MovieChat Forums > Donnie Darko (2001) Discussion > Who knew little/almost nothing about thi...

Who knew little/almost nothing about this film before watching it?

posted 8 years ago by DracTarashV2 (4496)
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I first watched Donnie Darko a little over a decade ago and despite its big cult following, somehow I had never heard about this film before watching it. So needless to say, going into it I had no preconceived notions or anything. And I'll tell you, I'm glad I knew nothing about this film before viewing it (minus reading a small synopsis of it which certainly piqued my curiosity) because I ended up having one of the most enthralling movie experiences ever. It completely amazed me.

It is a magnificent film.

[–] HAL 9010 (906) 8 years ago

All I knew was that it involved some invisible giant bunny and was sci-fy... and so actually I was sort of disappointed at first, as it was something else entirely.... Seen it again several times, part because I did not quite understand it, and now I love it.... so for me it was a slow starting love-affair. Had I known before what it was, it would have perhaps sped up my love if anything at all. To spoil a complex story like this, is no easy task..... when I now think about it, I might not have seen it at that point in my life, if I had known it was on the heavy side.... So all in all, it got spoiled in the right way :)

[–] catsidhe (1649) 8 years ago

I knew nothing except who was starring and who directed. I'm so glad for that.

[–] orangeflava (1898) 8 years ago

A friend recommended it to me after he rented it at a video store. I knew some of the actors in it but didn't know the director or what it was about. When is Richard Kelly going to make a comeback in directing??

[–] HAL 9010 (906) 8 years ago

Yes, his later films are not quite as well as this one. I have not seen the directors cut to Donnie, but I hear it is a fail.... perhaps he was not the real creative force?? If so, we may never see a comeback. I have a suspicion that this is the case.

[–] NotASpeckOfCereal (302) 8 years ago

No, the director's cut is definitely Richard Kelly's doing, his vision. I recommend seeing it at least once, even if you go back to prefering the theatrical cut, because it fills in a lot of gaps. I personally prefer to the DC.

[–] HAL 9010 (906) 8 years ago

That was actually my point. If the Directors Cut takes much of the brilliancy away from the original, then perhaps the real creative force was not him or his alone to begin with (in the original, I mean)....

I have not seen the Directors Cut, but it seem to take a lot of heat and so I just wondered if the "Directors cut" is deviating from the original in ways because someone else had a say back then that does not have now.... it seem that his brilliancy has not blossomed to what we expected it would and this could be because he may not really have been his own back then? Was someone ghost directing it? ... you know, without the dot, and "i" is just a line... I know I am ranting, and for no real reason... I love the original and find it near perfect and so I am reluctant to go down the path that the Directors Cut may lead. But you words and praise for it, certainly ignites my interest :)

[–] Renovatio (2990) 8 years ago

Had no idea... was pleasantly surprised... i love watching movies without knowing anything about them...

[–] lennonforever (2453) 6 years ago

I knew NOTHING! I didn't even know who was Gyllenhaal! I was completely and utterly blown away by the magnificence of this film! Every nuance of this movie captivated me. It still does. I am sooooo glad I was naive and knew nothing. It helped me to see the film "raw" so to speak. I cried like a baby at the ending. I cried upon the second and third watches, and still cry during just about the entire film to this day.

After the first watch several years ago,I went on a frantic internet search looking for any and all info I could find. I went to this cool DD website that was somewhat interactive. I wonder if it's still up?

A joy of existentialism is my take-away.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

I knew nothing, and because of that I spent the first hour and more thinking I was watching a movie about the onset of schizophrenia.

So the ending came as a bit of a surprise!

[–] csweetleaf2 (3722) 5 months ago

I knew nothing about this film when I watched it for the first time this evening, it was one movie I feel that was a bit all over the place despite my enjoyment of it.