"Donnie Darko The Director's Cut" DVD Review

It's not often a rookie director is given the chance to put out a Director's Cut of an indie film that, despite its cult status and popularity on DVD, never did well at the box office. Writer/director Richard Kelly was granted the opportunity to include deleted scenes, alter the soundtrack, and flesh out parts of the story left up to the viewers' imagination in the theatrical release. Kelly took full advantage of the offer and the result is this re-vamped version of "Donnie Darko."

Pros

Cons

Writer/director Richard Kelly's "Donnie Darko" was one of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival's most discussed films. A blend of sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and drama, "Donnie Darko" was praised for actually making the audience think and for sparking intelligent debates over the meaning of the film.

Now with the release of "Donnie Darko The Director's Cut" on DVD, some of the questions left hanging are answered, though nothing Kelly has added to the Director's Cut detracts from enjoying the original film. With this version, Kelly's been given the resources to purchase the rights to songs he intended to include in the theatrical release. Kelly was also able to restore deleted scenes and include more on Roberta Sparrow's book, "The Philosophy Of Time Travel."

DVD BONUS FEATURES

Richard Kelly opted to do the commentary track with writer/director Kevin Smith rather than someone more intimately associated with the film. Though I was at first skeptical, the track actually turned out to be one of the best commentary tracks in recent memory. Smith is able to ask Kelly questions from a fan's point of view, and it's interesting to hear Smith's reactions to Kelly's analysis of the film. Even if you don't check out any of the other bonus features, definitely listen to the commentary track. You won't be disappointed.