First off, this is why Amazon shouldn't group all users reviews of a film together regardless of edition. This review specifically pertains to the just released UHD Limited Edition release. Some copies are shipping with a copy of the theatrical edition of the film in an unplayable state, with constant frame stuttering. This edition should not be purchased until this is fixed.

Although the packaging is beautiful, the actual product is completely defective. There have been many reports of the 'Theatrical Version' having framerate issues, and playing at a bizarre bitrate that causes issues with many 4k blu ray players. My disc was unplayable right out of the box, I have 2 4k blu ray players and neither could even start the disc. Will be returning, I would strongly consider waiting until they send out a new version or skipping this release altogether.

The Donnie Darko (4-Disc Limited Edition) is an amazing example of how a limited edition should be executed. Arrow video has outdone themselves.

I did not see an unboxing video before buying and I was blown away when I received the box. It really feels like a bargain at $31. The artwork done throughout by Candice Tripp is awesome.The included 90 page book is very well done and I found all of it interesting. I have not read the 2001 Donnie Darko book which the long interview was from and I really found it to be quite compelling.The post cards included with the Directors Cut and poster with the Theatrical Cut are both done well. The amount of special features and extras included is very impressive. I have watched some of them and I'm looking forward to watching the rest. There is material here that has not been released before.

The video quality of the special edition is impressive and a huge improvement over prior Blu-rays. Critics that have reviewed the Blu-rays are also very impressed. The difference for me is more obvious in outside scenes. Overall it offers better clarity and it is a bit darker. The Blu-ray appears very film like and shows details that I have never noticed before. Shadows and dark areas are handled very well and look great. This is not a Blu-ray to show off your home theater with. Look for more recent titles shot digitally. This is an older low budget movie shot with 800 ASA stock. The 800 ASA film was used so that film could be shot with less light. 800 ASA film has more grain and grain is apparent on these Blu-rays but it is not distracting. Bottom line is that this is the best this movie has ever looked and likely the best it will ever look. Arrow Video did a top notch job with their restoration.

Sound is very good and I cannot tell a difference from earlier Blu-rays.

This is a fantastic Limited Edition and well worth the money. For people that have bought the earlier editions and others that have not seen the film this is highly recommended.

Donnie Darko (2001) is a most unusual film with a fantastic musical score; but it's the plot that makes this a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Yes, this isn't straight up sci-fi with nothing but special effects; it's about a troubled teen and the emotional turmoil he's in, all the while answering to an imaginary friend. Time travel is central to the plot, and twists appear throughout. What makes this an absorbing film is in how it makes the viewer wonder what will happen next, and to their astonishment, it most likely isn't what the viewer visualized. I don't want to spoil the plot, but it's a film that'll reward the viewer that sticks with it. This film also has a lot of humor. Donnie Darko touches on emotions, and is a feel-good kind of movie overall. The script is well-written, and there are memorable lines. And with a believable musical score, it all adds up to an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend the Director's Cut over the theatrical version, though the latter is pretty good as well. The blu ray is a good print, with very good picture and sound quality, with special features that beg for viewing, as I wanted to know about the evolution of this remarkable film. If you're looking for something very unique, then Donnie Darko is for you.

First off, I pre-ordered this from Amazon the day it became available and it was shipped until over a week after the release date, meanwhile it was available at my local Best Buy on release day.

Second issue (and more importantly) the theatrical cut disc is defective and has a horrible frame judder issue. It's like 20% of the frames are missing or something.

Other reviewers have done a superb job in describing the film, which remains one of my favorites. (It's why I have owned probably three different versions of this over the years, including the Arrow bluray release that resembles this one in many ways).

The film itself is a 4-5 star film for me, and the book and extras do make this a spectacular buy esp if you do not own the previous Arrow blu-ray. However, the Theatrical Cut (TC) is widely recognized now to have stutter/framerate issues which I didn't know about until my Amazon purchase arrived about a week after the release date. I prefer the TC over the Director's Cut (DC) and went to watch that, and found the film unwatchable due to it skipping frames consistently. Tested on other disks, including the DC disc (and that worked fine), then went online to Google... and found out for many 4k players, they are all experiencing difficulties playing the TC.

This is the first time I have bought a disc set to wide release where the framerate transfer has been hosed, so I am hoping Arrow resolves this problem. I would expect them to recall the TC disc and provide a new one; I do not advise buying this set until this is fixed, while still highly recommending the blu-ray version if you do not own it, as it has the book and similar extras.

Donnie Darko (2001) is writer and director Richard Kelly's original vision of a coming of age story, a psychological drama, a horror story, and a science fiction fantasy film all cut into one demented masterpiece and the only notable film from Kelly. The pacing is a bit slower, but it builds into a crescendo of madness and creative choices that thrill you always. I like Donnie Darko more each time I watch it.

Kelly's writing captures the naturally vulgar and blunt dialogue of teenagers accurately, while critiquing the careful misunderstanding rhetoric of adults and parents alike. The story is completely original and in its own lane as you have never watched a film like Donnie Darko. It takes the dangerous unpredictability of a troubled teenage boy's mind with the unraveling insanity of a imaginary friend taking the shape of a rabbit named Frank. Donnie Darko is dark, disturbing, and a lot of fun.

Jake Gyllenhaal is convincing as a troubled teen named Donnie Darko. His duality of the charming intellectual dreaming of the purpose of his life and the nature of science is intriguing, while Gyllenhaal plays the schizophrenic sociopath with a sympathetic creepiness.

Donnie Darko features an endless slew of young talent that would burst onto the movie scene after 2001. Jena Malone is hypnotic as the empathetic emo girlfriend to Donnie named Gretchen. Malone is excellent at portraying a sadness underneath her cool exterior. She is clearly a gifted young actress. Maggie Gyllenhaal even acts alongside her brother Jake with a cool playful persona that leads into neat emotional conveyance in her few memorable scenes.

Even Seth Rogen appears as a vicious bully with no conscious as Donnie Darko was his debut feature film as an actor.

I really like the adult cast in Donnie Darko. Drew Barrymore gives one of her greatest performances in Donnie Darko, certainly her most memorable for me. Her caring and progressive teacher is oddly sexual and thoughtful. She represents Donnie's budding intellect and sexuality well, especially since one of Barrymore's first scenes introduced his girlfriend due to the teacher's sudden command to sit next to the boy you think is the cutest.

Noah Wyle's encouraging and cautious science teacher is really interesting. He plays the smart guy convincingly, but also warns Donnie about the path he is walking down, even calling out his contradictions. I liked Patrick Swayze's sleazy self help motivator as he plays the con artist so well. It's a nice turn of character for the normally heroic Swayze.

Lastly, the parents are so much fun in Donnie Darko. Holmes Osborne is hilarious as the absent minded father. His sincerity is astounding and endearing. Likewise, the very real suburban motherly portrayal from Mary McDonnell is excellent. She is tender with Donnie, while feeling cold to the spiteful neighbors and other parents. She gives a splendid performance as a mother tired of conservative parents and disturbed children, but nurturing with the most genuine care a mother could give.

Overall, not all the ideas work in Donnie Darko. The finale is shocking and impressive, while also not making much sense other than thematically. The mechanics of the time travel is neither here nor there, but it is still entertaining. The special effects look dated, but also sometimes remain remarkable on their own merits. The bunny outfit is horrifying much like Donnie Darko as a whole. I think despite any flaws Donnie Darko has as a film, many of the scenes and sequences within this film have remained with me forever. Donnie Darko is a striking feature of great ambition and experimental tendencies that appeal to the most forbidden desires. Donnie Darko may well be a masterpiece if not for a few awkward moments of timing and pacing.

I saw this movie first when I was in the US Army stationed in South Korea. Friend of mine, actually a squad Sergeant, told me I HAD to watch it. Okay, and so I did but WOW. Now I was in high school in the early 80's so this clicks true to heart for me regardless that the movie came out in 2001. Teeny spoiler here - the movie shows a calendar of October where Halloween falls on a Monday. Looking back using internet search and such it points directly to the year 1983. So... and the movie doesn't tell you that, but according to the way they dress and the songs and such being played now and then... this is a movie about 1983. So just let THAT sink in for a start.
Now I've watched this movie many, many times and each time I catch a little thing I didn't catch before. There's tons of stuff in here that you only realize after having watched it more than once. Yeah, it's one of THOSE kind of movies and it's absolutely brilliant.
If I had to say, I'd say put it on your top ten list of movies you HAVE to watch in your life. Because it's just amazing. No, there is no over glorified happy ending to look forward to because the whole mood of the movie is depression. So do not go into it expecting that BUT... do expect to be amazed and surprised on your first view of this for sure. And if you were in high school in the 80's like me, this is a MUST watch for sure, totally-otally to the max!