Donnie Darko (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

Donnie Darko is a very difficult movie to characterise and assign to one or even two genres, which is also part of its appeal and fascination. It opens with the title character (Jake Gyllenhall) waking in his pyjamas, with his bike lying next to him, on a highway overlooking his hometown of Middlesex, set in an idyllic tree covered valley. Straightening up he looks out toward the rising sun on the horizon and with a knowing smile he re-mounts his bicycle and makes his way back home to the tune of Echo and The Bunnymen�s �The Killing Moon� in what is an excellent opening sequence. Right from these first few frames it was obvious that I was about to witness something very original and it had me hooked. Donnie Darko is inspired (I would guess) by the weird combination of Philip K Dick, Wes Anderson, JD Salinger and the classic James Stewart movie �Harvey�. It announces the arrival of two great new talents in Writer/Director Richard Kelly and the young actor Jake Gyllenhall, in what is a hugely original, ingenious and entertaining movie. Set in 1988, around Halloween time, this movie has the conventional leafy-suburbia-plus-high-school setting, which alludes to the horror genre of Carrie and Halloween but it is no horror movie. It also has specific elements that suggest that it�s a psychodrama about a young man with schizophrenia but this is not �A Beautiful Mind�. It also ponders the possibility of time travel but this is not science fiction. Stranger still, Donnie Darko is unusual in that (unlike most retro 1980�s pictures such as The Wedding Singer) it actually has a very cool soundtrack drawn from the period of my youth, which includes contributions from the likes of Echo and The Bunnymen, Tears For Fears and Joy Division. So, what is Donnie Darko about? Well, without giving up too much of the plot, Donnie is continuously visited by a 6 foot tall rabbit named Frank, which unlike the Pooka in the classic �Harvey� is both visible to the audience and strangely satanic. Frank tells Donnie that the world is going to end in 28 days six hours and forty two minutes but not to worry as everything is going to be all right. Guided by Frank he narrowly misses being killed when an engine from a 747 crashes through his house whilst he is lying sleeping on a local golf course and the plot thickens when it becomes apparent that the aviation authority has no record of any aircraft losing an engine. Donnie is of course undergoing therapy with a local shrink and hypnotherapist played by Katherine Ross (The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid) and the suggestion is of course that Donnie is hallucinating, for as his sister says �he hasn�t been taking his pills�. One of Donnie�s recurring visions suggests that he can see the future before it happens and so he becomes obsessed with the possibility of time travel and a book written by a retired teacher, who is now a scary old recluse, �The Philosophy of Time Travel�. There are also many other sub-plots including Donnie being inspired by his English teacher (Drew Barrymore) and Graham Greene�s short story �The Destructors� into some playful vandalism. In addition to this Donnie�s subversive thoughts and actions begin to undermine the stability of the local community that is strangely gripped by a slimy fundamentalist guru played by Patrick Swayze. Much of this movie is darkly comic and there are some great scenes including a conversation between Donnie and his therapist, where she asks him what he thinks about at school. Like most teenage boys he inevitably replies �having s*x� before proceeding to unbutton his trousers about to m*sturbate. There is also a scene where at a PTA meeting Donnie�s mother challenges the local bigot by asking "Do you even know who Graham Greene is?" she confidently and proudly replies "Oh please! I think we've all seen Bonanza". Personally I loved this movie but whether or not you enjoy this movie probably depends upon how far left of centre you like your movies. If you are not a fan of independent cinema or movies by the likes of Wes Anderson and David Lynch then you probably wont like this. However there is much to recommend in Donnie Darko, not least the cast, which includes, Noah Wyle (ER), Mary McDonnell (Dances With Wolves), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Confessions of A Dangerous Mind) and the previously mentioned Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore and Katherine Ross. Jake Gyllenhaal�s exquisite comic timing and laidback personality endows Donnie's existence with a dreamlike quality at odds with his teen angst and the suburban paranoia of his surroundings. Meanwhile writer/director Richard Kelly creates a wonderful sense of tension and keeps you guessing throughout the movie that even after the final titles have rolled you are still left to mull over what you have just witnessed. Whilst critics may argue that Donnie Darko fails as a psychological study and/or horror movie, you cant help but feel they are missing the point, as it deliberately avoids easy classification to a specific genre and instead concentrates on being intelligent, ingenious and highly original. Closing appropriately to a cover version of the old Tears For Fears song �Mad World� and the lyrics �the dreams on which I�m dying are the best I�ve ever had�, neatly ties up the previous two hours and what was for me a very satisfactory cinematic experience. Destined for cult status this undoubtedly deserves five stars!

First of all, buy this ORIGINAL 2001 release version DVD. Forget the director's cut - it's okay, but not what you'd expect. The director's cut suffers from what Jack White (of the seminal music band, "The White Stripes") meant when he said, "Art is knowing WHEN to stop." The director's cut simply doesn't, and you'll see why too if (as I did) you make the mistake of shelling out the extra green to acquire it. Take my advice: Don't. Stick with the original. You won't be disappointed. Okay, why do I call this bizarre, brilliant flick "the story of my life." Well, because on October 20, 1988 (to be exact), I had an experience MUCH like Donnie's, REALLY and TRULY, only in my case I tried to commit suicide. So when I saw "Donnie Darko," my first reaction was, "oh my god, HOW did the director know?" (about my life at that precise moment in my, much like Donnie's, "emotional problems"-riddled history?). So ... overcoming the intial "shock/epiphany" of seeing my own life played back for me in panoramic technicolor, I curled up, frightened but fascinated, beneath a snuggle blanket and watched further, transfixed by one of the most subtly original, germane, cohesive stories to reach celluloid actualization since "Dawn of the Dead" or, much more recently, "Identity" (with John Cusack); and I quickly became, not only a believer in time travel, but a living survivor of it (UNLIKE Donnie, but forgive me for (possibly) giving away TOO much here). This story HAS to be experienced; and perhaps YOU, Constant Viewer, like I do, remember where YOU were - and what YOU were doing/feeling/going through - way back in October of 1988. Whatever it was, I bet it was something you'll never forget. Like this film - you'll never forget it; and, lessee ... I'm on about my, er ... 12th or 13th viewing of it now (the ORIGINAL, NOT the director's "clutter"). I put "Donnie Darko" in my Top 5 movies of all time. For originality, for story, for great, natural, completely successful "suspension of disbelief" acting; for being, at once - a tragicomedy, a WILDLY-WEIRD (this is the understatement of the new millennium) dramedy, a fired-up, mind-frying sci/fi thriller, a uniquely-tender-hearted horror yarn, and WAY beyond, My Friends: "Donnie" is a philosophical brain burster much in the same neogenre/league-of-its-own film-making; for counterparts in creative "playfulness" behind the motion-picture camera, I can only recommend the following "warmup" exercises: see "Pi," "Primer," "Adaptation," "Happiness," "Prince of Darkness," "Being John Malkovich" and "Martin" (a little-remembered but unforgettable piece by George A. Romero, who has a brilliant little cameo in this pic as a "happy marshmallow man-child" of a Catholic priest). You'll get the idea FAST, of what you're in for with Donnie. An all-star cast will blow you away and lends immense credulity to this quirkified, whacked-out, indie knockout punch; you'll be reeling when you see here: Mary McDonnell, Noah Wiley, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore! Watching Drew play the part of a high-school English teacher is definitely worth "the price of emotion" enough (interestingly, if NOT for Barrymore's bankroll (she's the executive producer of Darko's "reel world," in REAL life); fact: "Darko" probably never would have lit up our darkened screens at all, without Barrymore's vision and deep enough pockets to realize such - Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Drew!). And getting Swayze to play the role of a pedophile HAD to have been a "challenge," er ... to say the LEAST! Swayze HAD to have been "a total sport" about what he was asked to portray; like the way John Malkovich was concerning HIS OWN "journey through the looking portal." But enough said. Darken your own personal viewing room now. Slide "Donnie" into your DVD player. And "take the trip," safely and securely (yet be warned - your MIND and SPIRIT may NEVER be the same afterwards), as I have, and am living proof of, the reality, horror, and (as Kelly intended, and successfully realized), the HEALING benefits, not unlike "It's a Wonderful Life," but only MUCH DARKER implications of, "time travel." Hurry though. As Kelly remonstrates cinematically, "time is precious." Indeed. And, Frankly speaking (pun intended), time's running out.

Some films are impossible to categorize. Donnie Darko can be seen as horror, science fiction, drama or social satire but in truth it is just art. This is the sort of entertainment that is best experienced in a relaxed state of half dreaming. The plot defies analysis and the bizarre situations that arise are strangely suited to the audience's mood. After my first viewing, I didn't know what I had seen but I knew I liked it. In fact, it took several sessions to reach a solid hypothesis as to the narrative cause and effect. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the title character, a troubling but not troubled young man who lives in a different world to the rest of us. His average family offers him all the support they can but even Donnie's psychiatrist struggles to understand his situation. The prescription of antischizophrenic drugs seems to do little to blunt his visions, nor do they stop his nocturnal missions. I particularly like the way the soundtrack was gently used to separate the normal from the abnormal. The film's mournful version of "Mad World", (originally made famous by Tears for Fears), was one of the musical highlights. One of Donnie's most interesting qualities is that he has no fear of the common-place terrors that exist for the rest of us. He tells his teachers where to shove it, asks the beautiful Gretchen to go steady after only a day, speaks out against the school's guest brain-washer and even copes calmly with murderous bullies. He is however, afraid that the world will end in 28 days and is concerned about dying alone, but then who isn't. The story is interwoven with several mysteries, only some of which are even partially explained in the film. One of the most important of these occurs while Donnie is out one night on the local golf-course, talking to a six foot rabbit named Frank. I don't know if this is an allusion to the James Stewart film, "Harvey," but it is certainly not played for laughs, as Frank is quite sinister. Sometime during this meeting Donnie's bedroom is demolished by a falling jet engine. No one knows where it came from and no airline claims their lost property, but one thing is certain, if Donnie hadn't been AWOL, he'd be very dead. Life quickly resumes. The family's notoriety fades and school life once again regains its position of central torment in Donnie's life. His beautiful and sensitive English teacher, along with his grounded and caring science teacher, (Barrymore & Wylie), fail to offset the damage done by the stressed and misguided gym teacher, Kitty Farmer. She is a disciple of Jim Cunningham, (Swayze), a motivational speaker who reaks of charm and paternalistic love; so much so that Donnie, and the audience, just can't buy into his simple solutions. The film's cast is huge but of an impressive quality, for an ostensibly independent production. All the major characters seemed to go beyond what is expected and create three dimensional beings with quirks, fears and emotions that are subtly alluded to. I particularly enjoyed Gyllenhaal's performance as Donnie. When he is in the sway of one of his visions, the cast of his eye is more disturbing than any million dollar special effect. Beth Grant, playing the Gym teacher, is also outstanding. Her new-age zealotry is the perfect representation of what is truly dangerous in our politically correct society. Along with a great cast, the script is amazing. Not just in its creativity but that it ever managed to get funding. Chock full of unlikely theories, small but convoluted set pieces and thought provoking dialogue, it made the film entertaining, even after several viewings. Small touches bring Donnie's world home to us; like the discussion of the sexual mores of Smurfs, Ms Pomeroy forcing the new girl to sit next to the guy she likes best and an old lady suffering a life-threatening obsession with checking her perpetually empty mailbox. In the end though, it is the greater plot devices that twist our minds like some drug induced mobius loop. Is Donnie some sort of psychotic super-hero? Did everyone remember an alternative future, at the end? Were Grandma Death's theories on time-travel true? If you like pat answers in your entertainment, then you'll be frustrated with Donnie Darko. If however, like me, you like to solve puzzles, you may be prepared to dive into the depths of Donnie's world. Come on in; the water's dark.

DONNIE DARKO has been one of my all-time favorites since I rented it at 11 years old the day it came out on VHS/DVD. I still remember the morning waiting for Hollywood video to open so I could be the first one in to rent it. Since then I've watched it countless times and it never ceases to amaze me. The atmosphere, the performances from the entire cast regardless of the size of their role, that soundtrack (both Michael Andrews original work, and the song choices), the mind-melting storytelling, and above all, the affecting poignancy. Donnie Darko has it all, a true modern classic of both independent filmmaking and cinema in general, and to date Richard Kelly's best film. With that said, Donnie Darko for years has lacked the proper bluray release it deserves. The previous american bluray transfer was sorely lacking, to say the least, and it seemed no care was put into the audio and picture quality whatsoever. It was only a slight improvement over the DVD, and so I never went ahead and purchased it, hoping that someday a better quality package would be released. Thanks to Arrow Video, my prayers have been answered. This limited edition four disc set is ESSENTIAL to all Donnie Darko fans, and is exactly what we've been waiting for. Firstly, the box set is gorgeous, as are the supplements. There's an informative booklet, as well as two digipacks- one for the theatrical cut, another for the directors cut- within those are a double sided Donnie Darko poster (one side is the poster for the theatrical release, the flipside matches the box set's cover), and an envelope appearing to be handwritten by Donnie to Roberta Sparrow. Inside are a collection of various post-card sized artwork. The digipacks themselves also have gorgeous covers that perfectly represent the atmosphere of the film and are nice to have in the collection. However, as great as the packaging is, it would all be for nothing had the actual film's look been once again neglected. With great relief it can be said that this is the best the film has ever looked on home video. Thanks to a new 4k restoration approved by director Kelly, the film looks noticeably better. While it still has that intentionally hazy quality to it, the detail is sharp and clear, the grain is finely retained, the colors are appropriately saturated. There really is not one flaw I noticed while watching (and this is going for the preferred theatrical cut, as I have not revisited the director's cut yet). I can't state enough how great the film looks now, it's like watching it with a fresh pair of eyes. The special features also don't disappoint, filled with interviews, several commentaries including the cast, crew, and writer/director, as well as a lengthy documentary exploring the genesis of the film, the making of it, leading to its release, and finally it's enduring cult legacy over the years. Plus the same special features from previous dvd/blurays have been carried over. In short, if you love Donnie Darko this is a MUST OWN package that was long overdue, but I'm so very pleased to finally have it in my collection. Thank you to everyone involved in the process of making this special edition, and to the filmmaker himself for a film I'll never stop loving.

I'm a big fan of the original Donnie Darko movie theatrical version, however if you have the mind of a scientist and theoretical physicist like me this one is way better and Superior to the theatrical. I'm blown away that anybody would give this a bad review it is ultra awesome I will always love that theatrical as well but this will always be my favorite.

I liked this movie and dvd. Everything about them was terrific!

... it keeps going and going. Donnie Darko is one of those films that, even with a re-release, never really got out of its cult status because most people are too afraid to think. I'll get more on that later. The main character in the movie, Donnie, is obviously borderline schizo. Or so it seems. But I won't spoil anything for you. Basically, he sees a vision of an oversized bunny which prophesizes that the world will end in a little under a month. Donnie gets to experience everything he's ever wanted to do during this time and still has some left to save the world. As simple as that synopsis may sound, it can't do the film justice. There are plenty, and I mean PLENTY, of subplots that are pretty interesting. The characters are also worth a look because, although not every one of them experiences growth, the majority of them who do grows in an odd yet interesting way. The direction and cinematography are pretty good, even if they do hint at past movies like E.T. and Silence of the Lambs. The effects are excellent for an independent film, and the simplistic, ambient score matches nicely with the movie's atmosphere. The plot might be the determining factor whether this film appeals to you or not. As you may have heard, the whole film, beginning, middle, and ending, are open to discussion. Although Kelly did a good job of handing us the appetizer and main course of the meal, the bastard kept the dessert. But I think this helps with the longevity of the movie; it's easily one that begs to be talked about, scrutinized, and criticized. Another determing factor might be its subtle preaching. One might not catch on to it early on but as the film progresses, it becomes more evident. Sometimes I think that the movie tries to address too many things at once, resulting in a, if you will, mental overload. But again, this can be cured with repeat viewings. I hope Kelly didn't run out of ideas after this film. I truly believe that this movie is his welcome call to the artform, both scriptwise and direction-wise. This work is among my all-time favorites not because of what it is but what it tries to be, and that beats the many offerings Hollywood has given us recently, which never tries to be anything even though they can be something. EDITED TO ADD: Director's Cut (Rating = 4 stars, since I can't place two reviews here.) I've recently watched the two versions back to back and decided to compare the two. Pros: - The addition of a few pages of The Philosophy of Time Travel into the movie makes the plot easier to comprehend for first-time viewers. - Almost all of the deleted scenes are placed back into the movie. As a result, it feels more complete and in some instances, adds more poignancy to the film, the best of which shows Donnie's relationship with the rest of his family. - Some of the special and sound effects have been revamped, all for the better. Cons: - For someone who has seen the original version and have discussed it at length with others, the Director's Cut almost feels like it dumbs down the complexity of the former. I for one recommend seeing the first before the Cut. Formulate and research your theory first before Kelly does it for you =) - I have a big, if not HUGE, problem with the changes in music. Echo & the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" is replace by INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart" during the beginning of the movie. While the latter is a good song itself, "The Killing Moon" was such an integral part of original version. It's instead relocated to a another scene where one needs to listen carefully in order to hear it. Some of the score have also been altered or moved around. It's an all-around nice version of the film though. There are a few good things added or changed, but there are also bad. This altered version doesn't take away the major aspects that made the original version/story/whatever good though. Again, here's to hoping that Kelly will eventually squeeze more genre-bending, mind-blowing, odd spectacles in his career.

This is not a review of the movie, but rather of the DVD. If you are getting this DVD because you think you might enjoy the movie you will, and if you saw the movie but aren't sure about spending some money on the DVD, well, you should. If you liked the movie, you'll definitely want to get this DVD and the extras that it offers. Basically, if you took the time to look into this DVD and read this review I think are someone who should buy the DVD. However, the extras aren't all they are cracked up to be as is often the case in DVDs and I want everyone out there to know what to expect. There are 20 deleted or extended included in this DVD, but each on has to be played separately (no 'Play All' feature) and you must select commentary on/off for each one of them. This is not the best arrangement for a deleted/extended scenes section. The actual content of this section is pretty decent with most of the scenes having the possibility of really having added something to the story and most could've made the film had the director not had to cut the film down to 2 hours from the original rough cut of about 2 and half hours it originally had. There are two commentaries on the DVD, one with the Richard Kelly (writer/director) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie) and another with Richard Kelly, two producers (Nancy Juvonen and Sean McKittrick) and several cast members: Holmes Osborne (Eddie, Donnie's Dad), Mary McDonnell (Rose, Donnie's Mom), Jimmy Duval (Frank), Beth Grant (Kitty Farmer, Donnie's Health Teacher), Drew Barrymore (Karen Pomeroy, Donnie's English Teacher), Katharine Ross (Dr. Thurman, Donnie's Therapist), and Jena Malone (Gretchen, Donnie's Girlfriend). First, the sound quality of the commentaries is below what one has to come to expect on commentaries. You can hear the commentary track fine, but the track of the movie itself is all but silent during the time in which the cast or crew is speaking, almost shut off which is a turn to many people (but you can put on closed caption, although that can often distract you from the commentary if you are reading it), and it is back to full regular volume when their is no active commentary. My only complaint on the second commentary is that Drew Barrymore often `hogs' the commentary and was way to close to the microphone (which only accented her shrill voice on this commentary) during the recording of the commentary, she tried to hard to be `deep' in her comments way too often and it gets annoying at times. Many of the tidbits and insights provided in both tracks are interesting and above par with many other movie commentaries, but by no means exceptional. It is fun listening to what Kelly and the others have to say and then watching the movie looking for these things on your own, but don't only watch the film looking for hints that the director left for the audience and nothing else; this takes away too much from the film, so don't do that. The theatrical trailer is above average and can be appreciated by both those that have already seen the film and those than haven't. The several TV spots, all 30 seconds or less, are largely repetitious. The cast & crew information section is above average listing all of the actors' other films through late 2002 (most DVDs list only some films and are not current beyond the movie on the DVD). There is a total of nine crew bios (as opposed to a simple list of past work) including Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Steve Poster (director of photography), Alexander Hammond (production designer), April Ferry (costume designer), Eric Strand (editor), Sam Bauer (editor), and Michael Andrews (composer). The `Mad World' music video is OUTSTANDING, and I have seen it many, many times already. It is quite addicting, and even if I close my eyes and just listen to it, it is still great. The `Website Gallery' is very hard to see and is not anything special and does not add anything to the DVD. What is shown is really a sampling of what the website has to offer, which is somewhat hard to navigate but during the cast and crew commentary they give you the three passwords for levels one, two and three if you listen closely. The `Soundtrack' feature provides interesting linear notes, but is not an isolated soundtrack of the movie (which is really the score of the movie with the lone exception the `Mad World' Tears for Fears songs covered so eerily by Gary Jules for the movie). The `Cunning Visions' section features the infomercials from in the movie with optional directors commentary). There is also a `His Name is Frank' section that is a fun little feature of several place cards that are designed like those featured in the Cunning Visions `exercise' in Donnie's health class and shown during Jim Cunningham's assembly. You can also look at the book covers used for Jim Cunningham's two books feature as background material during his assembly at the school. `The Philosophy of Time Travel' book feature is disappointing showing only several pages (including the appendices featured in the film) and all the pages are hard to see. The `Art Gallery section' is neat with a bunch of artwork that inspired works in the film and some of which was used directly in the film. The production stills are plentiful and interesting. The `Scene Selection' feature is as good as any other DVD with moving images as opposed to stills to mark each chapter, and there are a total of 28; good for a 2 hour movie. Overall, I enjoyed this DVD especially the `Mad World' music video and the two commentaries as I personally enjoy the opportunity to see the entire movie a different way when I can and the commentary tracks give me this opportunity.

Long movie

星４つの理由。ドニー・ダーコ UMDビデオの仕様。日本の某携帯ゲーム機で再生可能 でした。音声は英語2.0ステレオ、字幕は無し、となっております。画面は16:9。 例えば、夜ベッドで眠っている時に、空から飛行機のエンジンが墜ちて来て、自分が 死んでしまったとしたら、それは運命？、それとも自分自身で決めた選択の結果？、 と色々と、考えさせられる映画だと思いました。 主人公のドニー・ダーコ、転校生のグレッチェン・ロス、その他の登場人物、そして 銀色のウサギ・・・。謎の多いストーリーだと思います。個人的には、学生時代に、 綺麗な転校生が来たら、恋しちゃうよね、と思ったりもしました！？。 ラストは、賛否両論あると思いましたが、ドニー・ダーコが幸せそうな笑顔でベッド で寝ている姿のシーンは、印象に残りました。挿入歌『マッドワールド』も雰囲気が あり、良かったですね。読んでいただき、ありがとうございます。

Daughter loves this movie. Arrived in perfect condition.

This is by far one of may favorite films of all time its just so wonderfully different from anything else I've ever seen. Donnie Darko (2001,Richard Kelly) is set in America during a election time for Michael S. Dukakis vs Bush. How ever that isn't really what the films about even though its mentioned a couple of times, the film is about Donnie Darko (Jake gyllenhall) a troubled boy with mental issues despite him being very bright for his age. Donnie is sleep walking and is constantly coming across a strange character called Frank dressed in giant bunny costume. Frank makes Donnie do things in his sleep such as arson and destruction of property. Donnie is disturbed by what he's dreaming about and has therapy for his dreams hoping they'll stop with the help of some medication he's prescribed. As things begin to get out of hand Donnie becomes more and more obsessed with the idea of time travel which throws yet another possibility for Donnie's strange habits into the mix of what is already a confusing story. The film has moments of awe as well as sadness and deals with issues such as the meaning of life, the belief in god and the existence of parallel universes/ time travel (I know there not the same thing but share similar characteristics).The moral issues and philosaphys this film takes into account may boggle your mind but this film is so unique and strange it's something of impressive step in the right direction for entrepreneurs in the film industry ,e.g. "Being John Malcavitch" a unique story and a film no one even wanted to make but when it was created it grossed millions and a cult fan base. This Film deserves as much credit , and yet sadly won't but at least has fans and is worth the purchase for the price Amazons charging. It has a sequel which I haven't seen, neither do I want to, it really doesn't look like a proper sequel and isn't worth watching when this film raps up loose ends and stands well enough on its own. Closing point: i was slightly disappointed with this copy seeing as there is a final cut which has a more detailed explanation of what's going on as well as some extra footage, so if you're going to buy any buy the director's cut its worth it.

Donnie Darko ist ein Film wie kein anderer: verstörend, melancholisch, klug und hypnotisch. Eine Mischung aus Coming-of-Age, Science-Fiction, Thriller und psychologischem Kammerspiel – mit einem grandios aufspielenden Jake Gyllenhaal in seiner ersten großen Rolle. Wer den Film liebt, bekommt mit dieser limitierten Collector’s Edition das bislang beste Heimkino-Erlebnis. 🎬 Der Film: Ob als düstere Zeitreisespekulation oder als psychologisch doppelbödiges Teenagerdrama – Donnie Darko bleibt ein intensives Erlebnis. Die Atmosphäre ist dicht, der Soundtrack (u.a. „Mad World“) ikonisch, die Themen rund um Identität, Schicksal und Realität bis heute faszinierend. Es ist einer dieser Filme, über den man auch nach dem Abspann noch lange nachdenkt. 📺 Bild & Ton (4K UHD): Die 4K-Restauration ist exzellent gelungen: Die Bildqualität ist deutlich verbessert, mit kräftigen Farben, höherem Kontrast und viel mehr Detailtiefe – gerade in dunklen Szenen ein großer Fortschritt. Die düstere Bildsprache kommt jetzt noch besser zur Geltung. Auch die Tonspur überzeugt – klar, dynamisch, mit schönem Raumklang. Dialoge, Musik und Effektspuren sind bestens ausbalanciert. 💿 Blu-ray & Bonus: Die beiliegende Blu-ray enthält sowohl die Kinofassung als auch den Director’s Cut, dazu reichlich Bonusmaterial wie Audiokommentare, Interviews, geschnittene Szenen und Making-ofs. Für Fans ist das eine kleine Schatzkiste. 📚 Verpackung: Das limitierte Collector’s Edition-Set kommt im hochwertigen Schuber mit stilvollem Artwork und Booklet – stabil, wertig und liebevoll gestaltet. Ein echtes Sammlerstück, das dem Kultstatus des Films gerecht wird. ✅ Fazit: Donnie Darko war schon immer mehr als „nur ein Film“. Und diese Edition liefert das rundum perfekte Paket für Fans, Sammler und alle, die gerne tief eintauchen – visuell wie inhaltlich. Ein Klassiker des modernen Kinos, endlich in der Präsentation, die er verdient.