In my opinion, Donnie Darko was far stronger than this sequel. This movie still held the mysteriousness, thrill, and sense of confusion that Donnie Darko had captured, but the characters were shakier, the meaning behind the time travel less fulfilling, and the end fairly flat.
As is seen in most sequels, S. Darko tried to encapsulate its prequel in a new way, and didn't live up to the same quality. Starting 7 years after Donnie Darko ended, S. Darko picks up with Donnie's little sister, Sam, (Daveigh Chase) traveling across the country to escape the demons in her head and in her past. Her best friend, Corey, is the outgoing, partying girl, that basically encapsulates everything that Sam is not. Their car breaks down in a town that has a lot of experience with strange events, suitable to the plot of Donnie Darko. I was pleased with the choice of Ed Westwick as the party-boy/hero/friend, and the first connection Sam and Corey have to the town. Seemingly to make up for the things it lacks, the movie also tries to play a little darker than Donnie Darko in several cases. Another "Frank" mask makes an appearance, and more "what if...." time travel events happen.
While I still feel that Donnie Darko was better, S. Darko still awakened the same questions that its prequel had, along with some new thoughts. I was disappointed by the end, though. After several leaps backward, the final conclusion felt less meaningful and less final than that of Donnie Darko.
-M.
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