'Donnie' DVD gets darker

Originally released in late 2001 to almost no fanfare outside the film festival circuit, Richard Kelly's "Donnie Darko" has since developed quite the cult following, which in turn necessitates a DVD rerelease in extended director's cut form. This cut adds 20 minutes to the original, mostly in the form of extended scenes that were featured in the first DVD incarnation as deleted scenes. These scenes work to flesh out the complicated bits, of which there are many, and to add closure to parts of the original cut that left many fans baffled.\n"Donnie Darko" itself concerns but is in no way limited to the story of the mentally-burdened and often psychiatrically-aided Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), his quirky, loveable family and Donnie's encounters with both the new girl at school and a 6-foot tall, evil-looking rabbit named Frank. There's also concerns of tangent universes, time travel, free-falling jet engines and the impending end of the world as we know it. Many would think it pointless to trivialize or scrutinize any of these things -- they simply exist, whether it be in Donnie's own mind or the world at large. Upon further viewings all these facets begin to place themselves logically, and that's the key to "Donnie Darko;" allowing all the pieces to fit.\nSoundtrack-wise, given my distaste for most '80s music, the film being set in 1988 could have been a detriment. Instead, excellent songs by Tears for Fears, Duran Duran and INXS are trotted out with obvious glee. The original cut's more obscure opening song has been replaced with great effectiveness by INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart," and the closer, a cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" by Gary Jules, is at once calming, haunting and note-perfect in terms of the events that take place in the film.\nExtras alongside this extended cut include the generous making-of doc, "They Made Me Do It Too: The Cult of Donnie Darko;" the fan contest winner doc, "#1 Fan: A Darkomentary" and most importantly a feature-length commentary track by first-time director Richard Kelly along with special guest and hilarious commentary track guru Kevin Smith, who appears simply because of his respect and enthusiasm for the film.\nWhile "Donnie Darko" initially comes off as overly dense, complicated and self-important, repeated DVD viewings render it quite scrutable and ultimately very satisfying. What better reason to take a look at one of the budding 21st century's few dozen most interesting and refreshingly original films.