some head scratching. In a good way.
Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 10
Dialogue: 9
Acting: 9
Direction: 10
Audio/Visual: 10
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