--- title: "Donnie Darko: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/donnie-darko/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/donnie-darko" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Donnie Darko (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 15 reviews: 14 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Richard Kelly’s blend of teenage isolation, suburban satire and science fiction. Praise centres on Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance, the uncanny atmosphere and the recognisable adolescent awkwardness that grounds the stranger material. The reviews also value the film’s dry humour and depiction of 1980s suburbia, with its soundtrack and inventive photography drawing particular approval. Its emotional pull matters more to many critics than a fully explained plot. Reservations concern how far that tolerance for confusion stretches. Several favourable reviews find the ideas more convincing than the storytelling, while the lone negative assessment, from The New York Times, sees the mixture of teen melodrama and magical realism as overreaching despite the cast and period setting. The different cuts also divide opinion: RogerEbert.com finds the director’s cut richer without requiring resolved mysteries, whereas Eye for Film argues that its explanations sacrifice mystery and trust in the audience. ## Empire — Alan Morrison Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The review praises the film's bizarre suburban paranoia and apocalyptic teen angst, highlighting Jake Gyllenhaal's performance and the effective use of the 1980s soundtrack as marking the arrival of a bold new talent. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/donnie-darko-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2001. The critic praises Richard Kelly’s debut as a blazingly original, Lynchian evocation of adolescent angst and 1980s suburbia transformed into an apocalyptic vision. It singles out the inventive sci-fi metaphors for teenage confusion and the film’s haunting take on Reagan-era repression and uncertainty. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/donnie-darko/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2001. The critic calls the film an audacious and frighteningly assured debut that vividly captures late-’80s suburbia through a personal mix of coming-of-age and science fiction. It singles out the dense, stylized amalgam of genres and influences that resists easy definition while satirizing Reagan-era hypocrisies. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/donnie-darko-1798192795) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2016. Richard Kelly’s 2001 film on re-release is a captivating triumph that has matured well, with stronger political and satirical elements than first apparent in its suburban paranoia tale. The critic singles out the tremendous discovery of young Jake Gyllenhaal and the film’s blend of influences like Back to the Future and Twin Peaks. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/22/donnie-darko-review-jake-gyllenhaal-richard-kelly) ## Sight and Sound — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The film is a cult movie in the making thanks to its uncanny atmosphere and intricate web of secretly connected details. The critic praises its distinctive texture that mixes multiple genres without settling in any one, along with its dry realism in depicting suburban life. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/1575) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 4/5. 20 December 2016. This is an intelligent and enchanting reissue of Kelly’s emotionally resonant drama. The critic singles out the jukebox soundtrack and crisp, inventive photography as memorable elements that help make a bleak story of adolescent mental illness funny and entertaining. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/london/film/donnie-darko) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 March 2017. The piece revisits the film as a well-made, well-acted, and imaginative cult classic that inflates pubescent angst into an apocalyptic experience. It singles out the still-effective weirdness and resonance of the ending as a time-travel mind-twister and commentary on American suburbia. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/donnie-darko-ending.html) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 December 2016. The cult 2001 film returns in revival as a sci-fi/horror noir about a troubled teen, essentially Harvey from Hell, with a variable but life-like script. It praises the strong indie cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/b3c7bfaa-cdc8-11e6-864f-20dcb35cede2) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2017. The 4K restoration highlights the film's enduring power as a strange, melancholy debut that captures youthful alienation, suburban malaise, and cosmic upheaval with remarkable control and feeling. Chang notes its prescient timing and reverence for 1980s cultural touchstones. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-donnie-darko-review-20170330-htmlstory.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2004. The director's cut enriches the original without resolving its mysteries, making the film more engaging by embracing its paradoxes of time travel and a prescient rabbit. Ebert praises the tone, characters, and originality over logical closure. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/donnie-darko-the-directors-cut-2004) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2002. The critic finds the film an engaging, dreamlike mix of genres with strong performances, especially from Jake Gyllenhaal, but notes that its ambitious ideas sometimes outrun its coherence as a first feature. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/donnie-darko-15-141042.html) ## The New York Times — Elvis Mitchell Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2001. The film tries to blend John Hughes-style teen melodrama with magical realism but succumbs to overreaching into the protagonist's troubled mind, resulting in an unsatisfying experience despite strong elements like the cast and period setting. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/26/movies/film-review-sure-he-has-a-6-foot-rabbit-does-that-mean-he-s-crazy.html) ## Collider — Scott Wampler Rating A-. 17 August 2011. The critic considers Donnie Darko a nearly instant cult classic and Richard Kelly's best film, praising its endlessly rewatchable plot, quirky tone, and star-making performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. He prefers the original cut over the director's cut and notes its strong appeal for repeat viewings despite later Kelly films falling short. [Read the review](https://collider.com/donnie-darko-10th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray-review/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 2015. The critic views Donnie Darko as a much-loved cult film that excels as a study of teenage isolation and outsider experiences in suburban America. They single out the honest, nuanced depiction of characters and everyday adolescent awkwardness for particular praise, noting how it grounds the sci-fi elements. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/donnie-darkos-perfect-study-of-teenage-isolation/) ## Eye for Film — Rory Ford Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2006. The director's cut answers questions left by the original but loses some of its mystery and trust in the audience. It remains rewarding as a strong evocation of adolescence, with excellent photography, casting and direction. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/donnie-darko-the-directors-cut-film-review-by-rory-ford) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/donnie-darko.md