Donnie Darko (2001) Review

Donnie Darko (2001) Review

Donnie Darko is a troubled high school kid in the late 80’s who wakes up on the street for some reason at the beginning of the film, and is lucky to avoid being killed by a jet engine that drops into his bedroom, seemingly out of nowhere. He’s visited by visions of Frank, a guy dressed in an evil-looking rabbit suit, who tells him the end of the world will occur in 28 days. Frank also tells him to do bad things, like break the water main at school, which Donnie does. His therapist thinks he’s crazy, his family is worried, and when Frank mentions time travel, things get even crazier. 

Donnie Darko is not the kind of thriller I would call a “white-knuckler” or “nail biter”, it’s fairly low key, and has a hypnotic, almost dream-like feel. It also has a sense of humour, and relatable coming-of-age moments, and it gets truly creepy anytime Frank shows up, and gets psychological, and scary, and somehow manages to balance all of these different tones with relative ease.   

Many people have complained this movie makes no sense. My complaints aren’t to do with how purposefully bizarre and mystifying it tries to be. It’s mostly small things, like a couple cheap camera tricks and dated cgi effects, but I also think that, despite the way it balances coming-of-age with mystery, some of the concepts don’t feel as well developed, and the pacing is sometimes meandering, though overall, I can’t say I have any major complaints. The acting is good, the music is great, and it keeps you guessing.    

This is one of those movies with an insanely star-studded cast before they were all stars. A couple of them, like Drew Barrymore as the strict teacher or Patrick Swayze as the sleazy motivational speaker, were already famous, but then there’s Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie and Maggie Gyllenhaal as his sister (in the movie and in real life) and Jena Malone as Donnie’s girlfriend and Seth Rogen as a bully, and this movie came out before any of them had been in numerous films and become household names. It wasn’t a big hit when first released, but has since earned a cult following.   

The first time I watched Donnie Darko, I didn’t get it. I wouldn’t definitively say it’s one of those movies you have to watch more than once to fully comprehend, but if you have seen this movie before and felt you missed something, I would definitely recommend a second viewing. When you’re prepared for the strangeness of it, it doesn’t seem so strange—but having said that, it’s still very strange. I haven’t seen the director’s cut, though from what I’ve heard, it’s even better. 

If you’re seeking a conventional, straight-forward thriller, Donnie Darko probably won’t be for you. However, if you want an original, unique, angst-filled, edgy, early 2000’s thriller, I would highly recommend it—especially at this time of year, because it takes place in the month of October, ending on Halloween night.