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It never ceases to amaze me how people think they’re being original when they’re really not—oftentimes they’re following the oldest clichés without even realizing. Donnie Darko suffers from this, like most every movie in this somewhat overdone subgenre. More about that in a second.
The subgenre I’m referring to is the wannabe The Twilight Zone episodes turned into full length movies. Pretty much everything M. Night Shyamalan has written fits here, as well as Big Fish, The Invisible, The Cell, Donnie Darko, The Matrix, etc. But what confuses me is all the movies in this subgenre forget the others exist and act as if they’re the only one who has treaded the overdone “weird” path. In this sense, Donnie Darko is just as typical as the pointless movies released every year.
With that said, I liked Donnie Darko. I liked it because some scenes were absolutely beautiful and captivating, like the movie theater scene, the hit-by-a-car scene, and all the little hilarious details that I’m not going to bother mentioning. I liked the editing. I thought the relationship between Donnie and his girlfriend was well done, for the most part . . .
. . . but like a sledgehammer to the balls, the writer/director decided to use two of the most common clichés ever used in movies like this. Not only that, but he sacrificed such a likeable and original movie because he didn’t have the common knowledge to make the mundane original, not just the over-the-top elements:
- First, he makes Donnie have mental problems. According to the Unoriginal Hollywood Hand Guide of America, if your main character has fantastic visions he has to have mental problems; if your main character has super intelligence, he has to have mental problems. From an entertainment standpoint, this movie would have been so much more entertaining to watch if I didn’t have to keep thinking: “Wow, another scene with him acting like a retarded person . . .” every five minutes. It ruins the beauty entirely. It ruins the ability to take Donnie seriously, even after his visions prove to be real. From a critical standpoint, it’s ridiculously sad that a movie with this much originality would use such a tired cliché that every movie uses. Why couldn’t Donnie have just been a normal kid? That alone would have made this movie so much more enjoyable and original.
- Second, the ending. *Major spoilers* Donnie goes back in time to commit suicide. *End spoilers* Once again, this is the cheap, childish, cliché ending that every movie uses. When you’re watching a Twilight Zone wannabe movie, this kind of ending is the single most generic ending there is. You expect it from the first five minutes. Through the entire movie I kept hoping Donnie Darko wouldn’t end up with such a cliché finale, but it did. I assume it’s a misunderstood idea that all intellectuals must be pessimistic, and all intellectual movies must end with a generic tragedy. If a movie is truly intellectual, you’d think it would break this pathetic trend.
- Third, the subject matter of this movie is just as generic as the other two points I mentioned. Time travel. The movie is obviously trying to be weirdly intellectual, but, really, there is nothing intellectual about the same exact arguments in every single movie like this: time travel, the fabric of destiny, and the clichéd argument of God vs. free will. Once again, a truly intellectual movie would have thought of something new to argue about, but this movie follows the exact same formula as every other movie of its kind.
Overall, Donnie Darko (the movie, not the character) flirts with perfection so many times it’s sad I have to give it a rating as low as this. But, listen up future directors, it becomes so pretentious by thinking it is so original, and parts truly were, that is ignores glaring clichés that break the rest of the movie. It’s sad to see what could have been a truly superior film fall to mediocrity.
