S. Darko is another inferior sequel released too many years later for anyone to care. Donnie Darko has a lot of cult appeal that can’t really be replicated. That didn’t stop them from trying anyway. S. Darko refers to Samantha Darko, sister of the late Donnie Darko from the first film. She wanders the road with her vapid best friend Corey. They wind up in a small town where several disturbances try to mimic the original.
Except the new cast of characters can’t back things up. You know you’re in trouble if Jackson Rathbone and Elizabeth Berkley were the best they could do. Although I have a personal appreciation for Daveigh Chase, her role is essentially a less interesting substitute for her brother. Now Sam is the one hallucinating, facing an end of the world scenario, and using the confusing time travel of the original. Only none of the minor alterations make it any less derivative.
An imaginary rabbit is replaced by an undead Sam (Samara Morgan she is not). The end is now 5 days before the 4th of July in 1995. Time travel is used twice in order to make the entire movie feel utterly pointless. Two separate deaths are reversed and the world nearly ends via meteor shower. Religious commentary is handled with far less grace. Meanwhile, the iconic bunny suit is only used as a recognizable image. S. Darko is just as unnecessary as it sounds.
Sam and Justin stare at each other
Preceded by: Donnie Darko
I LOVED the original Donnie Darko. I was a teenager when it came out and I was obsessed. I’d never seen anything like it and I loved the jaunty angles, 80s music, Jake (the movie could have been utter rubbish but I’d still have watched it for him alone), the peculiarity of the storyline. I watched it dozens of times, got the soundtrack and almost knew the script off my heart.
When I saw S Darko, I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. Without the original cast, I knew it would be horrific and I didn’t want the original ruined. I really enjoyed your review of it, which makes me confident I made the right decision in giving this one a miss! 😉
Caz x
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I’m glad to hear that. You sound like a genuine fan. All the more reason to avoid the sequel.
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