8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, James Duval, Beth GrantDark humor | 100% |
Mystery | 78% |
Psychological thriller | 73% |
Drama | 73% |
Surreal | 63% |
Supernatural | 49% |
Period | 43% |
Coming of age | 39% |
Teen | 34% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
French only on theatrical version
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
D-Box
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Somewhere deep inside the vaults of the American Film Institute, there has to be a file cabinet that contains a list of "love it or hate it" movies; movies that, for one reason or another, there doesn't exist a critical middle ground. Donnie Darko is one such movie. It's a bizarre mixture of comedy, drama, science fiction, fantasy and politics, that has created ten detractors for every fan. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who's seen the film, and you are likely to get an impassioned speech on why Donnie Darko is a phenomenal film, or, a lecture about hating movies that seem to strive to make people feel dumb. I'm not entirely sure what Donnie Darko is really about; at times, I've thought it to be an intellectual exploration on time travel, while at others I've thought the entire movie represented someone's actual nightmares. Whatever the meaning behind the film is, I do consider myself to be a fan. So, without further ado, here's my impassioned speech.
Walk, do not run, to the theater's emergency exits...
No matter how hard anyone tries to clean it up, work digital magic or sharpen it, Donnie
Darko is never going to look like Terminator 2; it's just not a good looking film.
What do you expect from a low-budget science fiction flick made on a $4.5 million dollar
budget? The film has never looked good on home video; the DVD releases were muddy and
less than sharp and color was muted. the AVC Mpeg-4 encoded 1080p Blu-ray version isn't
much different. Sure, there's an improvement in color fidelity, some additional detail and a
total lack of encoding errors or macroblocking, but none of that will ever change the fact
that the film looks like the low budget production that it was.
Given the source's limitations, it should come as no surprise that very few fans of Donnie
Darko are going to be pleased with this Blu-ray. The reality of this release is, however,
that it reproduces the film as perfectly as possible; only a complete re-make will ever
improve the look of the film. I tend to think that the film's minimal and grungy look adds to
its charm, but clearly I'm in the minority. So, take it or leave it; Donnie Darko is as
good as it ever is going to be with this Blu-ray release. 1 star for the crummy source
material, 5 stars for reproducing it accurately. Let's just meet in the middle at 2.5.
While Donnie Darko might seem like the perfect fodder for creating a riveting
surround sound experience, viewers might be surprised to remember that the film focuses
more on dialogue and 80s pop hits rather than explosions and special effects. That's not to
say that the film doesn't contain these elements, from time to time, but the vast majority of
the film is more thoughtful and talky. Presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Donnie
Darko sounds better than I've ever heard the film sound; it's surprisingly effective given
the film's limited budget.
For those who crave action and surround effects, there are numerous instances of airliner
engines crashing through a suburban house, some trippy 360 degree surround effects and
a number of effectively utilized discreet rear channel effects. My favorite element, however,
is the multiple instances where music is shifted around the soundstage. The film's sound
designers have taken the stereo elements of several of the songs presented on the
soundtrack and have had a bit of fun spinning the stereo field around the five active
surround channels. The effect is simultaneously cool and surprisingly effective, explaining
through audio just exactly how warped Donnie's world has become. In addition, the film's
dialogue has been treated with exceptional care and is delivered with precision and
accuracy. There are a few instances where dialogue is somewhat muted, but this appears
to be a flaw in the original recording and not the fault of this well presented lossless
surround track. Recommended!
Here's what's included:
- Feature length audio commentary with Writer / Director Richard Kelly and star Jake
Gyllenhaal
- Feature length cast and crew audio commentary
- Feature length audio commentary with Writer / Director Richard Kelly and Kevin
Smith
- Production Diary with optional commentary with Cinematographer Steven Poster
- "They Made Me Do It – The Cult of Donnie Darko"
- From Storyboard to Screen
- "#1 Fan: A Darkomentary"
- Theatrical Trailer
Many of the extras that were present in the previous DVD release of Donnie Darko,
as well as the subsequent Director's cut, have made it to this Blu-ray edition of the film.
Chief among these extras is the exceptional feature length commentary track featuring
Richard Kelly and Kevin Smith; it's as entertaining as any commentary track I've ever heard
while giving Mr. Smith a chance to wax poetic about a film he is obviously crazy about. The
Kelly / Gyllenhaal track is a little less interesting while still being substantive, but the cast
and crew track is pretty worthless. The set sports a series of in-depth documentaries that
help to flesh out the cult following that Donnie Darkohas cultivated; "They Made Me
Do It" is the most interesting of the bunch. It's also worth noting that fans of the film
submitted homemade documentaries to be included with this release; "#1 Fan…" is the
winning film.
Donnie Darko is a rare film; it found initial failure and was ignored by theatrical audiences, before securing a huge cult following on home video. Fox has wisely included both the film's original theatrical cut along with the controversial Director's cut with this Blu- ray release. While I'm not as fond of the Director's cut as the original theatrical version, I don't doubt that fans of the film will delight in the many new angles and revelations that this updated vision presents. Fox has done their best with Donnie Darko's low-budget visual qualities, but sound quality and supplements are both satisfying. Donnie Darko is a bit of a difficult film for those who aren't fans of science fiction; its themes are obtuse and its manic style can be disconcerting. Those looking for a truly original and thought-provoking film, however, will find a lot to like about this remarkably strange film. Donnie Darko is worth checking out on Blu-ray and is recommended.
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