[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by Jenson71

Tonight I watched Donnie Darko for the first time.

I have heard that you either love it or hate it. I don't understand why, and I don't put myself in either category. There is simply no reason to hate the movie -- it's not bad. The directing is engaging, especially when Donnie goes into his visions. The actors are wonderful for the most part, including the lead. Worm holes, hypnosis, a creepy wandering recluse, and questions of life and death all are fine ingredients. Yet they don't add up to something greater than their sum. Things are touched on all too briefly to make any real lasting importance (what is the sense or significance of the recluse's "we all die alone?").

I don't understand why he has to die. The film tells us because he wants to save his girlfriend's life and not kill Frankie, but surely those could be avoided as well as his sacrificial death. A person who could go back in time could orchestrate things nearly perfectly if they did it enough times, like those parts in Groundhog's Day. Maybe that's too much of a burden though, and opting for death is easier. Or it's a nice way to end a story. Or I don't know enough about the physical sciences to make sense of it all. I understand well though that we can't see into the future, we can't get into wormholes (if there even are such things) and there certainly is no mechanism currently to get into them. Because of the absence of reality, the film lacks real emotional depth that comes with death.

That's not to say nothing is real in the movie. Problems in school, becoming aware of more subtle social and human issues (like how some of the most zealous can be the greatest sinners), and mental illnesses are addressed as well. The parents are particularly interesting, and avoid any cliches. The teacher's battle over curriculum is treading overdone and unnecessary territory though.

Overall, there is enough to make it an interesting ride, but not enough to make me join the cult of die hards that find the movie brilliant and lift it to its current renowned status.

You do realize that he's dead throughout the film, yes?