| by Bel | 11.29am NZ time |
A film that you used to love but now hate
What I hate is the re-release "director's cut" version of Donnie Darko.
The original film had a very short run at the cinema and achieved its cult following after it came out on DVD. I was lucky enough to catch it at the NZ International Film Festival and was instantly smitten.
However, eventually Richard Kelly put together a "director's cut" version, stating that his debut had been let done by a lack of funds for special effects, music licensing etc.
I excitedly went to the movies in the middle of the day, expecting to joyously watch one of my favourite films.
Within moments my nerdy heart sunk and I knew I was going to experience nothing but disappointment. Because that iconic and perfectly balanced opening sequence, of Donnie waking on the ridge-top road and cycling back down to his home, had been mutilated beyond repair: they'd stuck a different song on. No more Echo and the Bunnymen. No more warm-fuzzy feelings from that first three minutes of screentime.
And from there it only got worse. Digital effects were used to overlay pages from Roberta Sparrow's book, making the mysterious time travel themes condescendingly obvious.
The intrigue and ambiguity which made the original so compelling was stripped right out, and instead we got to watch completely thought-unprovoking screen-saver-esque footage to spell out the plot.
Any and all deleted scenes were jammed back in, making the film 1) longer and 2) cluttered with unnecessary detail on characters which the viewer has already embraced.
There may be a chance that there's still people out there who haven't see Donnie Darko at all. I would implore that you seek out the original release and avoid the director's cut version like the plague.
If you would like to read more on the differences between the Donnie Darkos, check out other irate fans here and here.
(And let's not even mention the straight-to-video "sequel".)