Of Donnie Darko

Yes I love my favourite movies and its why most of my reviews have been positive up until this point and it’s a weakness that I only watch stuff that I truly enjoy, Heroes being the exception that proves the rule. Donnie Darko is a film I love and is just sheer genius. It is easily one of the most original films of all time along with “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

The film is incredibly vague and the audience truly needs to be switched on if they want to get the most from it. I’ve watched the film so many times including the Directors Cut (which is the only version I own at the moment and need to get a copy of the original again) and it’s beautiful to see how the film just comes together perfectly by the end. It's like a perfect package. Although some argue it isn't and that it tries to seem complex when all it does is just hide elements of the story but honestly you can see many clues on a second viewing that I can just tell them to shut the fuck up. Admittedly the Directors Cut is easier to understand, but really it's the original I fell in love with and thats the version I prefer. Although it does get rid of the fucking hand which is always a plus.

So the story is quite easy at first. For starters it just seems that it's about this kid named Donnie who has some sort of mental issue, however slowly it unfolds into this story of time travel and fate. There are tangent universes and people dressed up as giant bunnies. Plus the fact that the world is going to end in days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds means that you're constantly guessing what is going to happen next. If you're switched on you'll realise what is happening and at the end you'll applaud how genius the plot is, and even if you don't you'll still be able to admit that what you just viewed was incredibly intelligent. Now I'm not going to spoil the movie, all I will say is that the movie has so many great scenes that it'd be impossible to list them, although there is a brief shout out to the smurf scene, which will forever remain as one of the funniest scenes in the history of ever.

The acting is really good, with Jake Gyllenhaal proving why he is one of Hollywood's best and great supporting roles coming from people such as Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze and Mary McDonnell, which is to be expected from three very well respected actors. Luckily everyone in the film is great and turns what could be a very boring sci-fi plot into something amazing and completely unpredictable.

Overall the film is one of the most fresh and original films in a long. Looking for something that requires thought, this is for you. It's not a lazy film like Transformers, but something that demands to be watched all cylinders firing. This is the sort of film that explains why independent cinema exists. If films like this keep coming out I'll be an incredibly happy person. Unluckily we keep getting shit like Epic Movie, so the awesomeness of this film is quickly negated. Luckily it will always be awesome to me. 10/10