Rating: Summary: A Sci Fi Thriller Review: William Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, and Jennifer Connelly star in this dark sci fi thriller. Sewell stars as John Murdoch, a man who wakes up in a hotel room with no recollection of how he got there. He also find out that he's a suspect in several prostitute murders. Visions of "The Strangers", beings who can stop time and alter reality, also haunt Murdoch's mind. William Hurt stars as Inspector Frank Bumstead, a cop who is pursuing Murdoch and trying to figure out the riddle of "The Strangers" as well. Kiefer Sutherland and Jennifer Connelly give fine performances along the way.I felt that this was a good , but not great movie. I found the plot hard to follow at times, and the dark scenes made the viewing difficult. I did enjoy the computer animation, and the acting is good throughout. I would recommend this movie to sci fi and film noir fans. It is worth watching.
Rating: Summary: Comic book Cyberpunk Review: This film Came out Before the Matrix, and in MY opinion, I feel its a Better film! Its a Good mystery? it has Great acting and its dark. It feels completely Comic book, It is dark and foreboding as a "cyberpunk" type story generally is. The ending makes this film an Instant Classic for me! The trailer for this film came off as a "Horror" movie, and I feel lost alot of viewers. However the cult status of film is good enough to provoke a Better dvd loaded with extras, and other goodies! This is a MUST buy for fans of dark sci-fi!
Rating: Summary: Not great, but not bad. Review: Dark City has become a sort of near-classic with fans of Sci-Fi and fantasy. It's based on a fairly common premise- and I'm not really giving anything away by saying it's a premise used later by "The Matrix" and films going back as far the the 1960s 3D classic "The Bubble"- and for the most part, it delivers. Visually it's an absolute stunner, and it's worth watching for that alone. The pacing is good, and plot development proceeds nicely for the most part, although the end may not be terribly satisfying to fans of films like Blade Runner, with which Dark City has been compared. The acting is really the one glaring weakness of the film, and it's not the overall level of acting, but the stark contrast between the best of the cast and the worst. William Hurt and Ian Richardson are the real standout players, and Richardson in particular does a brilliant job of delivering some pretty silly lines and making them sound not only serious, but dark and forboding. Most of the supporting cast deliver similarly strong performances. But two of the leads rather pale in comparison. Rufus Sewell is a classic Hollywood pretty face- he reminds me of a young Victor Mature- but the depth and range of his acting just doesn't match up with Richardson and Hurt. Sewell does a fine job for the most part, but when teamed up with Hurt or Richardson in a scene he seems to fade into the background. Keifer Sutherland is another problem. His overly-affected performance reminds me of a high school student attempting to play someone in their 70s. It's just too affected, too gimmicky. And yet despite my complaints I think it's still well worth seeing. A good choice to round out an evening of noir Sci-Fi viewing on a more upbeat note.
Rating: Summary: Dark City was very dark! Review: It was a scary movie to me. I felt uncomfortable and on edge throughout the movie!
Rating: Summary: Wierd and fascinating. Review: This movie is very fascinating to me, it has great special effects and the story is very captivating.
Rating: Summary: Superbly directed Sci-Fi Noir Review: Alex Proyas really outdid himself with Dark City. His previous work in "The Crow" was excellent, but Dark City really shows his full potential as a director. From an aesthetic point of view his attention to detail and utilization of light, shadow, and camera movement is astounding. Few have been able to convey a truly dark feeling like Proyas has in this film. All of the actors give great performances, especially Sewell and a suprisingly amusing Sutherland. Willian Hurt gives a detached performance which is brilliant, for the character of Bumstead warrants this detachment. Many will be quick to compare this film to "The Matrix" and "City of Lost Children", but I think Dark City is superior in direction and in story. City of Lost Children had some great visuals, but the goofiness of some of the characters in the film really detracted from the atmosphere and mood. The Matrix is a great movie in its own right, but many of the themes seem to be borrowed from Dark City, as they are similar in many aspects. Dark City has been one of my favorites since my first viewing, and the DVD made me love it that much more. The audio commentaries by Proyas and Roger Ebert really help you understand the movie on a higher level and makes you really appreciate the artistry of the film.
Rating: Summary: Very Dark City Review: The concept was wonderful. The casting was superb. The movie was like an outline of what it could have been. They could have done so much more to develop the characters to their potential, and turn a good movie into a great one. Nevertheless, I bought it, as an example of true imagination...and awesome special effects.
Rating: Summary: Major Disappointment Review: I wanted to like this movie, but I was stunned by how bad it was. Did I watch the same movie as the other reviewers? Basically, "Dark City" steals ideas from several much better movies ("Brazil", "City of Lost Children", "Bladerunner", "Element of Crime" to name a few) and throws them together without much imagination. What did "Element of Crime" in was it's sluggish pace. "Dark City" has the opposite problem. It is done at such a frantic pace that it's themes are not developed properly. It gives away too much in the beginning, rather than gradually revealing to us what is going on. This gives the film a repetitive feel. Rufus Sewell just blunders about angry and confused and Hurt and Connelly, usually fine actors, sleep walk through their roles. Hurt's character is unneccesary, but he's there to retain a film noir feel that the film so lamely strives for. And as far as the visuals go, I wasn't all that impressed either. The morphings around of the buildings were kind of cool, but the whole dingy 1940s meets the future thing was done 20 times better in "Brazil." Now a lot of people like this movie, so I guess you shouldn't take my word for it. I do suggest you see "Brazil", etc. before you see this. All of the films I mentioned before will satisfy fans of dark cinematic fantasy, and are much more imaginative and thought provoking.
Rating: Summary: The most amazing lighting in a movie Review: Roger Ebert named this movie the best for 1998. One aspect that never ceases to amaze me when I watch it over and over again is the use of lighting in the movie. Words can not describe its use. It's a work of art.
Rating: Summary: An exploration of what makes us human Review: Slowly the story of Dark City is revealed to us. It begins with a man with lost memories wakes up naked in a hotel, and begins exploring this so called city he has lived his whole life in. He follows clues, while mysteriously he is chased by a group of strange beings who can alter reality, pursue him. I wont tell more, as to not ruin the experience, but you don't find out the whole secret of the city until the very end. But it is definitely worth watching this film to see this secret. Its got a very noir tint to it, as well as a comic influence, this film. This film brings up many issues about humans, their memories, and soul. Don't expect to much action, but expect a mind exploring film. Be ready to think, as you watch. In the end it will be worth it. 5 stars. Check it out. Also be sure to listen to the commentaries that are on this DVD. They are very insightful to the making of films, directing, and what shots mean and are meant to convey.
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