10 Most Pointless Movies Ever Made

While most Director's Cuts have a very clear goal, to let the director show their "true," original vision of their movie to fans, the curious case of Donnie Darko demonstrates that filmmakers don't always know best.

Though Donnie Darko: Director's Cut was released to positive reviews in 2004, fan consensus on this cut of the film has turned considerably over the last 20 years, with many decrying its bloated runtime, revised soundtrack, and decision to over-explain the story's enticing ambiguities.

Donnie Darko became a cult hit in the first place precisely because it was so mysterious and allowed viewers to bring their own theories to the fore, but Richard Kelly's Director's Cut takes a more concrete, literal-minded throughline, in turn undermining much of the theatrical cut's charm.

While some might accept the Director's Cut as a curio that die-hard fans should watch once, the problem is that once its overzealous ideas are in your head, they're tough to forget. Better to stick with the wildly superior theatrical cut and just ignore that this misguided revision ever happened.