S. Darko review

[themadone]

As promised...a review of S. Darko.

Most, if not everyone I know, agrees that Donnie Darko is an amazing film. It's a beautifully twisted tale of time travel and love. Naturally that meant when I heard about the sequel, I just had to go see it and see just how bad it was.

Visually the film looks pretty good. They capture the right amount of dark and twistedness that the film requires. Unfortunately the plot makes no sense. It's almost like the script writer saw Donnie Darko and just utterly failed to get it. Or maybe they saw the director's cut? Either way, it vaguely attempts to be like DD, but at the same time failing utterly.

The problem is, is that unlike Donnie Darko, there doesn't seem to be any point to any of it.

Iraq Jack is a crazy war vet that the town blames for all their problems and hates utterly. Future-dead Sam comes back and saves him from getting crushed by a meteor and then proceeds to instruct him to do things that just make the towns folk hate him even more.

Just to really over do things, they have a 2nd worm hole that transports a runaway car into the past/future that ends up killing Sam. Corey ends up rewinding time and sacrificing herself in Sam's place.

Sam finds the bodies of some kids that had gone missing that had been locked away in a nearby mine, by local crazy god botherer. Except everyone thinks it's Iraq Jack, cos Future-dead Sam had instructed him to set up camp near the mine. Sam gets killed when the creepy geek that bought the meteor pushes her and she falls and lands on Iraq Jack's metal rabbit mask, impalling her head on it.

Iraq Jack for no readily apparent reason decides to rewind time and die under the meteor after all. The towns folk are kinda sad that Iraq Jack died, but nothing really changes. Sam decides to get the bus home to her family.

There's nothing like the bad people in the town feeling guilt for their crimes...none of which Iraq Jack in his extra time managed to reveal to anyone. It's all just so hollow and pointless. I don't feel like I've watched a complicated story that upon rewatching that I'll glean hidden or different meanings from.

Although whilst I have frothed negatively about the film, I do worry that I've just missed something vital. That someone else might actually spot something I hadn't that makes it all worthwhile. So don't avoid watching this if you do get the chance...I'd be happy if someone could prove me wrong.