Donnie Darko - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition) |  | Directors: Dee Austin Robertson, Richard Kelly
Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
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Rating:  241 reviews
Sales Rank: 2962
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), English (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 133 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2226503D
UPC: 024543165033
EAN: 0024543165033
ASIN: B0006GAOBI
Theatrical Release Date: February 15, 2005
Release Date: February 15, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
After narrowly escaping death in a freak accident, Donnie Darko starts hearing the voice of a 6 foot tall bunny that asks him to commit acts of violence.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVD
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 241
 The End of the World August 15, 2005
Goatface Killah
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
Funny, sad, and mind-blowing, 'Donnie Darko' is, quite simply, an excellent movie. The plot is complex and engaging, with Jake Gyllenhaal as the protagonist, followed up by a cast that doesn't leave Jake holding up the movie.
Depending on what version of the film you see, the plot can be simple, or very hard to understand. I saw the original version on television and it was easy to comprehend. However, I had a lot of questions about little plot strings that weren't tied up. Just the other day I saw the director's cut. I spent the rest of the night explaining things to the people who watched it with me while simultaneously figuring it out myself.
But, let me explain first. In the original version of the movie the plot line goes like this. Donnie Darko is introduced as the protagonist. He smokes, sees a therapist, and is rude to his parents. Then comes the fateful night of October 2nd.
Donnie is asleep when he hears a voice that tells him to follow it. Donnie gets up and walks out of the house and onto a golf course where a human sized, demented bunny rabbit called Frank tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. At the same time as this encounter a jet engine falls through Donnie's room, which would have crushed him had he not gone out to the golf course. For the next 28 days Donnie goes on certain missions by the bidding of Frank, gets a girlfriend, and finds out about time travel. I wont tell the ending for the sake of preserving it.
In the director's cut there are a few differences. The beginning is the same. However, this time the end of the world mentioned by Frank really comes into play. It is explained (and this is explained only in the director's cut) that Donnie is in a tangent universe separate from the primary universe, and it will collapse after a few weeks, creating a black hole in the primary universe destroying all of existence.
Donnie goes through the same adventures with a few differences here and there from the original version with the same ending result, only it is much clearer why he does what he does.
I highly recommend this movie to those intelects who like to think about the plot, and to those who like dark comedy, and also to anyone and everyone, for this is truly not a film to be missed.
Baffling Rework But Still A Great Film August 25, 2006
Robert Sabonjian (Waukegan, IL United States)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
I am tempted to recommend that you stick with the original version because it doesn't have the strange grid effect over the time reversal sequence. This grid makes no sense at all, especially when you hear the Director's weak rationale for the artifice. The other additions are more effective and the sound is vastly improved over the original. The marvelously choreographed intro into the High School environment is a piece of virtuoso filmmaking.
The search for God is absurd? November 8, 2004
A. Gyurisin (Wet, Wild, Wonderful Virginia)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
For those of you that have seen the original version of this film, the director's cut fills in some unanswered questions and nearly takes this film into a whole new genre. After leaving this film last night at the theater, my wife and I had another two-hour discussion about this film. One of the discussions that we had was if the director's cut perhaps moved this perfect film from the world of fantasy into the world of science fiction. This is something to think about when you watch this edition. The ending of this film (not to give anything away) opens the door to the possibility of the genre change. Throughout the film there are hints towards this chance change, but it isn't until the end that it becomes clearer. That is what impresses me about Richard Kelley's unbelievable film, it opens your mind to several new ideas and possibilities. He does this by adding chapters from the book "The Philosophy of Time Travel" to better guide us through the different phases that Darko encounters and experiences. Also, Kelley adds the images of the human eye to several of the scenes to create a stronger connection between the tangent universe and reality. This director's cut seemed more like a dream than the original, and I thoroughly welcomed this change.
There are a handful of other scenes that Kelley adds that helps enhance the world around Donnie. We learn a bit more about his parents, his girlfriend, and his therapist. There also seems to be more referencing to religion in this edition. I was overjoyed to see this because I felt that was an aspect missing from the original. There is a wonderful discussing in this film between Donnie and his therapist concerning the difference between an atheist and an agnostic. This powerfully sealed the film for me. It allowed a bit more insight in Donnie's character as to where he stands on the issue of God and the strange events that are happening around him. It was as if the final piece of the puzzle was finally put into place.
Thankfully with these extra scenes and better sound we can witness Donnie Darko in it's purest form. The way the director wanted it to be. We finally were able to see the finished product, and for some it may not be the finale they desired, but for this film fanatic it was extra icing on the cake. The additions of some new songs only help build the already haunting sound of this film. Honestly, who can match the remake of the Tears for Fears song "Mad, Mad World"? It seemed like it was made explicitly for this film. Finally, how can you challenge a film that releases the secret to time travel? The truth is out there? Not unless you have seen this film. There are some cases when a director's cut will dramatically change the structure and sensation of the film. This was not the case here. Kelley changed nothing with his deeply developed characters or the overall story. The only aspect that I feel did change (and possibly not for everyone) was the possible genre switch. It will be up to you to see if this is true or not.
Donnie Darko continues to remain on my top eleven films ever list. I do not see it dethroned anytime soon, especially with the release of this director's cut. It is a cultural phenomenon and a thought provoking film that will leave impressions on your mind for years to come. You will not see films like this in the recycled Hollywood riff that is currently being released, and I doubt we ever will, so go out and buy this film today. It honestly is one of the greatest ever to escape the grasp of Hollywood.
You will never experience a film like this again in our lifetime.
Grade: ***** out of *****
The must-see cult hit January 6, 2005
Elton V. Pinto (Seattle, WA, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I haven't seen this DVD yet because as of the time I wrote this review it wasn't out yet, but I know the extras include an audio commentary with writer/director Richard Kelly and Kevin Smith, a production diary of the film with optional commentary by director of photography Steven Poster, a storyboard-to-screen featurettes, They Made Me Do It Too - The Cult of Donnie Darko featurettes, and #1 Fan: A Darkomentary.
However, I have seen the actually movie when it was in theaters and I own the DVD of Donnie Darko. Some people don't think the Director's Cut adds much, but I think it adds a whole lot. It's a lot easier to understand than the original cut and it flows so much better with most of the deleted scenes from the Donnie Darko DVD included plus splices of the Philosophy of Time Travel and a few changed songs.
For those of you who know nothing about this movie I can't tell you anything about it =P It's a movie that you can't summarize other than saying that it's deep and awesome. It starts out with a boy being saved from an airplane engine falling into his room and killing him by a 6 foot tall bunny rabbit named "Frank" who tells him that the world will end in 28 days. See? It sounds hokey, but trust me, it's not. The cast is impressive with Patrick Swayze, Jake Gyllenhall, James Duval, and Mary McDonnell. It's written and directed by newcomer Richard Kelly, who has also written the upcoming film Domino.
The dialogue in this film is smart and intriguing. The acting is spot-on, and you can't even tell that it was made low-budget. The Director's Cut gives you more of a feeling that every single scene matters, and it does. It has these beautiful scenes that were cut for the sake of having it under 2 hrs, but they add so much to the overall feeling of the plot including information about Donnie's medication, a scene about Watership Down, and some other scenes I'm not at liberty to spoil. If you're trying to figure out which one you should get, get this one! Some people argue that they don't like how he changed the songs, but it's his vision and he put in the songs that he couldn't afford to put in before, it really doesn't change the plot.
Worth every minute of your time February 24, 2005
incubus1
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is one of the few movies that keeps you thinking about it days after watching it. The basic plot is enough to stimulate even the most genius of people. As far as the acting goes, you really don't get much better than this. What makes this movie leaps and bounds better than other movies of this sort is that the execution is flawless and it makes you think. From beginning to end this movie keeps your attention and keeps you guessing at what might happen next.
The story revolves around Donnie Darko, a teen that doesn't quite fit in. He has two sisters and parents that are making him see a shrink. It's with his shrink that some of his inner-most thoughts are spoken. It's also with his shrink where he tells of his encounters with the mysterious Frank. Gretchin, his girlfriend, does help to take his mind off of the strange happenings that are going on around him at times, but at night is when everything happens to him. Mrs. Sparrow, also known as "Grandma Death," seems to be his guide through what he experiences throughout this film. Her book, The Philosophy Of Time Travel, becomes Donnie's bible through his troublesome 28 days.
As I stated earlier, the acting is second to none. Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie) couldn't have portrayed a troubled teen better. Every second he's on screen you just become engrossed with him, nobody could've done a better job. Jena Malone (Gretchin) is also believable. She too is a troubled teen with an extremely perilous past. Her and Jake's romance is, to say the least, acted out perfectly. Also along for the ride is Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Patrick Swayze, and Mary McDonnell. All of which seem to have brought they're A game. Donnie's family, I feel, was casted perfectly. The way they interact and talk to each other is so true to real life it's scary. Part of the reason they mesh so amazingly is because Jake's real sister was cast as his sister in the film. Pure genius.
Overall this is without a doubt my favorite film of all time. However hard it is to understand you are rewarded greatly for paying attention. The ending, while I was a bit disappointed for them not including the extra bit, was amazing. A great end to a flawless film. I also really admired how they didn't just spell everything out for you, they let you fill in the blanks with what you think might've happened. The movie couldn't have been better.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 241
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