Donnie Darko movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews...

It's a film I've mentioned several times in various top 10 lists, and seeing as how there's a screening playing where I live, I might as well talk about it! The film is about a young troubled teenager who is going through an interesting point in his life. However, this isn't your average coming of age tale, as that interesting point happens to be a vision he has of a coming apocalypse. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Noah Wyle.

Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko

There is a lot to talk about concerning this film. Firstly, the director (Richard Kelly) does a phenomenal job with this film. The kind of film he's created here is no easy task for any director, trying to blend two different genres together can either be amazing or it can be a total mess. And these are two very different genres with this movie. On the one hand, you've got an interesting coming of age story about a socially awkward teen in a suburban high school, but on the other hand, you've got a science fiction thriller about time travel and the end of the world looming over. In almost every other case, this would be a convoluted mess, but Kelly blends the two genres almost seamlessly, and it makes for a great film.

Jake Gyllenhaal & Maggie Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko

The acting is also fantastic in the film from pretty much every actor. Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding in the film, playing a character that is both clearly troubled and has some serious issues, but also strangely likable. The supporting cast altogether does a fantastic job, and to me the supporting character that stands out to me is Noah Wyles character. He was an interesting person, he seems to know exactly what he's talking about. I don't feel like Noah Wyle gets enough credit for his performance in this film, because he's great.

Noah Wyle and Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko

One thing that often surprises most people about Donnie Darko is that it has a lot of really clever comedic elements. Sure, there's the really dark and almost disturbing scenes involving the sci-fi half of the film, but the high school half has some of the best lines I've seen. The chemistry between the characters works really well towards this comedic side as well, all the characters feel natural. The Darko family feels like a real family, Donnie's social circle seems like the kind of social circle he would have. Hell, even the scene's with him talking to any of the teachers seems realistic, and that's very hard to do. Most high school films don't seem to get that part right.

Another thing I have to bring up is the score to the film. The score also works really well to bring in both elements of high school film and sci-fi thriller. During the high school scenes, you get a lot of 80s rock or 80s pop songs, but I'm mainly talking about the other scenes, where the score to the film really shines. The music is incredible here, bringing both a sense of spirituality and also a sense of dread. There are some really great moments to be seen here, that are only made even better by the brilliant soundtrack of the film.

Final Rating
Donnie Darko is simply one of the best films ever, easily one of my favourites. Not just because of the acting or direction, but mainly due to the unique style of the film. The kind of blend between high school movie and a dark science fiction movie has probably been the hardest task to accomplish, but Richard Kelly pulls it off perfectly. The ending is probably one of the best endings in film history, but I won't tell you why. I'll just say if you get a chance to watch Donnie Darko, you should absolutely watch it.

Donnie Darko: 5/5

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