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Dark City - New Line Platinum Series

Dark City - New Line Platinum Series

List Price: $9.97
Your Price: $5.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Foul excrement (warning: *minor* spoiler below)
Review: Like The Cell, Dark City is one of those movies that *tries* to get by on its visual effects--but unlike The Cell, it fails miserably. (The Cell also had a better storyline.) Example of "outstanding visual effects": A guy puts a fish in a sink...and we see it from the THE SINK'S POINT OF VIEW! Wow! [Note the heavy use of sarcasm.] When will these boneheads who direct music videos realize that such "style" doesn't translate to film effectively? David Fincher understood that; why can't you guys?

As far as the "plot" goes, the movie starts off like a bad 80s PC adventure/role-playing game. You know the type--your character wakes up in a bathtub in a small, stark bathroom lit by a single lightbulb descending from the ceiling on a cord. On the seat next to him is a pair of boots and a trenchcoat. Type 'Look coat' to find a matchbook, a phone number, blah blah blah. Hey look, it's David Goyer showcasing his weak writing skills! (Side note: Goyer's Blade script wasn't too bad, but have you ever seen the original ending to that flick? They had to call in a script doctor to perform an emergency feces-ectomy.) And what was the deal with the "ACME Plot-Resolver" in the form of a syringe filled with a mystery chemical that instantly "educates" your protagonist (in this case, the wall-eyed Rufus Sewell) so he can adequately fight the "ba(l)d guys"? That wins the award for the Single Dumbest Idea in Modern Film.

On top of all that, the acting was below average. Rufus "I do a good 'confused guy'" Sewell was ok, but I don't know what kind of accent Kiefer Sutherland was using for his ambiguously-scarred "mad scientist" character. And I'm sorry to say, Jennifer Connelly is nothing great--in terms of looks or acting skills--so she can't even offer a decent T&A Quotient to elevate this movie to an 'F+'.

To sum up, the writing is amateurish, the direction is poor, and the acting mediocre (at best). Other than that, it's a great movie. Thankfully Roger Ebert and his *keen* critical skills saw through the myriad layers of bad filmmaking and placed it in the highly-coveted "Best Films of 1998" category. [More heavy use of...oh, forget it.]

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best SF movie in 1998 and
Review: one of the best ever. As simple as that.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: light sci-fi
Review: The movie has its moments. Cool special effects for your big-screen. The objective of the aliens is balmy if you are not a Star Trek fan. Well, one for the DVD library.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Beyond your Imagination
Review: How could you imagine you are living a world controlled by unknown. Think of a day you suddendly realize that. What can you do to face the reality, escape or fight till the end. You can start your thinking after watching the movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Precursor to the Matrix?
Review: This movie is an engrossing rendition of the sci-fi type that stresses the multiplicities of realities and showcases bizzare aliens. Moreover, this film adopts specific philosophical stances, such as the repudiation of physicalism, and the lack of objectivity in the universe. However, the film complements humanity in a unique fashion in that it demonstrates that individuality cannot be manifactured or duplicated -- moreover, it exhibits the irrationality of collective minds and the like. The movie has definite parallels to the Matrix. However, dont expect the fast-slinging action like that seen in the Matrix. The film focuses on haunting the psyche through strange circumstances rather than wowing the audience with impressive violence. However, it is an intriguing and engrossing film that should be seen by sci-fi junkies and aliens alike.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Engrossing...Will keep you guessing until the conclusion
Review: I like stylish movies. This movie has plenty of style to spare. But what keeps me coming back to Dark City is the sense of mystery. The story unravels in such a way that it never fails to creep me out, even though I know the surprise ending. The main character has no idea how this mystery is going to end, and watching him desperately trying to figure it out is a pleasure. That the final conflict isn't a plain old shootout is a bonus. Strap on your thinking caps and have fun with it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: still one of my all time favorites!
Review: This movie is a work of cinematic and creative genius. It may borrow a lot of elements from many many other movies, but it blends them PERFECTLY.

The movie is very consistent in even its most minscule features. How the Strangers do everything in circles (reminds me of the Ramans and their "3" rules), then when you look at the actual shape of the city itself, it's a perfect spiral (the rat maze in Dr. Shrieber's office is actually a "map" of the city. Compare it to the Strangers' city map for their next experiment - perfect match. I like little details like this in movies. To me it shows that the makers know exactly what they're doing and that they aren't just plowing through it.

Another aspect I HAVE to express my opinion of is the use of lighting - the lighting is brilliant! It captures the dark, gloomy essence of the movie's atmosphere, and also gives just enough to be able to see the actors' faces.

The characters are very well portrayed (especially Richard O'Brian. Not only did he play Mr. Hand, he also wrote the Rocky Horror Show)

I actually ended up wanting to live there for a while... I'm not too fond of sunlight myself, and that city has NO sunlight.

All the way through, the film has a genuinely creepy feel to it. There's also a sense of chaos that becomes more and more apparent as you see things being changed, how all physics become screwed over, and how night lasts forever. And nobody has any idea what's going on (except the main character)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Collectible !!!
Review: The movie DARK CITY not only has a good story, it also has style and is very artful. You may say that there's a weak plot but what plot isn't weak at the end ?
Trust a movie fanatic with sense of taste and purchase this DVD. Even Roger Ebert has commented the whole movie on the disc.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Let's not go overboard
Review: Don't be fooled by the insistent visual style. This film is muddled, unpleasant, and rather pointless. It's solidly worth 3 stars, but is really no more than a minor cult favorite.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Well it is a lot like the Matrix (however Dark City was first). It starts off with a professor (Kiefer Sutherland) explaining the arrival of "the strangers" a race of aliens, and how he betrayed the human race. A man (Rufus Sewell) awakens confused he is in a hotel room with a murdered prostitute, blood on his forehead, and naked in the bathtub. He then is called by the Professor who warns him to leave. He does as several ominous looking "strangers" head up to his room. He then heads about the streets in a city that is always night. He can't remember who he is, or what he is supposed to be doing. He is being tracked by a detective (William Hurt) who is somewhat doubting his guilt as a prostitute murderer. Rufus Sewell's characters searching leads him back to his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and eventually the detective catches up to him. They then began searching for the answer to what this city (and world) really is. It is an absolutely dazzeling, captivating, fascinating sci fi tale. Its special affects are superb, and the acting is unbelievable. The directing is masterfully handled by Alex Proyas (The Crow). This is one of the most original and breathtaking films to come out recently. I HIGHLY recommend it. It is rated R for violence not very gory, a few choice words, and some naked hookers (mostly dead ones.), but those minor cautions aside if you are adult about this film you will love it, or at least appreciate its vision, scope, and magnitude.


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