I absolutely loved this movie. It’s wonderfully absurd! Anyone watching it and thinking that they know what’s going on, or thinks they know what the director was thinking, is dead wrong, every time! It’s intricate and entertaining at the same time. It’s not like an IQ test kind of entertaining, this movie has got plenty of humour going on, in any way shape and form. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a perfect performance, managing to appear both intellectual and childish at the same time. The transition from manically stabbing at a nonexistent mirror to ridiculing a school project thingie seems effortless and natural.
One thing that might be a little bothersome is that the movie tries to do just a little bit too much. There are so many things going on at the same time that there simply isn’t enough time to convey the whole message. This goes beyond the intended twisted storyline, I believe, and causes more confusion than what is strictly necessary. What makes this movie wonderful is that it doesn’t aim to be different any more than it aims to conform, it appears as something from elsewhere, void of norms and guidelines, so it’s a shame when what I perceive to be the wrong elements are the ones being emphasised.
Other than that one item of irritation, all the characters are pretty decently fleshed out, even those appearing to be shallow reveal several layers of their personalities, and again, you just can’t beat this storyline, the writer is a genius… Except now I want to shoot him for allowing a follow-up movie to be made. Donnie Darko starts at one point in time, and ends at a very specific point in time. Nothing can be added to this story. The only reason why this new movie claims to be related to Donnie Darko is that it is such a well-known movie, and they’re trying to earn some bucks off of that fact. But I digress.
On a scale from 1 to 10, I give Donnie Darko a 10. Right now it is the best movie I have ever seen.
Song of the Blog: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Sincerely
Bjørn
