Donnie Darko Blu-ray features mediocre video and great audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
Some may think that Donnie Darko is a typical maladjusted teenager. Actually, Donnie is
a borderline delusional intelligent, depressive, self-destructive, narcoleptic, gun-toting, sex-
crazed, teenaged arsonist, beset by visions of a monstrous rabbit which is trying to keep him
under its sinister influence. Prompted by this apparition, Donnie commits antisocial acts while
he is undergoing psychotherapy, surviving the vagaries of high-school life and romance, and
fortuitously escaping a bizarre death from a falling jet engine. Donnie battles his demons,
literally and figuratively, in a series of intertwining story lines that play with time travel,
fundamentalist gurus, fate, predestination and the machinations of the universe.
Somewhere deep inside the vaults of the American Film Institute, there has to be a file
cabinet that contains a list of "love it or hate it" movies; movies that, for one reason or
another, there doesn't exist a critical middle ground. Donnie Darko is one such
movie. It's a bizarre mixture of comedy, drama, science fiction, fantasy and politics, that has
created ten detractors for every fan. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who's seen the film,
and you are likely to get an impassioned speech on why Donnie Darko is a
phenomenal film, or, a lecture about hating movies that seem to strive to make people feel
dumb. I'm not entirely sure what Donnie Darko is really about; at times, I've thought
it to be an intellectual exploration on time travel, while at others I've thought the entire
movie represented someone's actual nightmares. Whatever the meaning behind the film is,
I do consider myself to be a fan. So, without further ado, here's my impassioned speech.
Walk, do not run, to the theater's emergency exits...
Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is, in many ways, a typical teenager; he feels alienated from
his classmates, family and teachers and spends a good deal of time living inside his own
head. On the other hand, Donnie seems to have an intellectual side that occasionally
impresses his teachers. Donnie comes from what appears to be a loving and supportive
family; they are patient and kind to him, while still maintaining discipline. So, just what's
wrong with this kid? Due to non-specific events that have taken place prior to the film,
Donnie makes regular visits to a psychologist, where his strange, demented and anti-social
personality traits are revealed under hypnosis. Donnie is about to make a gradual descent
into madness as his world falls apart around him and strange events begin to transpire. Is
it all in Donnie's head? Does Donnie dream these bizarre happenings? Does Donnie even
exist?
Like any great science fiction film, Donnie Darko succeeds by asking a lot of
questions that don't necessarily find answers during the course of the film. Donnie's
descent into madness, or whatever it is he's experiencing, is presented in a hazy and
unclear manner; it's the perfect narrative for the film's subject matter. There's a lot of talk
regarding time travel, quantum mechanics, mysticism as well as a nicely-sized dose of good
old fashioned teen angst. Perhaps Donnie Darko works well on a number of levels
to a number of different audiences. I'm sure that there are those that like the more soap-
opera-esque aspects of the story, while others have spent the last 8 years trying to figure
out the science behind the story. Whatever strikes your fancy, I can assure you that there
is plenty of both elements to go around.
Donnie Darko is impeccably acted; Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal appear in the film as
brother and sister and
deliver bravura performances that serve as early indicators to the current acting prowess.
Mary McDonnell and Holmes Osborne are perfect as their parents, while Patrick Swayze
steals the show as a morally bankrupt motivational speaker. It's worth mentioning that
Donnie Darko takes place in the late 1980s and features a lot of political references
from that era, as well as a ton of great 80s pop tunes. The music is both cleverly and
carefully chosen; those with a keen taste for 80s britpop will enjoy the irony of the
filmmakers choosing an opening track from Echo and the Bunnymen.
As strange as it might sound, the music is one of the key elements that keeps me from
recommending the Director's cut of the film. Mr. Kelly was given an expanded music budget
for his re-cut and many of my favorite musical elements from the theatrical version were
replaced with less fitting, but more popular, songs. In addition, the Director's edition seems
to try to explain too much of what is happening in the film. Donnie Darko is the rare
example of a film that is more successful when it maintains its mysterious elements.
For first time viewers of Donnie Darko, I recommend starting out with the theatrical
version. Fans will, undoubtedly, check out the Director's version, but I doubt many will
prefer it to the original. I can easily recommend Donnie Darko for it's abundance of
originality, inspired plot developments and outstanding performances. Whether you'll like it,
is anyone's guess. Highly Recommended.
No matter how hard anyone tries to clean it up, work digital magic or sharpen it, Donnie
Darko is never going to look like Terminator 2; it's just not a good looking film.
What do you expect from a low-budget science fiction flick made on a $4.5 million dollar
budget? The film has never looked good on home video; the DVD releases were muddy and
less than sharp and color was muted. the AVC Mpeg-4 encoded 1080p Blu-ray version isn't
much different. Sure, there's an improvement in color fidelity, some additional detail and a
total lack of encoding errors or macroblocking, but none of that will ever change the fact
that the film looks like the low budget production that it was.
Given the source's limitations, it should come as no surprise that very few fans of Donnie
Darko are going to be pleased with this Blu-ray. The reality of this release is, however,
that it reproduces the film as perfectly as possible; only a complete re-make will ever
improve the look of the film. I tend to think that the film's minimal and grungy look adds to
its charm, but clearly I'm in the minority. So, take it or leave it; Donnie Darko is as
good as it ever is going to be with this Blu-ray release. 1 star for the crummy source
material, 5 stars for reproducing it accurately. Let's just meet in the middle at 2.5.
While Donnie Darko might seem like the perfect fodder for creating a riveting
surround sound experience, viewers might be surprised to remember that the film focuses
more on dialogue and 80s pop hits rather than explosions and special effects. That's not to
say that the film doesn't contain these elements, from time to time, but the vast majority of
the film is more thoughtful and talky. Presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Donnie
Darko sounds better than I've ever heard the film sound; it's surprisingly effective given
the film's limited budget.
For those who crave action and surround effects, there are numerous instances of airliner
engines crashing through a suburban house, some trippy 360 degree surround effects and
a number of effectively utilized discreet rear channel effects. My favorite element, however,
is the multiple instances where music is shifted around the soundstage. The film's sound
designers have taken the stereo elements of several of the songs presented on the
soundtrack and have had a bit of fun spinning the stereo field around the five active
surround channels. The effect is simultaneously cool and surprisingly effective, explaining
through audio just exactly how warped Donnie's world has become. In addition, the film's
dialogue has been treated with exceptional care and is delivered with precision and
accuracy. There are a few instances where dialogue is somewhat muted, but this appears
to be a flaw in the original recording and not the fault of this well presented lossless
surround track. Recommended!
- Feature length audio commentary with Writer / Director Richard Kelly and star Jake
Gyllenhaal
- Feature length cast and crew audio commentary
- Feature length audio commentary with Writer / Director Richard Kelly and Kevin
Smith
- Production Diary with optional commentary with Cinematographer Steven Poster
- "They Made Me Do It – The Cult of Donnie Darko"
- From Storyboard to Screen
- "#1 Fan: A Darkomentary"
- Theatrical Trailer
Many of the extras that were present in the previous DVD release of Donnie Darko,
as well as the subsequent Director's cut, have made it to this Blu-ray edition of the film.
Chief among these extras is the exceptional feature length commentary track featuring
Richard Kelly and Kevin Smith; it's as entertaining as any commentary track I've ever heard
while giving Mr. Smith a chance to wax poetic about a film he is obviously crazy about. The
Kelly / Gyllenhaal track is a little less interesting while still being substantive, but the cast
and crew track is pretty worthless. The set sports a series of in-depth documentaries that
help to flesh out the cult following that Donnie Darkohas cultivated; "They Made Me
Do It" is the most interesting of the bunch. It's also worth noting that fans of the film
submitted homemade documentaries to be included with this release; "#1 Fan…" is the
winning film.
Donnie Darko is a rare film; it found initial failure and was ignored by theatrical
audiences, before securing a huge cult following on home video. Fox has wisely included
both the film's original theatrical cut along with the controversial Director's cut with this Blu-
ray release. While I'm not as fond of the Director's cut as the original theatrical version, I
don't doubt that fans of the film will
delight in the many new angles and revelations that this updated vision presents. Fox has
done their best with
Donnie Darko's low-budget visual qualities, but sound quality and supplements are
both satisfying. Donnie Darko is a bit of a difficult film for those who aren't fans of
science fiction; its themes are obtuse and its manic style can be disconcerting. Those
looking for a truly original and thought-provoking film, however, will find a lot to like about
this remarkably strange film. Donnie Darko is worth checking out on Blu-ray and is
recommended.
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