S. Darko
Let me start by saying I'm a huge fan of Donnie Darko. It is one of a very select few movies I would rate 10/10 or a "perfect" movie in my book, and its in my personal Top 3. I've seen it easily 50+ times going through college because it still seemed like you could pick up something else from the story. Richard Kelly treated as his love child and never talked about how he saw it in his mind, just let the fans accept it for what it is and come up with their own theories.
S. Darko almost had me fooled into actually enjoying it, until it started toying with themes from the first movie in a totally different manner. Afterwards, I watched the "making of" extra on the DVD and discovered that the director admitted to knowing "very little" about the Donnie Darko universe and also admitted he hadn't even took the time to watch the final cut of it yet. WTF? Then they interviewed the editor who also admitted to knowing nothing about Donnie Darko or even the rationalization of what was going on, he just said he was going for maximum emotional impact with little regard to anything else. It failed miserably. The acting is as wooden as I've ever seen in movie and it seems like the cast is actually convinced they are doing a good job.
The only saving grace was that the writer did make an honest effort as a re-imagining of the story line. He admitted to being very hesitant about the idea when he was approached with it, being a big fan of the first one. The problem is that with the director's disinterest and the actor's lack of any ability, very little of his intentions come across on screen.
They couldn't even come up with a decent soundtrack that they attempt to rely on. Nothing like the Tears for Fears covers from the first. This should not be considered a sequel as it follows almost the exact same plot line of the first movie, except that the role of Donnie Darko is split between two characters, and it branches off immensely in the complete train wreck of a third act.
I remember watching the original for the first time and being completely blown away by the ending. Watching the end of this one and trying to make sense of it made me want to gouge my eyes out. How could you even attempt to build on another man's vision without even a clue of what he was trying for? Kelly has said publicly that he would never work with anyone involved in the production of this film even before it was made.
I could go on forever, but I think I've made the point pretty clear. If you were a causal fan of the first one you may enjoy it as a timewaster, the special effects aren't too bad. But if you either loved or hated the first one, you are going to hate this one.
1/5
One star because I actually pity the guy the took the paycheck to write this abortion, he had honest intentions but inevitably end up being loathed by thousands of fans of the original.
Caddyshack 2 > S. Darko.