Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Not perfect, but still brilliant.
I'm not going to say the film isn't without flaws. There are a few details on the website(which is also quite an amazing piece of work) that seem like they should have been in the film. That said this movie is brilliant and well worth seeing. The cast is phenomenal across the board. The actor who plays Donnie has a great range and he really delivers on a difficult role. No one disappoints. and I really hope we see a lot more of the younger stars, Jena Malone and Jake Gyllenhaal in future films. I want to see all the actors again but many of them have quite a slew of movies behind them already. Kudos to Patrick Swayze for taking on a character that is mocked by the film. The plot itself is well developed and quite interesting. It's a time travel story, it's a coming of age story, it's a black satire of suburban life, and it's a meditation on fate. Not a combo I was expecting anyone to put together. The writing really delivers on this challenging idea. The dialogue is true, the characters are well developed, and the abiguity of just what exactly is going on is maintained throughout the film. If you want to see a film that asks raises ideas about fate, growing up, and other topics in a way you've never seen before then go and see this film!
Rating: - Powerful and thought inspiring
This film is a clever fantasy with a suprising twist, which should keep most viewers guessing until the end. In fact, ~Darko~ has a great ending, subtle, thought inspiring and extremly powerful.Donnie Darko is an over-sensitive teenager, brilliant in many ways, who is convinced the world will come to an end on a certain day in the near future. His 'imaginary' friend, a hypnotic and somewhat demonic rabbit, commands Donnie to do certain things, (the famous schizophenic voice) also informing the boy of future events. The screenplay by director and writer, Richard Kelly, is indeed flawless, which manages to connect seemingly disconnected people and events in the boy's life in a very believable and compelling way. The cast is an unusual ensemble that one would not expect to see in an offbeat film - Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell and Drew Barrymore; all gave great performances, and especially Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead, whose haunting expression, particularly his eyes during his strange visions, was quite remarkable. ~Donnie Darko~ is one of those rare and surprising films, dark, humorous and original - this is an excellent motion picture.
Rating: - mysterious, amazing and unbelievably haunting!
Donnie Darko is simply one of the best movies I have ever seen, it keeps you in suspense and excitement the whole time and haunts you for days afterwards. I watched it two times in a row and still I it left me wanting more. It is interesting and cool, it all just clicks: the story, the cast, the filming and the soundtrack, which is terrific b.t.w. Excellent setting the movie in 1988 it gives the film a completely different feel. Jake Gyllenhaal is also great as Donnie Darko and the character kind of reminded me of Haulden Caulfield in the catcher in the rye, the kind of kid that you'd want to sit down with and talk to for ages. The entire cast is actually very good, I loved the whole family and Beth Grant is perfect as the intolerable gym teacher: Kitty farmer, Patrick Swayze is also a very funny choice giving the movie an even better 80'feel. All in all it is just a very gripping, mysterious movie and the fact that it was filmed in only 28 days, the duration of the story it self is amazing. The words from one of the last songs in the movie stuck in my head and are still there: I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, the dreams in which I am dying are the best I have ever had. I just want to say to everybody: WATCH DONNY DARKO THE BEST FILM EVER!
|
