8 Directors Who Have The Worst Takes About Their Own Movie Endings
2. Richard Kelly Goes Too Far With His Unfiltered Cut - Donnie Darko
In a rare case of a director's cut actually somehow finding a way to undo the brilliant theatrical work that came before it, Richard Kelly's unfiltered take on Donnie Darko released a few years after the film's commercially unsuccessful 2001 cinema bow pretty much murdered any and all mystique the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring cult hit once possessed.
Despite initially being received quite well by fans and critics alike, the addition of twenty minutes worth of once-deleted scenes and a boatload of superimposed text from the fictional Philosophy of Time Travel book shed unwanted light on a number of ambiguous plot points (such as the existence of Tangent and Primary Universes) that had once been a source of many a fan theory and compelling post-flick discussion.
Sure, Kelly's need to explain each and every potential loose-end once prevalent in the theatrical entry made the film a touch more accessible. But at what cost?
A great many who had originally been captivated by the mystery and limitless potential of their own imaginations upon taking Darko in a few years earlier were left wondering why the director felt the need to painfully spoon-feed an already compelling tale to his audience.