Customer Reviews

Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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My rating and the following refers specifically to the Director's Cut. I would rate the original theatrical release five stars.

This director's cut brought to mind William Faulkner's line about writers often having to "kill their darlings" in order to meet the demands of a work's wholeness and integrity. Evidently, Richard Kelly was forced to kill his darlings with the theatrical release, and the result was close to perfection, if not perfection itself. The film's emotional force was stunning; its mysteries challenging; its pace so good that hitting pause to get more popcorn was impossible to do; its soundtrack (to my mind) a tour de force. It worked terrifically as a film experience, being a beautiful "whole" work of art. Extras that included Roberta Sparrow's book were great ... who really wanted to read the book during the movie anyways? (Which we can now do in the DC.)

Which does not mean a director's cut had no hope of working. Or even, maybe, revisions to the soundtrack (although I really think that was touchy business better left untouched). There were some good scenes deleted from the original, mainly between family members, and they didn't seem major pace-cutters. Fortunately, we do get those scenes here, but we also get the overwhelming force of the director's enthusiasm ... and WAY too much embedded detail of his personal vision.

On the upside, there's a nifty freedom to that enthusiasm which translates well into the Darko world IF you are also enthusiastic and into "playing" with Darko. In other words, if you love Donnie Darko already, you may find this cut a lot of fun. The pacing's completely blown, and the ending comes across flat compared to the original. (Kelly gets too detailed and baroque at the end, thus the impact of the "Mad World" music montage--don't want to include spoilers--and last scene is severely undermined.) Yet it's great to have more Darko, however we have to get it. And I don't regret buying this.

But if you've never seen the original DVD release, I cannot recommend this DVD set to you over that one. You will probably wonder why a cult ever built up around this film ... what anyone saw in it. You'll be missing that visceral power and compelling wonder that makes movies great and leaves you wanting to see a movie again ... immediately, if possible.

Donnie Darko was a little miracle of a film that cast a huge shadow. The director's cut joins many other films that try for bigness and achieve little ... unless, of course, in Darko's case, you've already seen the light and are into shadow-play.

Funny, sad, and mind-blowing, 'Donnie Darko' is, quite simply, an excellent movie. The plot is complex and engaging, with Jake Gyllenhaal as the protagonist, followed up by a cast that doesn't leave Jake holding up the movie.

Depending on what version of the film you see, the plot can be simple, or very hard to understand. I saw the original version on television and it was easy to comprehend. However, I had a lot of questions about little plot strings that weren't tied up. Just the other day I saw the director's cut. I spent the rest of the night explaining things to the people who watched it with me while simultaneously figuring it out myself.

But, let me explain first. In the original version of the movie the plot line goes like this. Donnie Darko is introduced as the protagonist. He smokes, sees a therapist, and is rude to his parents. Then comes the fateful night of October 2nd.

Donnie is asleep when he hears a voice that tells him to follow it. Donnie gets up and walks out of the house and onto a golf course where a human sized, demented bunny rabbit called Frank tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. At the same time as this encounter a jet engine falls through Donnie's room, which would have crushed him had he not gone out to the golf course. For the next 28 days Donnie goes on certain missions by the bidding of Frank, gets a girlfriend, and finds out about time travel. I wont tell the ending for the sake of preserving it.

In the director's cut there are a few differences. The beginning is the same. However, this time the end of the world mentioned by Frank really comes into play. It is explained (and this is explained only in the director's cut) that Donnie is in a tangent universe separate from the primary universe, and it will collapse after a few weeks, creating a black hole in the primary universe destroying all of existence.

Donnie goes through the same adventures with a few differences here and there from the original version with the same ending result, only it is much clearer why he does what he does.

I highly recommend this movie to those intelects who like to think about the plot, and to those who like dark comedy, and also to anyone and everyone, for this is truly not a film to be missed.

Donnie Darko is a very good movie. Yeah it gets a little to complicated for itself at times, but it's entertaining the entire way through. A very good film with a very good cast. Almost nothing wrong with it. But...

The Director's Cut: Alright, this version of the film has been criticized by many fans and critics. Often seen as making the film, simple and cheap. I myself do not enjoy it quite as much as the original, for the above reasons. But by no means does the Director's Cut make it a bad movie. I mean heck, I own it. The specials on the dvd are also pretty good.

I still suggest to you that you watch the original first, but if you don't, I wouldn't worry about it. The whole, "The Director's Cut is the Worst movie Ever", isn't true. I hope you enjoy this very good movie.

Rating: 4 Stars

I hope this was helpful, thanks for your time.

I am tempted to recommend that you stick with the original version because it doesn't have the strange grid effect over the time reversal sequence. This grid makes no sense at all, especially when you hear the Director's weak rationale for the artifice. The other additions are more effective and the sound is vastly improved over the original. The marvelously choreographed intro into the High School environment is a piece of virtuoso filmmaking.

The theatrical version of Donnie Darko is one of my favorite movies of all time. I liked it so much that I went to the world premiere of the director's cut. Unfortunately what I saw there was a great movie turned into merely a good one. I'm all for filmmakers going back and making their work available in the way they want it be seen before a studio messed with it (such as Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and Legend), but I don't like it when filmmakers go back and change stuff that they didn't have a problem with in the first place (which is what happened here). Richard Kelly said that he was happy with the theatrical cut and would only change the opening song to an INXS song that was in the script. But he changed a lot more in the director's cut then that and makes the movie lose much of its mystery and charm. Here are some of the major changes:

-Music changed: In the opening Echo and the Bunnymen has been changed to INXS. Even if Richard had wanted to use INXS in the first place he was lucky to find Echo and the Bunnymen because that song works much better. A lot of other songs are mixed around in the soundtrack now too and not for the better.

-Added visual effects: Shots of Donnie's eye filled with crazy imagery doesn't fit with the style of the movie and they look pretty cheesy. Effects like these also ruin the ending of the movie.

-Pages of the book: Throughout the director's cut pages of the Philosophy of Time Travel will appear onscreen basically telling the audience what is happening. The old version worked much better because you could decide for yourself what was going on. Now the director is jamming an explanation down your throat.

-Added scenes: The only thing the director's cut does right is adding in about 20 minutes of deleted scenes that really flesh out the characters. But they do make the movie seem overlong and not all of them add anything special.

-Audio changes: Some audio has been deleted from the theatrical version. Not really any reason, but it's for the worse. And an important scene with Drew Barrymore was cut in half.

Now onto the DVD.
-Commentary: Richard Kelly and filmmaker Kevin Smith (Clerks) talk about the changes in the director's cut and the movie's cult status. A very good and entertaining commentary, this is the best extra on the set. But the commentary with Richard and Jake Gyllenhaal is still the best of the Darko commentaries.
-Production Diary: Some behind the scenes footage. Semi-interesting.
-Documentary on the cult of Donnie Darko: A documentary made in Europe that is sort of interesting, but the participants spend most of the time bashing Americans and how they can't understand a movie like this.
-#1 Fan: A short film made for a contest to find Donnie Darko's #1 fan. The guy in this piece is really weird and kinda crazy. But at the end you'll be laughing your head off.
-There are also storyboards and a trailer.

The director's cut of Donnie Darko isn't bad, it was just right the first time. I'd say pick up this DVD to see a different vision of the movie and for the special features, but keep your old copy because it contains the better version of the movie and more special features.

"Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut" takes the audience down the rabbit hole on a long, strange trip that alternately becomes, surreal, comic, dramatic and just plain scary. Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) suffers from hallucinations and takes medication to help control his "visions". One night after taking his medication he has an encounter with a large, rancid, evil looking six foot tall rabbit who informs him that the world is going to end. "Frank" (as he calls his imaginary friend) takes him briefly into the future disappearing and reappearing throughout the film. Evidently only Donnie can stop it. The film moves from fantasy to reality with no clear indication as to whether or not Donnie's "visions" are real or if everything is in his imagination. Using a soundtrack made up of 80's staples ("Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, "Head Over Heels" by Tears For Fears, "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS among many other titles), director/writer Richard Kelly creates a bizarre satire of suburbia and surreal science fiction drama. Kelly's original version of the film featured some different songs and was shorter (and features new sequences and optical effects not in the 2001 release) but also seemed more open to interpretation. The allegorical references sprinkled throughout the film along with the bizarre dream sequences made the original film both fascinating and plain weird.

This new director's cut makes the film less opaque and adds an element of the "Twilight Zone" to Kelly's rich, original vision. The director's cut isn't necessarily a better film just different. Visually stunning and with an outstanding cast, inscrutable script "Donnie Darko" was just different enough to not score with audiences post-9/11. That's tragic as this totally original film makes an impression whether you're watching the original version or the director's cut of the film.

"Donnie Darko" lives up to its title with a number of unusually dark images. Fox has done an admirable job translating this film to DVD. Unfortunately, Director Kelly and DP Hunter went for a muted, gauzy look with soft blacks and muddy image reproduction. There's nothing we can do about and Fox has done the best with what they were given. I did notice occasional analog flaws pop up on the print but aside from that it looks pretty good despite the limitations placed on the film by Kelly and Hunter. I'm surprised that Fox didn't use the extended branching approach here that they did with the"Alien Quadrilogy" boxed set but that could be simply because the film has been reshuffled too much to do so. The 5.1 and 2.0 mixes sound solid although the sound is a bit murky towards the conclusion with some distortion on this edition of the film.

Fox wisely put all the extras on disc two of this set allowing the film to benefit from the extra disc space. We get a "Donnie Darko Production Diary" (with optional commentary by Director of Photography Steven Poster). . There's also a commentary track by Director of Photography Steven Poster in the Donnie Darko Production Diary which provides an interesting insider's perspective and lots of trivia about the production of the film. Featuring camcorder shot footage of the search for locations and behind-the-scenes footage of the production, it's an interesting glimpse into the process of pre-production. #1 Donnie Darko Fan is the result of an internet contest for the best short film about being a fan of this film. The winner's film is included and gives a glimpse into the odd world of fandom. We also get a storyboard to screen comparison for a key sequence from the film. They Made Me Do It features interviews with British fans of the film discussing what drew them to the film and how it changed their view of the world.

A fascinating commentary track by Director Kelly who discusses his film with fellow Director Kevin Smith ("Clerks"). It's, at turns, informative, philosophical and very involving. Does it answer the big questions about this film? Not exactly but it wasn't designed to do that either.


Kelly's original vision has been revised somewhat in this "Director's Edition" of Donnie Darko. The meaning of Kelly's film is still, ultimately, open to debate and while the film may be a bit less ambiguous than the first theatrical cut, its also got its fair share of great moments as well. The first disc comes with a terrific commentary track by Kelly and Director Kevin Smith. The second has all the extras including a documentary on the making of the movie, a glimpse at the fandom following this unusual cult film. We also get to see the film that won the contest for #1 Donnie Darko fan. While it's not something to crow about it is an interesting look at what levels the fans of this unusual and great little movie will go to. Be warned fans of the theatrical cut that this version runs longer, has different songs and may spoil some of your pet theories about the film's meaning.

When talk of a director's cut for one of my favorite movies in recent history was buzzing around, I admit that I was quite excited. Especially by the prospect of seeing Donnie Darko in a theater. However, the theatrical release of the director's cut was short lived and only found its way into certain (two, maybe?) cities. So like most everyone else, I had to rent this version.

Be warned that this version is inferior to the original theatrical realease of Donnie Darko. All of the fun of piecing the movie together thru repeated viewings and trips to donniedarko.com was sucked out of this release. Some of the music was changed (some new pieces added, some old ones taken away), some pages from the Philosophy of Time Travel were added in at differnt points of the film (here is where the fun sucking started) and something happened to the sound mix. The original version had an aura of mystique around it; hard to explain, but as you watched you found yourself entirely focused on the dialogue. This is not the case anymore with the director's cut. It sounds as if there is too much noise going on.

In any case, don't spend your money on this product. I'd recommend picking up the original version, which is a five star film. After a few viewings, head on over to the website and see what you can see.

I have seen Donnie Darko many times and I love the movie. The Director's Cut is a confusing rendition of the original that is devoid of most of the open interpretation the movie once had. I will not watch this version again.

This review concerns the newly released Director's Cut of Donnie Darko.

Fans take notice there is a new kid on the block, but it's not all peaches and roses.

Many of the scenes have been changed. Some have had material added. The music has been changed and moved around. A few of the original songs are gone from the original DVD, Under the Milky Way, and The Killing Moon are gone.

They cut out some stuff too. The scene with Sparkle Motion is indeed done to Notorious, which I read had originally been changed, it hasnt. While the song Notorious is still there, the scene has changed in other ways. No longer do you hear someone from the audience yell, "get off the stage Cherita" and "you suck" during here Autumn Swan dance. Its weird now, b/c Cherita looks around as does others as if someone had just yelled offensive stuff but since the lines were removed, it just seems strange now.

So many other changes... I don't want to bore you with that. Let me get to my point here people.

If you haven't seen Donnie Darko in any form, skip this one and watch the original DVD release without a doubt.

For the majority of you who have seen or own Donnie Darko already, this DVD is nothing more than a appendix to the original. It tells you more, answers more questions. But to a large extent, these questions were better left unanswered.

I love this film, but I am rather dissapointed with the Director's Cut. The original DVD cut is much better, the music choices are better, and the pacing is much better. Enjoy the Director's Cut if you are a true fan, but watch the orignal DVD for the rest of your life.

For those of you that have seen the original version of this film, the director's cut fills in some unanswered questions and nearly takes this film into a whole new genre. After leaving this film last night at the theater, my wife and I had another two-hour discussion about this film. One of the discussions that we had was if the director's cut perhaps moved this perfect film from the world of fantasy into the world of science fiction. This is something to think about when you watch this edition. The ending of this film (not to give anything away) opens the door to the possibility of the genre change. Throughout the film there are hints towards this chance change, but it isn't until the end that it becomes clearer. That is what impresses me about Richard Kelley's unbelievable film, it opens your mind to several new ideas and possibilities. He does this by adding chapters from the book "The Philosophy of Time Travel" to better guide us through the different phases that Darko encounters and experiences. Also, Kelley adds the images of the human eye to several of the scenes to create a stronger connection between the tangent universe and reality. This director's cut seemed more like a dream than the original, and I thoroughly welcomed this change.

There are a handful of other scenes that Kelley adds that helps enhance the world around Donnie. We learn a bit more about his parents, his girlfriend, and his therapist. There also seems to be more referencing to religion in this edition. I was overjoyed to see this because I felt that was an aspect missing from the original. There is a wonderful discussing in this film between Donnie and his therapist concerning the difference between an atheist and an agnostic. This powerfully sealed the film for me. It allowed a bit more insight in Donnie's character as to where he stands on the issue of God and the strange events that are happening around him. It was as if the final piece of the puzzle was finally put into place.

Thankfully with these extra scenes and better sound we can witness Donnie Darko in it's purest form. The way the director wanted it to be. We finally were able to see the finished product, and for some it may not be the finale they desired, but for this film fanatic it was extra icing on the cake. The additions of some new songs only help build the already haunting sound of this film. Honestly, who can match the remake of the Tears for Fears song "Mad, Mad World"? It seemed like it was made explicitly for this film. Finally, how can you challenge a film that releases the secret to time travel? The truth is out there? Not unless you have seen this film. There are some cases when a director's cut will dramatically change the structure and sensation of the film. This was not the case here. Kelley changed nothing with his deeply developed characters or the overall story. The only aspect that I feel did change (and possibly not for everyone) was the possible genre switch. It will be up to you to see if this is true or not.

Donnie Darko continues to remain on my top eleven films ever list. I do not see it dethroned anytime soon, especially with the release of this director's cut. It is a cultural phenomenon and a thought provoking film that will leave impressions on your mind for years to come. You will not see films like this in the recycled Hollywood riff that is currently being released, and I doubt we ever will, so go out and buy this film today. It honestly is one of the greatest ever to escape the grasp of Hollywood.

You will never experience a film like this again in our lifetime.

Grade: ***** out of *****