“Donnie Darko” is a film with an interesting history. It barely made back its small budget at the box-office as releasing a film about a plane crash in 2001 was not exactly the best idea. The movie then gained a cult following on home video and has become one of the most analysed films as people try to make sense of it. However, I think the problem is that is just nonsense masquerading as something profound.

Troubled teenager Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal “Prisoners”, “Nightcrawler”) finds himself plagued by visions of a man in a rabbit costume, who tells him that the world will soon end. A jet engine crashes into Donnie’s bedroom and other strange events happen as he explores the concepts of time travel and destiny.

Gyllenhaal is completely unlikeable as Donnie. The character is boring because he doesn’t seem to develop at all. There are some big names in here such as Drew Barrymore (“The Wedding Singer”, “Scream”) and Patrick Swayze (“Dirty Dancing”) but the don’t add anything to the experience. The man in the rabbit costume just looks like something out of a generic slasher picture. Obviously, the idea of a giant bunny as an imaginary friend was ripped straight out of “Harvey”.

“Donnie Darko” has some vaguely intriguing imagery and you’ll notice certain things repeat but so what? There’s no clear reason for it. The plot makes no sense whatsoever and the movie never knows what it wants to be. Some have speculated that it’s a superhero movie but if it is, it’s one of the dullest superheroes movies ever made. It’s not legitimately entertaining to watch and you come to realise that the mysteries of it are as meaningless as can be. Go and watch “The Shining” or “Naked Lunch” if you want to watch a film that is open to interpretation but can still be enjoyable no matter what conclusions you draw from it.