Review of Donnie Darko (2001) by Jonathan B — 16 Feb 2016

Donnie Darko is so very nearly brilliant but I cannot get round the central flaw that the complex plot just can't be made to work properly. Everything about it, the performances, the feel, the pace, the setting works so well that it is a shame that it really falls at the last hurdle.

I know there are plenty of forums and fan sites that propose ideas and theories to solve the plot twists, but frankly, that isn't good enough. A movie should stand by what is on the screen and not need director's commentaries or flights of geeky imagination to make up for plot deficiencies.

Don't get me wrong, I really like this dark, funny, weird film but every time I watch it, I feel just a little let down. Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of the disturbed eponymous character is marvellous and the drowsy, drug-intoxicated feel of the dreamy scenes that director Richard Kelly infuses are pitched just right.

The creepy character of Frank, the rabid-looking, nightmarish giant rabbit, that torments Donnie's imagination, is both memorable and very disturbing. I love the setting of the American high school which seems so normal and yet so alienating.

I love the time travel and alternate universe paradox themes. It's a film that is atmospheric, gripping and strange, despite the flaws which I think a more experienced script writer would have been able to solve in a most satisfactory manner.