Donnie Darko (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

I’m a big fan of the directors cut as it has more content and better music than the theatrical release. They did an amazing job remastering this movie in 4k plus while only in DTS-HD 5.1, the sound quality and picture quality is phenomenal. This is definitely a catalog movie worthy of your collection!! In short, The Donnie Darko disc looks and sounds amazing because the restoration, encoding, and lossless delivery was done right! Even without object-based Atmos or DTS:X, it gives you a reference-quality experience that streaming can’t match.

Donnie Darko is one my favorite movies and I owned the standard DVD edition, and then the special edition with Director's cut and also the Blu-ray edition with both versions (Theatrical/Director's cut). I watched the movie countless times since its release 20 years ago. Time flies (as told us by the ending lines of Head Over Heals). I think this is a very good 4K scan of the movie. It's definitely the best that the movie has ever looked (and I think it will be the best the movie will ever look, unless Criterion gets the copyrights and does some magic but I honestly think Arrow Video did a fantastic job). The movie is not crystal clear as some other blu-ray/4K movies but I think this is simply due to the way the movie was shot. The grains are just inherent artifacts of the movie and cannot be cleaned up (and neither should they be). So yes, there is grain but it's just natural and doesn't ruin the visual. I think Arrow Video made the right decision; while keeping the grain, they just enhanced the colors so they look much better (with HDR technology). I don't have any complaints about the video quality. I also appreciate the fact that Arrow Video treated both versions (theatrical and director's cut) to 4K UHD. As for audio, I am not sure why they didn't add Dolby Atmos. Maybe it's not possible to create/add dolby atmos audio to old some movies? I know some old movies released with dolby atmos so I am not sure why they didn't do with Donnie Darko. With the ominous sounds of thunder, the stormy skies, jet engine falling on top of the house, dolby atmos could really enhance the aural experience. The product comes in a nice, sturdy box, a 2-side poster (I will add the picture soon), and a 100 page hard-cover booklet with info, articles, interviews about the film, and photos from the movie. One thing I noticed that in the opening of the booklet, there is a section for the cast and Jena Malone's name is conspiciously missing from the cast. They listed the name of the actor who portrays the oblique "police man" character but the name of the actress who portrays Gretchen Ross, an important character in the movie is not listed in the cast. I thought that was weird. On other thing is the discs have no identifying info on them, both disc say "A film by Richard Kelly - Donnie Darko" but it doesn't say which one is Theatrical release and which is Director's cut. It doesn't also say disc 1. or disc 2. They were properly placed in the case but if you take them out and don't them back in the same order, you won't know which disc is the theatrical version and which disc is director's cut.

I love the movie. Wish they was a second one

This is not a review of the movie, but rather of the DVD. If you are getting this DVD because you think you might enjoy the movie you will, and if you saw the movie but aren't sure about spending some money on the DVD, well, you should. If you liked the movie, you'll definitely want to get this DVD and the extras that it offers. Basically, if you took the time to look into this DVD and read this review I think are someone who should buy the DVD. However, the extras aren't all they are cracked up to be as is often the case in DVDs and I want everyone out there to know what to expect. There are 20 deleted or extended included in this DVD, but each on has to be played separately (no 'Play All' feature) and you must select commentary on/off for each one of them. This is not the best arrangement for a deleted/extended scenes section. The actual content of this section is pretty decent with most of the scenes having the possibility of really having added something to the story and most could've made the film had the director not had to cut the film down to 2 hours from the original rough cut of about 2 and half hours it originally had. There are two commentaries on the DVD, one with the Richard Kelly (writer/director) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie) and another with Richard Kelly, two producers (Nancy Juvonen and Sean McKittrick) and several cast members: Holmes Osborne (Eddie, Donnie's Dad), Mary McDonnell (Rose, Donnie's Mom), Jimmy Duval (Frank), Beth Grant (Kitty Farmer, Donnie's Health Teacher), Drew Barrymore (Karen Pomeroy, Donnie's English Teacher), Katharine Ross (Dr. Thurman, Donnie's Therapist), and Jena Malone (Gretchen, Donnie's Girlfriend). First, the sound quality of the commentaries is below what one has to come to expect on commentaries. You can hear the commentary track fine, but the track of the movie itself is all but silent during the time in which the cast or crew is speaking, almost shut off which is a turn to many people (but you can put on closed caption, although that can often distract you from the commentary if you are reading it), and it is back to full regular volume when their is no active commentary. My only complaint on the second commentary is that Drew Barrymore often `hogs' the commentary and was way to close to the microphone (which only accented her shrill voice on this commentary) during the recording of the commentary, she tried to hard to be `deep' in her comments way too often and it gets annoying at times. Many of the tidbits and insights provided in both tracks are interesting and above par with many other movie commentaries, but by no means exceptional. It is fun listening to what Kelly and the others have to say and then watching the movie looking for these things on your own, but don't only watch the film looking for hints that the director left for the audience and nothing else; this takes away too much from the film, so don't do that. The theatrical trailer is above average and can be appreciated by both those that have already seen the film and those than haven't. The several TV spots, all 30 seconds or less, are largely repetitious. The cast & crew information section is above average listing all of the actors' other films through late 2002 (most DVDs list only some films and are not current beyond the movie on the DVD). There is a total of nine crew bios (as opposed to a simple list of past work) including Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Steve Poster (director of photography), Alexander Hammond (production designer), April Ferry (costume designer), Eric Strand (editor), Sam Bauer (editor), and Michael Andrews (composer). The `Mad World' music video is OUTSTANDING, and I have seen it many, many times already. It is quite addicting, and even if I close my eyes and just listen to it, it is still great. The `Website Gallery' is very hard to see and is not anything special and does not add anything to the DVD. What is shown is really a sampling of what the website has to offer, which is somewhat hard to navigate but during the cast and crew commentary they give you the three passwords for levels one, two and three if you listen closely. The `Soundtrack' feature provides interesting linear notes, but is not an isolated soundtrack of the movie (which is really the score of the movie with the lone exception the `Mad World' Tears for Fears songs covered so eerily by Gary Jules for the movie). The `Cunning Visions' section features the infomercials from in the movie with optional directors commentary). There is also a `His Name is Frank' section that is a fun little feature of several place cards that are designed like those featured in the Cunning Visions `exercise' in Donnie's health class and shown during Jim Cunningham's assembly. You can also look at the book covers used for Jim Cunningham's two books feature as background material during his assembly at the school. `The Philosophy of Time Travel' book feature is disappointing showing only several pages (including the appendices featured in the film) and all the pages are hard to see. The `Art Gallery section' is neat with a bunch of artwork that inspired works in the film and some of which was used directly in the film. The production stills are plentiful and interesting. The `Scene Selection' feature is as good as any other DVD with moving images as opposed to stills to mark each chapter, and there are a total of 28; good for a 2 hour movie. Overall, I enjoyed this DVD especially the `Mad World' music video and the two commentaries as I personally enjoy the opportunity to see the entire movie a different way when I can and the commentary tracks give me this opportunity.

Donnie Darko is a very difficult movie to characterise and assign to one or even two genres, which is also part of its appeal and fascination. It opens with the title character (Jake Gyllenhall) waking in his pyjamas, with his bike lying next to him, on a highway overlooking his hometown of Middlesex, set in an idyllic tree covered valley. Straightening up he looks out toward the rising sun on the horizon and with a knowing smile he re-mounts his bicycle and makes his way back home to the tune of Echo and The Bunnymen�s �The Killing Moon� in what is an excellent opening sequence. Right from these first few frames it was obvious that I was about to witness something very original and it had me hooked. Donnie Darko is inspired (I would guess) by the weird combination of Philip K Dick, Wes Anderson, JD Salinger and the classic James Stewart movie �Harvey�. It announces the arrival of two great new talents in Writer/Director Richard Kelly and the young actor Jake Gyllenhall, in what is a hugely original, ingenious and entertaining movie. Set in 1988, around Halloween time, this movie has the conventional leafy-suburbia-plus-high-school setting, which alludes to the horror genre of Carrie and Halloween but it is no horror movie. It also has specific elements that suggest that it�s a psychodrama about a young man with schizophrenia but this is not �A Beautiful Mind�. It also ponders the possibility of time travel but this is not science fiction. Stranger still, Donnie Darko is unusual in that (unlike most retro 1980�s pictures such as The Wedding Singer) it actually has a very cool soundtrack drawn from the period of my youth, which includes contributions from the likes of Echo and The Bunnymen, Tears For Fears and Joy Division. So, what is Donnie Darko about? Well, without giving up too much of the plot, Donnie is continuously visited by a 6 foot tall rabbit named Frank, which unlike the Pooka in the classic �Harvey� is both visible to the audience and strangely satanic. Frank tells Donnie that the world is going to end in 28 days six hours and forty two minutes but not to worry as everything is going to be all right. Guided by Frank he narrowly misses being killed when an engine from a 747 crashes through his house whilst he is lying sleeping on a local golf course and the plot thickens when it becomes apparent that the aviation authority has no record of any aircraft losing an engine. Donnie is of course undergoing therapy with a local shrink and hypnotherapist played by Katherine Ross (The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid) and the suggestion is of course that Donnie is hallucinating, for as his sister says �he hasn�t been taking his pills�. One of Donnie�s recurring visions suggests that he can see the future before it happens and so he becomes obsessed with the possibility of time travel and a book written by a retired teacher, who is now a scary old recluse, �The Philosophy of Time Travel�. There are also many other sub-plots including Donnie being inspired by his English teacher (Drew Barrymore) and Graham Greene�s short story �The Destructors� into some playful vandalism. In addition to this Donnie�s subversive thoughts and actions begin to undermine the stability of the local community that is strangely gripped by a slimy fundamentalist guru played by Patrick Swayze. Much of this movie is darkly comic and there are some great scenes including a conversation between Donnie and his therapist, where she asks him what he thinks about at school. Like most teenage boys he inevitably replies �having s*x� before proceeding to unbutton his trousers about to m*sturbate. There is also a scene where at a PTA meeting Donnie�s mother challenges the local bigot by asking "Do you even know who Graham Greene is?" she confidently and proudly replies "Oh please! I think we've all seen Bonanza". Personally I loved this movie but whether or not you enjoy this movie probably depends upon how far left of centre you like your movies. If you are not a fan of independent cinema or movies by the likes of Wes Anderson and David Lynch then you probably wont like this. However there is much to recommend in Donnie Darko, not least the cast, which includes, Noah Wyle (ER), Mary McDonnell (Dances With Wolves), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Confessions of A Dangerous Mind) and the previously mentioned Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore and Katherine Ross. Jake Gyllenhaal�s exquisite comic timing and laidback personality endows Donnie's existence with a dreamlike quality at odds with his teen angst and the suburban paranoia of his surroundings. Meanwhile writer/director Richard Kelly creates a wonderful sense of tension and keeps you guessing throughout the movie that even after the final titles have rolled you are still left to mull over what you have just witnessed. Whilst critics may argue that Donnie Darko fails as a psychological study and/or horror movie, you cant help but feel they are missing the point, as it deliberately avoids easy classification to a specific genre and instead concentrates on being intelligent, ingenious and highly original. Closing appropriately to a cover version of the old Tears For Fears song �Mad World� and the lyrics �the dreams on which I�m dying are the best I�ve ever had�, neatly ties up the previous two hours and what was for me a very satisfactory cinematic experience. Destined for cult status this undoubtedly deserves five stars!

"Donnie Darko" is already one of the certifiable cult classics of the 2000s, joining perhaps "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Requiem for a Dream" who already achieve such status in still a young decade. What sets this film apart from the others, however, is its sheer unclassifiable ness: family drama, horror, science fiction and humor are all mixed in this cinematic stew where "Pretty in Pink"-meets-"Slaughterhouse-Five"-meets-"Catcher in the Rye." The outcome is a highly original film that dives into fundamental questions of life itself, all of which makes great entertainment. Set in the tightly-clinched sphincter of late-1980s Reagan America, we meet East Coast Catholic high schooler Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled teen with emotional problems that worry his concerned and supportive family. Donnie's world isn't in good shape either: Dukakis is losing badly to George Bush; his fellow high schoolers and friends are brash and racist; his education filled with meaningless fear-and-love emotional studies. The neatly trimmed lawns, big homes and fine green trees of his hometown of Middlesex, Virginia disguise the brewing trouble that is lurking all around. Donnie unexpectedly begins to sleep walk at night, leaving his house to wake up in the morning on hillside roads and golf courses. During one such walk, a disjointed voice lures him out of the house and onto a golf course, where Donnie discovers a guy in a demonic bunny suit named Frank telling him that the world will end in twenty-eight days. This sparks a chain of events that not only puzzle Donnie, but virtually everyone around him, calumniating in a hallucinatory finale where the audience is asked to question what it means to be alive and ultimately what it means to be alone in a complicated and sometimes frightening universe. With a strong cast that includes Patrick Swayze as an ultra-conservative emotional speaker, Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore as Donnie's progressive English and science teachers, Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jake's real-life sister) as Donnie's `80s-brat sister, and the always great Mary McDonnell as Donnie's confused but loving mother, "Donnie Darko" has a great depth of actors which brings these colorful characters to life. The also fabulous soundtrack includes a slew of `80s favorites, like Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, the Church, and Joy Division. Its most talked about song, "Mad World" an excellent remake of the Tears for Fears classic by Gary Jules, is absolutely haunting when played near the film`s conclusion. Attesting to its power, it went to number one in the UK in December 2003, nearly two years after being released. In all, "Donnie Darko" is a great movie to watch on Friday or Saturday night with all the lights turned off, and possibly a cup of coffee once it's ended to talk about it. Like a good wine, "Donnie Darko" has become more popular since its subdued release in 2001, and with time, has only gotten better.

First of all, buy this ORIGINAL 2001 release version DVD. Forget the director's cut - it's okay, but not what you'd expect. The director's cut suffers from what Jack White (of the seminal music band, "The White Stripes") meant when he said, "Art is knowing WHEN to stop." The director's cut simply doesn't, and you'll see why too if (as I did) you make the mistake of shelling out the extra green to acquire it. Take my advice: Don't. Stick with the original. You won't be disappointed. Okay, why do I call this bizarre, brilliant flick "the story of my life." Well, because on October 20, 1988 (to be exact), I had an experience MUCH like Donnie's, REALLY and TRULY, only in my case I tried to commit suicide. So when I saw "Donnie Darko," my first reaction was, "oh my god, HOW did the director know?" (about my life at that precise moment in my, much like Donnie's, "emotional problems"-riddled history?). So ... overcoming the intial "shock/epiphany" of seeing my own life played back for me in panoramic technicolor, I curled up, frightened but fascinated, beneath a snuggle blanket and watched further, transfixed by one of the most subtly original, germane, cohesive stories to reach celluloid actualization since "Dawn of the Dead" or, much more recently, "Identity" (with John Cusack); and I quickly became, not only a believer in time travel, but a living survivor of it (UNLIKE Donnie, but forgive me for (possibly) giving away TOO much here). This story HAS to be experienced; and perhaps YOU, Constant Viewer, like I do, remember where YOU were - and what YOU were doing/feeling/going through - way back in October of 1988. Whatever it was, I bet it was something you'll never forget. Like this film - you'll never forget it; and, lessee ... I'm on about my, er ... 12th or 13th viewing of it now (the ORIGINAL, NOT the director's "clutter"). I put "Donnie Darko" in my Top 5 movies of all time. For originality, for story, for great, natural, completely successful "suspension of disbelief" acting; for being, at once - a tragicomedy, a WILDLY-WEIRD (this is the understatement of the new millennium) dramedy, a fired-up, mind-frying sci/fi thriller, a uniquely-tender-hearted horror yarn, and WAY beyond, My Friends: "Donnie" is a philosophical brain burster much in the same neogenre/league-of-its-own film-making; for counterparts in creative "playfulness" behind the motion-picture camera, I can only recommend the following "warmup" exercises: see "Pi," "Primer," "Adaptation," "Happiness," "Prince of Darkness," "Being John Malkovich" and "Martin" (a little-remembered but unforgettable piece by George A. Romero, who has a brilliant little cameo in this pic as a "happy marshmallow man-child" of a Catholic priest). You'll get the idea FAST, of what you're in for with Donnie. An all-star cast will blow you away and lends immense credulity to this quirkified, whacked-out, indie knockout punch; you'll be reeling when you see here: Mary McDonnell, Noah Wiley, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore! Watching Drew play the part of a high-school English teacher is definitely worth "the price of emotion" enough (interestingly, if NOT for Barrymore's bankroll (she's the executive producer of Darko's "reel world," in REAL life); fact: "Darko" probably never would have lit up our darkened screens at all, without Barrymore's vision and deep enough pockets to realize such - Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Drew!). And getting Swayze to play the role of a pedophile HAD to have been a "challenge," er ... to say the LEAST! Swayze HAD to have been "a total sport" about what he was asked to portray; like the way John Malkovich was concerning HIS OWN "journey through the looking portal." But enough said. Darken your own personal viewing room now. Slide "Donnie" into your DVD player. And "take the trip," safely and securely (yet be warned - your MIND and SPIRIT may NEVER be the same afterwards), as I have, and am living proof of, the reality, horror, and (as Kelly intended, and successfully realized), the HEALING benefits, not unlike "It's a Wonderful Life," but only MUCH DARKER implications of, "time travel." Hurry though. As Kelly remonstrates cinematically, "time is precious." Indeed. And, Frankly speaking (pun intended), time's running out.

Some films are impossible to categorize. Donnie Darko can be seen as horror, science fiction, drama or social satire but in truth it is just art. This is the sort of entertainment that is best experienced in a relaxed state of half dreaming. The plot defies analysis and the bizarre situations that arise are strangely suited to the audience's mood. After my first viewing, I didn't know what I had seen but I knew I liked it. In fact, it took several sessions to reach a solid hypothesis as to the narrative cause and effect. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the title character, a troubling but not troubled young man who lives in a different world to the rest of us. His average family offers him all the support they can but even Donnie's psychiatrist struggles to understand his situation. The prescription of antischizophrenic drugs seems to do little to blunt his visions, nor do they stop his nocturnal missions. I particularly like the way the soundtrack was gently used to separate the normal from the abnormal. The film's mournful version of "Mad World", (originally made famous by Tears for Fears), was one of the musical highlights. One of Donnie's most interesting qualities is that he has no fear of the common-place terrors that exist for the rest of us. He tells his teachers where to shove it, asks the beautiful Gretchen to go steady after only a day, speaks out against the school's guest brain-washer and even copes calmly with murderous bullies. He is however, afraid that the world will end in 28 days and is concerned about dying alone, but then who isn't. The story is interwoven with several mysteries, only some of which are even partially explained in the film. One of the most important of these occurs while Donnie is out one night on the local golf-course, talking to a six foot rabbit named Frank. I don't know if this is an allusion to the James Stewart film, "Harvey," but it is certainly not played for laughs, as Frank is quite sinister. Sometime during this meeting Donnie's bedroom is demolished by a falling jet engine. No one knows where it came from and no airline claims their lost property, but one thing is certain, if Donnie hadn't been AWOL, he'd be very dead. Life quickly resumes. The family's notoriety fades and school life once again regains its position of central torment in Donnie's life. His beautiful and sensitive English teacher, along with his grounded and caring science teacher, (Barrymore & Wylie), fail to offset the damage done by the stressed and misguided gym teacher, Kitty Farmer. She is a disciple of Jim Cunningham, (Swayze), a motivational speaker who reaks of charm and paternalistic love; so much so that Donnie, and the audience, just can't buy into his simple solutions. The film's cast is huge but of an impressive quality, for an ostensibly independent production. All the major characters seemed to go beyond what is expected and create three dimensional beings with quirks, fears and emotions that are subtly alluded to. I particularly enjoyed Gyllenhaal's performance as Donnie. When he is in the sway of one of his visions, the cast of his eye is more disturbing than any million dollar special effect. Beth Grant, playing the Gym teacher, is also outstanding. Her new-age zealotry is the perfect representation of what is truly dangerous in our politically correct society. Along with a great cast, the script is amazing. Not just in its creativity but that it ever managed to get funding. Chock full of unlikely theories, small but convoluted set pieces and thought provoking dialogue, it made the film entertaining, even after several viewings. Small touches bring Donnie's world home to us; like the discussion of the sexual mores of Smurfs, Ms Pomeroy forcing the new girl to sit next to the guy she likes best and an old lady suffering a life-threatening obsession with checking her perpetually empty mailbox. In the end though, it is the greater plot devices that twist our minds like some drug induced mobius loop. Is Donnie some sort of psychotic super-hero? Did everyone remember an alternative future, at the end? Were Grandma Death's theories on time-travel true? If you like pat answers in your entertainment, then you'll be frustrated with Donnie Darko. If however, like me, you like to solve puzzles, you may be prepared to dive into the depths of Donnie's world. Come on in; the water's dark.