Oh my god. It's not very often that one of my favorite movies can be re-released as a "directors cut" without being all mucked up in the process. Need I remind you what happened to The Big Blue when the director got to add his extra 40 minutes of utter crap? Or how about Blade Runner (which as I was reminded by someone in the crowd for Donnie Darko sucked before the director's cut just as much as with the director's cut). The Abyss? The list just goes on and on and I've practically declared "director's cut" versions as off limits as French movies.
But this was Donnie Darko, my favorite film. I went in hoping that it wouldn't be completely destroyed. And then I was blown away.
Sure, I've seen the original version a few dozen times. I have the DVD and often will whip it out at parties. Yah, I've watched all the deleted scenes. They were good, they jsut didn't seem to add that much to the storyline. Once those deleted scenes (and a few others) were plopped back into the context of the film, it just became a whole 'nother film for me. And it is still my favorite film.
If you haven't made it to Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut, run, don't walk, as it is only going to be around for a week or two. Then, let's hope we can buy it on DVD. I look forward to making everyone watch this version too!
