Review of Donnie Darko (Director`s Cut) (Two Discs)

Introduction

Surely you must have heard of this by now? The story of Donnie Darko, his high school, a 6 foot rabbit called Frank, the end of the world and a jet engine through the roof of a house. Richard Kelly (both writer and director of the film) seems to have etched himself a niche in cinema history with this cult hit.

I don`t really need to go into more detail. If you`ve not caught it yet, then there`s enough up there to give you a taste of the film. If you know the film, then you`ll know that further description is not necessary!

This is the 3rd DVD release for this film in the UK, following the original one disc version with some extras (which was then deleted) and the budget "no extras or anything else at all" version which was released earlier this year. This DVD contains the new director`s cut of the film plus some more extras.

Video

A very good 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer which does the film complete justice. Everything looks excellent, with very high levels of detail, a great set of colours and nice lighting levels. Everything looks good and the print is largely undamaged by dust and dirt. Not sure whether it`s any improvement over the earlier releases, but it certainly doesn`t look worse.

Some weird and wonderful visual effects complement the weird and wonderful story. And there`s a 6 foot rabbit called Frank.

Audio

A choice of a DD5.1 soundtrack or dts, both of which are great. The dts just had the edge on my set up, but not by any huge margin.

The soundtrack has been improved from the earlier release, with new sounds and situations for your system. The ambient effects are the first thing you notice (wildlife) but as you move through the film there are more opportunities for good sound work, be they Frank talking to Donnie, or a jet engine falling from the sky.

An interesting choice of 1980s tracks pepper the soundtrack, including the cover of Mad World which made it to Christmas number 1 over here in 2003. There have also been changes to some songs.

Features

We start out with the only extra on disc 1, the audio commentary with director Richard Kelly and special guest Kevin Smith. A very interesting and insightful track, and a great way to watch the film all over again. Everything else is on disc 2.

"They made me do it" is a featurette covering graffiti artists inspired by the film. Not really of any great interest. There`s also a gallery of their work.

"They made me do it too" is the next feature which features interviews from UK fans and reviewers talking about the film and the effect it had on them.

There`s also a Production diary (with optional commentary) which counts down from the start of the production to the end, featuring lots of behind the scenes footage. There`s also another short section of b-roll footage.

More interviews up next, clumsily culled from the EPK (people appear on screen before their voices, answers are cruelly cut short). There are a lot of cast and crew on show, but they only seem to speak in soundbite as their answers have been heavily edited. Give us the full interviews you cheapskates!

There are also an abundance of extended and deleted scenes available (with optional commentary). None of them really set the world alight, but there are more insights from the director on the commentary.

You can also watch the previously mentioned "Mad world" music video and hunt for an Easter egg featuring Echo & The Bunnymen.

There are also the obligatory trailers and TV spots, as well as the Swayze Cunning visions infomercials.

Conclusion

So much has been written about this film by so many. I could start ranting on about this, that and the other, but I`m not going to be drawn into all that. If you want to read in depth dissections of every minute detail of the plot, and what the director`s cut has done to it then by all means take a trip around the web. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this film, the performances of all involved and the overall look and feel, which is interestingly enhanced by those 1980s classics squeezed onto the soundtrack.

The film has many elements to it, from Ferris Bueller to The X Files via a quick trip to Twin Peaks. There`s even some Tarantino style dialogue wedged into a scene or two. It all adds up to an interesting and entertaining film.

The director`s cut has changed the overall film slightly, in that it answers a few more questions, and smoothes over a few things. It doesn`t spoil the film for me (like it did for some), but it`s not quite as mysterious as the first viewing of the original cut. The extra 15 minutes or so just make this a longer but still pleasurable viewing experience.

As for the disc itself, the sound and vision are very good, and the slew of extras on offer make this a great package.

A highly recommended film, on a highly recommended DVD set.