I had heard about this movie in the past from a few friends, and they said it was good (I see online that it currently has an 87% rating on Rotten tomatoes, and 8/10 rating on IMDB), but I had never gotten around to watching it until this past weekend. I figured, its October, Halloween month, so why not?

For those of you who don’t know what this movie is about- it’s about a teen named Donnie Darko (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled young man with mental health struggles who recently started “seeing” someone in a creepy bunny costume who directs him to commit various crimes. Based on this plot, as well as the poster in the image above, no one would blame you for thinking that this is a horror movie- but it’s not!

Without giving away too much about the movie, I would say that it is pretty much a psychological/sci-fi thriller, with maybe a bit of dark comedy thrown in. There are other familiar people in this movie- such as Drew Barrymore, Mary McDowell, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, Noah Wylie, and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jake’s sister, who actually plays his sister in the movie as well!).

And is the movie good? I think that’s a question with a complicated answer. I can see why people like it, and there are parts of the movie, especially the ending that has caused spirited debate among people. And sometimes I like it when a movie makes you think and causes a debate. But not always. I didn’t hate the movie, but at the same time, when the movie was over, I felt like I didn’t really get it. I mean- I kind of understand what happened- but not necessarily how or why it happened. I think if I understood it fully, I probably would really like it. But it left me a little confused, and even now, I still don’t fully get it. So, I am not in a position to fully rave about the movie- I can only say, “not bad”. But if you watch it, maybe you will get it much better than I did!