Rating: Summary: The BEST Sci-Fi I've seen in years!!! Review: Is this a sci-fi or a paradox? If you haven't seen this movie, then get ready for a mind warp. Great cast and special effects and you are always in suspense. It's a pitty that this movie wasn't nominated for the Oscars. But it won the award for the best sci-fi of 98. Personally I think that this is cult classic sci-fi.
Rating: Summary: dark city Review: brilliant take dark city and add john woo and what do you get? The Matrix.
Rating: Summary: This One Is A Classic Review: This is one of the best sci-fi movies in years. It is visually unique, suspenseful, intelligent and surprisingly romantic. I look forward to seeing Alex Proyas' future work.
Rating: Summary: One of the finest DVDs on the Market Review: This DVD is one of the best put together packages I have seen including some of the Criterion packages. You would do well to buy this DVD. The DVD like the film was put together with much thought and care. The quality is magnificent and so is the sound. *Everything* is done well. I can only hope that other DVDs attain this kind of quality as a standard.I, like other reviewers, am surprised by Amazon's review. I would say that this film has much in the way of plot and style. It is one of the finest homages to film noir that I have seen in awhile and it is a beautiful film filled with details and extreme craftsmanship. For fans of _City of Lost Children_, _Matrix_ and even the _Truman Show_ it works on many of the same planes. Questioning of what is real and a certain underlying dread in the everyday. This film is markedly different from the Matrix because it does not do homage to Hong Kong action films. It uses dialogue to provide movement and subtle, internal rhythms. This is an important film and I think that time will give it burnish. You will watch it more than once so you will get your money's worth. If you are a fan of science fiction, film noir, or just there for the visuals then this DVD is for you.
Rating: Summary: Dark City: Film Noir revived Review: "Dark City" is definitely a film noir. All aspects of this movie are dark and shady, everything from the characters and the settings down to the plot. The hero, Murdoc becomes aware that all is not as it seems and we follow his quest to unravel the truth. He has to question everything he's ever known; from friends and family down to the basic laws of physics. For the most part, I disagree with the editorial review. This is not a study in human nature like "The Shawshank Redemption" or "Amadeus" to be sure. There are great sets and good cinematography coupled with a compelling storyline. The characters are not particularly "well developed" but I wouldn't call them one dimentional, either. The movie is a psychological thriller - about what happens in one's mind, and to this end it's not necessary to develop deep characters, the plot is what's being showcased and it does a great job at that. Murdoc is everyman. If you're one who has thought that there must be more to the game than what's presented, on *any* level you'll enjoy this movie.
Rating: Summary: Great. Review: One of the most originally made films in recent years, Dark City is full of terrific imagery and a tight plot. Nightmarish figures, and likable characters portrayed by Rufus Sewell and William Hurt. Give this movie a shot. You may have a new favorite on your hands. The confrontation between John Murdoch and Mr. Book is terrific.
Rating: Summary: Stunning cinematic production, well-designed DVD. Review: There are two things to review, here: the film, and the DVD. Both are fantastic, and this disc offers one of the best repeat viewings in a fast-growing collection. I saw Dark City in the theater by accident when it came out -- went with some friends, having heard nothing about it. And while the plot is not the BEST that I've come across, it's more than enough to hold together one of the most stunning visual experiences that I've ever seen. True to form with The Crow, one of Proyas' better known and more successful cinematic creations, the entire film exudes a dark, unsettling urban-gothic air. Chances are you can get the plot in another review, but in short: a man wakes in an unspecified city with no recollection of who he is, and learns that he may well be a murderer. From this premise unfolds an engaging and unpredictable race, as the man (Sewell) struggles to learn the truth about himself and the city before the mysterious "strangers" can find and kill him. A significant question is raised -- whether or not we are more than the sum of our experiences, memories, and habits -- but the film does not slow down long enough to provide an in-depth discussion. Not that it should. If this film has anything going for it -- and it does -- it must be the attention to detail. Things are well explained, which is a more complicated task than you might be able to guess, and even the smallest details are attended to if you are paying attention. (Watch for the swinging overhead lamp in the opening scene, and you'll be sure to notice, late in the film, how it came to be swinging in the first place.) If you like sci-fi, you're bound to find this a worthwhile rental or purchase... and if you like details, you're SURE to find that D.C. warrants multiple viewings. Which is why it's nice that the DVD package has been well-assembled -- in addition to offering both pan-n-scan and widescreen formats, the DVD carries of a host of extras, including a fantastic essay by Neil Gaiman (a writer/artist with similarly gothic tastes), and has a well-designed interface... and as I've learned, this is a luxury that most DVDs don't bother to provide. The morphing transition used between screens is subtle and effective. All in all, I'd reccomend this film. If you don't believe me, rent it... if you like it -- and most people who see it do -- you'll end up wanting this for your collection.
Rating: Summary: You either love this film, or say "What the hell is this?" Review: Me, I love this film. The acting is exactly what it should be in a film like this, subtle and not overacted, and yet every character feels just slightly out of place, which to everyone who's seen the movie, is exactly how things should be. The special effects in Dark City don't out dazzle the CGI biggies like the Phantom Menace, but they sure as hell out class them with the proper use of fantastic imagery for atmosphere and story development as opposed to cheap thrills. Many people like to call Dark City non-existant in characterisation and plot, but it couldn't be more the opposite. Some of the characters are lost souls, while others deeply tormented by events in the past. They all have their motives, they all act as one would expect them to. The characters, like the city itself, feel very real. Also, for a movie as dark as this, you end up feeling surprisingly warm at the end. To say anything would ruin the movie, and you probably don't care about what I'm talking about, but watch the movie before you make judgements. You'll be seeing one of the few genuinely good movies made in recent years.
Rating: Summary: Unparalleled Film Achievement Review: This it the greatest film I've seen. I experienced it the first week it came out in the theater, and on my way home was filled with giggling, weeping, and joy -- I was so happy Proyas hadn't compromised his artistic vision. Dark City deserves to be seen as a film, in a theater, and I refuse to watch it on a television. Roger Ebert's review of it has sustained my hope that not all movie critics are totally unlike me.
Rating: Summary: Masterfully made, far more than just eye candy Review: This was sadly a sleeper in the box office, probably due to the theatrical trailer that made the film look more like some sort of demonic tale than what it was really about. The special effects are out of this world, but there aren't many of them... you don't need to see a lot of special effects in this highly cerebral tale of realistic terror. A city that seems to never have sunlight and everyone goes to sleep at midnight.... well, almost everyone. Aliens driven to find out what makes the human species survive adversity create a twisted zoo of human subjects who have no idea what is going on and never realize that nothing is quite what it seems... with the exception of John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), who seems to be the only person to realize nothing is how it should be. The psychological fear in the film is far more powerful than anything you actually see, but the two (visual and psychological) exacerbate one another... you will be on the edge of your seat through out. This dual-sided feature-packed DVD includes the theatrical trailer, cast bios, and full-length audio commentaries; one by Roger Ebert, who (rightfully so) dubbed this the best film of 1998 and the second commentary has audio from the Director, writers, production designers and the director of photography. This is the first DVD I ever bought and I've seen it several times... it is exquisitely executed and a standard by which other DVD presentations should be measured in terms of what the DVD medium is all about. The film contains nudity and violence and is not suitable for children. Don't let the comparisons with "The Matrix" fool you, this is a film and genre in its own right, but you will see some parallels once you've seen both movies. The film has been more closely tied with the epic Sci-Fi silent classic, "Metropolis." The DVD includes blow-by-blow comparisons of this film w/ "Metropolis" as well as an interactive game (can be played using a remote control on your TV or by your mouse)... well worth the money and a treat for those who love movies that entertain by stimulating the mind.
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