I’ll never forget seeing Donnie Darko for the first time, or the most recent viewing that was on sparkling electric 4K and is available now. Whether 2001 or 2021, what makes this Jake Gyllenhaal starring film so resonant is how writer-director Richard Kelly’s film spooks as it worms its way through your head. The movie is one of those that repeated viewings don’t suffer from the knowledge of what is going to happen. Why?
Because Donnie Darko is one of those cinematic experiences that grabs the viewer from the outset and doesn’t let go, even as it digs in and gets creepier and weirder as the minutes go by. It rocked my world at the turn of the century and still achieves the same effect currently with the 4K upgrade. Would you believe that every facet of that format enhancement actually adds layers of resonance to the Donnie Darko experience? Believe it.
Crisper video with a more vast color spectrum, deeper, livelier sound… it all enriches all aspects of Kelly’s masterpiece.
Gyllenhaal is the titular character, a distressed teen who begins having hallucinating visions of a six-foot bunny named Frank. This is no Harvey! This is a rabbit who urges Donnie to commit crimes of varying severity. In the hands of the Oscar nominee—even at a younger, less experienced, age—Darko is portrayed as an anti-hero that audiences get behind. We know he’s troubled, but that horrifying-looking rabbit seems about as real as the jet engine that almost took Donnie’s life.
It is, thanks to Gyllenhaal’s gifts, a study in a deep, cerebral, characterization and how to bring to life a soul that—in the hands of anyone else—would find audiences not connecting emotively, and thus, the power of the film would be completely missed. It’s not that Gyllenhaal carries the entire film, that is not what I’m saying. The cast, which includes Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, James Duval, Beth Grant, and Jake’s sister Maggie Gyllenhaal, are all perfectly cast spokes in the wicked wheel that is Donnie Darko.
The film proved to be quite the feature film debut from Kelly. Almost immediately, his work became a cult classic, taking on a life all its own. There was so much more fans’ utter adoration of Donnie Darko than a passionate fan base embracing a film that plays with reality and perceptions of what that means and from whom that definition is applying. Kelly knew exactly what he wanted to portray on the screen and if anything, two decades of time elapsing since the first experience, that aspect is enhanced by the 4K upgrade and everything that accompanies it.
This is an example of a filmmaker firmly in control of his vision and a lesson in how to stick to one’s guns, regardless of who may have been giving notes. Filmmaking is a collaborative process, yes, but when you’re dealing with a narrative and its nuances that is this storyline, the freshman filmmaker had a rightfully uncompromising nature that must accompany an effort such as Donnie Darko. What is so fascinating is that Kelly never quite met the expectations that accompanied him following crafting a masterpiece right out of the gate. But, keep in mind, there is a litany of moviemakers who never achieved the “M” word with dozens of cinematic opportunities.
What else is fascinating is how those behind this 4K release included the original theatrical version, the director’s cut, and 4K restorations (approved by Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster) of both.
When Donnie first meets Frank, he is informed by the horrifying-looking creature that the world will end in exactly 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. Talk about adding a wee bit of heady weight on an already disturbed high school kid. He’s in therapy and has a penchant for sleepwalking. Darko has his work cut out for him just to stay “sane,” whatever that means. Then, there’s that whole effort to keeping the space-time continuum on the positive side.
We received the two-disc set and on the first disc—which includes the theatrical cut and the 4K UHD Blu-ray, do not miss both audio commentaries. Whether or not to purchase this 4K edition is not a question! This is about as must-purchase as home video releases come. So, on those subsequent viewings, undertake either the commentary by Kelly and Gyllenhaal together—which is incredibly informative and entertaining—or the commentary track that features Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick, as well as Barrymore, Malone, Grant, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross, and Duval.
Also on that disc is the documentary Deus ex Machina: The Philosophy of Donnie Darko, which comes from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures and chronicles the making of Donnie Darko. It’s compelling beyond belief and a terrific addition to this package. You will also not want to miss The Goodbye Place, it is Kelly’s 1996 short film, which explores many of the themes and mores of the filmmaker’s work.
There is also 20 deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly on that first disc.
Disc 2 features “The Director’s Cut” and the 4K UHD Blu-ray of that version. There’s an audio commentary on this disc that is done by Kelly and a fellow filmmaker you might have heard of—the one and only Kevin Smith.
The Donnie Darko Production Diary is a fun featurette that charts the film’s production, via archival footage that will be a favorite for fans and new appreciators alike. There’s an optional commentary by cinematographer Poster if one is so inclined.
The so-called “archive interviews” find stars and filmmakers alike talking about the Donnie Darko experience, what it means to them and how the story compelled them to be a part of something special. Besides Kelly and Gyllenhaal, Malone, Barrymore, Duval, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osborne, Noah Wyle, and Katharine Ross, producers Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Hunt Lowry and Casey La Scala, and Steven Poster all add their two cents.
Storyboard comparisons is an interesting addition, as is the three archive featurettes: They Made Me Do It, They Made Me Do It Too, and #1 Fan: A Darkomentary.
One of the surprises that came out of the Donnie Darko arrival in theaters was the cover of Tears for Fears’ Mad World by Gary Jules. This second disc includes the music video for the song that was pitch-perfect for this mad world that Kelly had created.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A