One of the most iconic cult films of the modern era is Donnie Darko, which captivates fans with its dark tone, ominous plot and clear metaphor for mental illness. With a stellar cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze, Donnie Darko was an easy success and has remained a favorite for many people over the years. But while its theatrical success is impressive, many of those that watch it are left confused as to what actually happens in the movie.
Fortunately, the director's cut of the movie provides additional scenes that help navigate the plot. These help to separate the thematic meaning from the actual storyline. And when the plot is more easily understood, one can see how Donnie Darko is surprisingly a superhero movie.
One thing that the director's cut pays more attention to is the book The Philosophy of Time Travel, which is given to Donnie by his science teacher, Kenneth. This is important, as most of the movie actually takes place in a tangential timeline, separated from the original. There's no real reason why the timeline splits into two, but it does, and only Donnie seems aware of its effects.
Traditionally, and provided by the text in the book, separate timelines are notoriously unstable, which means that it's true that the world will end, as told to Donnie by Frank. Frank knows what's going on and needs to lead Donnie towards the only thing that can save their timeline -- something known as the Artifact. The Artifact is typically made of metal, and in this case, is the plane engine that falls from the sky. As the universe begins to collapse on itself, Donnie must guide the plane into the schism in order to reconnect to the original timeline. Of course, he doesn't fully realize this until the end, but this is what makes him the superhero of the story -- he saves everyone from dying in the tangential timeline.
None of this is evident in the theatrical cut of the movie, however. One would need to see the director's cut, as well as an archived version of the movie's official website, to see the content of The Philosophy of Time Travel book. But it really helps to explain the plot and reveals that Donnie was the ultimate hero after all. He even dies as a tragic hero -- after the original timeline is restored, Frank isn't there to save him from the falling plane engine, which crushes him in his bedroom.
It's a rich, fleshed-out story that is only hinted at, with the deeper meaning of the movie taking greater precedence than the actual science-fiction plot. This is why, even though many people don't fully understand what's happening, they are still left with a feeling of satisfaction from a fantastic movie. However, finding out the real plot of the movie still proves that Donnie was a hero in his story.
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