S. Darko (2009)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This is not the ideal sequel, but it's not bad either. It's not another *Donnie Darko*--which a lot of reviewers seem to be expecting. It's its own thing--so give it a chance. In terms of the crafts, it's very well done. And the script is pretty tight. By not means is this a "B" movie.Did anyone notice that the mine tunnel ("adit" to miners) *is* a mine tunnel, not a set? No small thing in production terms. Did anyone notice how good Daveigh Chase is in the title role? Or the superb opening title sequence?There is a complex and nuanced relationship between the lead characters, Samantha and Corey. Corey is an open book, while Samantha is is locked up tight, burying her past. The acting is spot on. Samatha in particular seems damaged and very much the sibling of Donnie Darko.I agree that some of the elements of the original film---the bunny mask and *The Philosophy of Time Travel* are simply appropriated. But they needed some link. This film has its own mysteries. It's definitely worth a watch.

"S. Darko" is a sequel that's fated (dare I say engineered) to disappoint fans of the original movie. And even if you approach this as a completely separate entity, it's still awful. Bad acting, nonsensical story (not in the good way), bitchy characters and plot elements that are thrown into a blender half-heartedly. The writers didn't bother to tie this to the original in any meaningful way.Yeah, I'd known for years that this was a bad movie, but it's really curiosity more than anything; you just have to find out *what* was so bad about it. But here, it's not bad in a good way. It's just wretched. The kind of stuff that makes it hard to sit through. There's no joke to be in on, no ironic enjoyment to be had, just bad all around.Steer clear of this. Or at least have something better ready to go to wash away the bad taste.2/10

Donnie Darko was a superb film: disturbing, coherent and consistent because of a very good script. If you liked it, you'll have at least curiosity about this sequel, but you'll be disappointed about the result. However, the proposal, with a lower budget and and a more Tarantino or Rodriguez approach and style, keeping away of the teenager comedy genre of DD could be attractive, but it fails.In fact, at the beginning the plot appears to be a road movie like Death Proff -even Thelma and Louis is referenced by the motel owner !! in a funny wink- or movies like that, but despite some little hits of the script it doesn't work good enough as it develops. Many things of the movie are confusing and they don't mix as good as in DD.Anyway, if you like this kind of films or if you loved or were astonished (like me) about DD, you should watch the film. At least because you will laugh in many moments, and who knows, probably this is not a handicap for the film !!. So, no totally bad and unwatchable, but insufficient.

Spoilers due to weird personal opinions ANGLE 1 Blu-ray makes more demands on one's system than DVD, but for St Trinian's 2 and Heathers it seemed worth having a go. Reading around, I got the impression that some individuals had got Blu-ray to play on less expensive hardware by converting the video to more easily playable forms. Does some software consider reworking Blu-ray to be improper? I soon ended up with Trinian's that were bloated. Get to view Blu-ray S Darko, it ended up as just a bit torn. Jitter abounded. If some people have success with this then others discover that things are not so simple. ANGLE 2 The original Darko dives into subjects that are not talked about openly, they are covered with taboo. There is a story there, one that had me watching it several times even though the acting did not feel too real, my perception was askew? The story has a lot of veiled symbols and an SF commentary, but I tended to ignore that side and look to what I understand as the real story, shown by my personal relationship with the taboo. I tend to view the bad stuff that Donnie did as unreal, a paint job explained by the symbolism of the misdeeds. I note that Donnie has a remedial education gap re personal hygiene. I can relate. Darko 2 as a fan thing made by a very different production team, not unheard of. Their understanding of the story is a bit different to me and their ways of dealing with taboo typically does not have the class that the original had, but I can still watch the first two thirds comfortably and that helps me to rethink just what my opinion of the original is now. The early breakdown, Sam in the road, that definitely helps me re the very start of Donnie. ANGLE 3 In my early days of DVDs, some actors stood out. I was in my early days of enforced male to female and looking to girls was proper and Daveigh Chase, being a rising star in the horror world, was one who I looked to. I only watched Donnie because of her. I experience her and Sparkle Motion as having a central role. I find the dance scary. I find the glimpse of a lookalike to Shannen Doherty, Girls Just … and Heathers, just before the engine fall as scarier. Soon I was wondering if Daveigh was getting her roles because of her name and despite the fact that she could act, but Spirited Away says that is not a bad thing. I was tangled by a past of being a believer in old time religion and chasing David was a real issue to me. I did keep my thoughts to myself and am several thousands of miles from where Daveigh lives. Soon I was hearing messages that Daveigh had been born in Utah, that she had the Utah religion, that she liked to live and work there. She appeared to move from features to acting in TV series. A fan picture of Travelling Pants having her as highly plump, somehow I felt a need to calm my fan interest and to look elsewhere. I have not considered any other actor to have a chasing David link. Camilla Belle, just a wide range of interesting stories, the early ones set a standard. Only one of my most recent fan dreams, Yasmin tooth fairy, has ended up with fan pictures showing her as really fat. I currently look to Trinian's. ANGLE 4My favourite horror of young Daveigh, her as the star, is Beethoven 5. Yet re-watch it soon after torn S Darko and it actually felt empty, a watchable void. Beethoven 5 has Daveigh riding a bus to town with her dog, her staying a month in the town of Quicksilver with her uncle, a certified grease monkey. A story of ghosts and robbery and of various forms of justice prevailing. My torn S Darko seems to quote bits of this and other stuff of hers that I know, but is not a direct quote. In S Darko, a Silver Nitrate production, she is trying to emigrate from Virginia to Hollywood, just (Corey's dad's?) car breaks down in small town Utah. A slightly similar car tries to kill them, later. She does not enter town with a large St Bernard but with Corey. She ends up by not heading to Hollywood or even staying in Utah, but returning to Virginia instead. Scary stuff, given my past. So, the car likely belongs to Corey, my interpretation is likely askew. ANGLE 5 There is amazing scenery, set as the countryside around a village in one of the main Utah valleys. From the IMDb locations page this is three areas close to Salt Lake City. Echo, with detail from Delle and Magna. ANGLE 5+1Heathers, I find the region 2 DVDs I have purchased to all be a bit fuzzy compared to the clearest DVDs. The Blu-ray region 1 was my attempt to solve that. It is now obvious that the Blu-ray version has the image quality that one hopes for. I now need to be able to view Blu-ray reliably. The S Darko soundtrack appears to point to Heathers at one point and to me that is the same ball park but a different game, The quote might relate to some detail in these two rather than a global comment. ANGLE 5+2 Get to know this further and I now respect this writer's view as deeper than my own. I find that this does help me to appreciate the original better, despite the weaknesses.