Donnie
Darko
(2001/Fox/Arrow 4-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Limited Edition Box Set)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: A- Film: B+ (Theatrical), B
(Director's Cut)
This
is hands down, the most impressive release I've seen so far this year
on the Blu-ray format. Arrow pulls all the stops with their brand
new restoration of the cult hit Donnie
Darko
(2001) - the astonishing debut feature film from Writer/Director
Richard Kelly (who didn't hit the mark with later features The
Box
and the critical and financial disaster Southland
Tales).
For
fans of Donnie
Darko,
this truly is as good as it gets, as Arrow features tons of great
extras, cool inserts, a hard bound book about the production, and a
transfer that vastly improves upon previous releases. If for some
reason you haven't seen this film yet, then shame on you! And if you
have and haven't seen it for a while, it's well worth revisiting and
only gets better with age.
Donnie
Darko
features an all star cast and the breakout performance of actor Jake
Gyllenhaal. It co-stars the gorgeous Jena Malone (Neon
Demon,
Sucker
Punch),
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary),
Drew Barrymore (who also produced this film and helped it get made),
Mary McDonnell (Independence
Day),
Beth Grant (Jackie),
a bit part by Seth Rogen (way before he was a star) and the late,
great Patrick Swayze in one of his final roles. These are just a few
of the familiar faces you will see in the film, along with its many
surprises.
During
the presidential election of 1988, a troubled teenager named Donnie
Darko (Gyllenhaal) is having problems fitting in and getting along
with his family. Heavily medicated, one night Donnie sleepwalks out
of his house one night, and sees a giant man in a demonic-looking
rabbit suit, who goes by the name of Frank, who tells Donnie the
world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds! He
returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed
through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and
tries to deal with a cast of colorful characters including the school
bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank
continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of
vandalism that bring shocking and dangerous revelations to light as
the world gets closer and closer to ending.
This
set features both the Theatrical and Director's Cut of the film, both
of which have been remastered in 1080p high definition with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and an English DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) track that give the film a whole new life.
I've always been a big fan of the soundtrack that features many
great songs by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, Gary Jules
impressive remake of another Tears For Fears classic and others.
This replaces all previous versions of the film on home video for
playback performance.
Also
included are the standard definition DVD versions of both cuts that
have an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 track that look and sound up to standard, but still
look slightly better than than they did on DVD upon original release.
The
Director's Cut is a little longer and has some things spelled out a
bit more clearly than they are in the theatrical version, and it
actually got a brief theatrical release itself. Some songs are also
changed and new scenes added. This is probably one of the only films
of which I actually prefer the Theatrical cut more, as it is cut a
bit better and leaves more things up to interpretation.
Special
Features include:
Audio
commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and actor Jake Gyllenhaal
on the Theatrical Cut
Great
vintage audio commentary by Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick and
actors Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Mary McDonnell,
Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross and James Duval on the Theatrical Cut
Audio
commentary by Kelly and filmmaker Kevin Smith on the Director's Cut
Brand-new
interviews with Richard Kelly and others
The
Goodbye Place,
Kelly's 1996 short film, which anticipates some of the themes and
ideas of his feature films
The
Donnie Darko Production Diary,
an archival documentary charting the film's production with optional
commentary by cinematographer Steven Poster
Twenty
deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly
Archive
interviews with Kelly, actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew
Barrymore, James Duval, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Noah Wyle
and Katharine Ross, producers Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Hunt
Lowry and Casey La Scala, and cinematographer Steven Poster
Three
archive featurettes: They
Made Me Do It,
They
Made Me Do It Too
and #1
Fan: A Darkomentary
Storyboard
comparisons
B-roll
footage
Cunning
Visions infomercials
Music
video: Mad World by Gary Jules
Galleries
Trailers
TV
spots
Illustrated
collector's booklet containing new writing by Nathan Rabin
and
a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
by Candice Tripp
That's
pretty much all the extras and then some we've seen in the may
regular and special editions we've covered of the film over the
years, which you can read more about starting with this 10th
Anniversary Blu-ray set that includes inks to other versions...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11093/Camp+Hell+(2010/Lionsgate+DVD)/Donnie+Darko
A
true cult classic with a fantastic cast and an original story,
Richard Kelly's Donnie
Darko
is truly a one of a kind cinematic experience. Part drama, part
science fiction, and even at times horror, it's nice to see it
finally getting the super-deluxe release that it deserves. As for
its lackluster and forgettable sequel, S.
Darko,
well... that's another story.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/