Rating: 
Summary: from the director who brought you "The Crow"
Review: it begins good and ends satisfying. its about this men who stop time and rearrange the city like people playing with dolls and one man finds this out as he goes and trys to find the truth and that is that hes in space in a made up place. the men are like the little girls and then the people are like ken and barbie, playing with them, moving them around, doing experiments on them. Alex Proyas makes another great science fiction movie alongside his 1994 classic "The Crow". the end where Sewell gets all the superpowers is great. Sutherland is wacky as the doc and Connelley has never been so gorgeous.
Rating: 
Summary: Failed to accomplish where The Matrix Succeeded
Review: Dark and brooding, this movie left me a bit cold. Where previous classics such as Metropolis, Blade Runner, and The Matrix pulled me in and made me love them, this movie pushed me away. It was odd, it was disturbing, it was dark, what it wasn't was entertaining. What plot there was was unbelievable. Many reviewers compared this movie to The Matrix, but the parallels were mostly superficial. The Matrix had a believable story line, this was too wierd and arbitrary for me to suspend disbelief. I was never really able to connect with the main character at all. In fact the only character worth watching was Jennifer Connelly. Who is always a delight in any role (yes, even in 'Career Opportunities').
If you are wanting to watch this because you liked Blade Runner or The Matrix, skip it, it isn't worth your time. If you are one of those pseudointellectual film student or movie critic types, who loves a movie for its style, even when the story is bad or non-existent, then this movie is for you
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, strage similarities.
Review: This was a great movie to watch. It has a tight storyline but it is not groundbreaking (Metropolis, Lost Children). The acting is very well done. Connely always seems so genuine in her roles. Watching this, I was astounded by the similarities with The Matrix. I know this movie came out only about 15 months earlier than The Matrix so it is more than likely a coincidence. The scene with the Doctor calling Murdoch and telling him that "they" are coming for him (and later once they meet, the doctor is wanting to show him how to harness his special gift to control the machine). The stranger that jumps down on the rooftop and approaches saying, "Mr. Murdoch" in the same exact tone as "Mr Anderson", from Agent Smith. That our hero is able to fly by the end of the movie and is able to stop a dagger that is throw at his face with his mind. Too strange (and those are just a few examples, the entire premise is very close). There is also a scene with Jennifer Connely standing on the end of a pier on the ocean that is almost the exact scene from Requiem for a Dream, same actress and everything. Requiem was directed by Darren Aronofsky who also made Pie, also about chaos theory and the spirals that make up the universe. Too odd! This is a very well done film from an art direction standpoint and I would not doubt that it has influenced others. I just wonder if the Wachowski brothers somehow got their hands on an early script.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Dark City is a masterpiece. It's shame this DVD doesn't have more to offer, but it still goes down as one of the best science fiction films since it's release, or ever for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful movie
Review: What an audacious movie. I can't think of another one that is so referential to its predecessors, and still so original. This is the central idea that "The Matrix" flirts with within the form of an action movie. "Dark City" opts for film noir, which is what this type of story is really best suited for. The main difference between the two movies is that "The Matrix" seems to have been created as a showcase for astonishing new special effects, while "Dark City" creates its special effects to accomodate the story. And because the story is more involved and more philosophical, Proyas' film has the edge on the Matrix movies in virtually every department except guns & ammo.
Some reviews argue that the characters are flat. It seems to me they're supposed to be this way, since they aren't really whole people, but amalgams of different memories and personalities. Much like the visitors in "Solaris", they're starting over with someone else's memories. Rufus Sewell's performance in particular is outstanding, as he slowly moves towards self-awareness.
Other reviews argue that the movie is style over substance, and to that I can only say that the critics are not watching hard enough. Perhaps they are so used to style-over-substance and substance-over-style that they can't imagine both co-existing in a modern thriller. This movie does have a lot of style, yes, most notably the influence of Fritz Lang (Sewell's face, in fact, vaguely calls to mind Peter Lorre's child murderer in "M"). But the movie is very substantial, too, and Murdoch's quiet final encounter with one of the Strangers, in a dark corridor following the climactic battle, is handled with perfect delicacy. A lot of times, movies will be ignored at first and then rediscovered and re-evaluated years down the road as classics. I have a feeling "Dark City" will have a second wind.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty
Review: A very beautiful movie, most of the time. The director didn't seem to give his eye to the action scenes, so they're often very cluttered. The movie itself is a bit cluttered... I often felt it moved too fast, and was maybe overscored, which ruins the loads of atmosphere the visual style contributes to the film. A more subdued version of this film could definately make five stars. The cgi-ish stuff is great as far as the morphing buildings go, but the whole illustration of the "tuning" powers isn't up to par. The story is a bit comic book-y... the whole style and narrative touches similar ground as the matrix, albiet a less perfectly and thought through, but perhaps a bit more imaginative.This film is definately worth seeing, and the dvd is of good quality (holds up to the film's visual quality), with decent bonus features.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning visual achievement
Review: What is first evident upon watching "Dark City" is that it is one of the coolest looking films ever concieved, a monumental achievement in production design. The film blends science fiction and film noir so seamlessly that they become one and the same, a new category unto itself. In my opinion, the film is worth watching based on its visual merits alone. However, perhaps a bit overshadowed by the look of the film, "Dark City" also boasts a very engaging story that mixes elements of sci-fi, mystery, horror, romance and psychological thriller effectively. In fact, many have argued that the basic premise behind this film was 'borrowed' by "The Matrix", and although I prefer not to get in to that discussion, I will say that the case can certainly be made for such an accusation.
When the elements of "Dark City" are viewed as a whole the end result is a very good film that succeeds in exploring such issues as free will, perception vs. reality, and the human spirit. Some may argue that the characters are flat and undeveloped, but when seen in the context of the story it becomes evident that certain characters who fit this description are presented in this fashion for a reason.
"Dark City" is not without its flaws, the chief among them being the overuse of convenient coincidence and a certain over the top sense of melodrama. The film also loses a bit of steam towards its conclusion, suffering from a common case of overambitiousness. However, all in all "Dark City" is a film that is well worth watching and deserving of the 'cult classic' status it has begun to achieve despite its underwhelming performance at the box office.
Rating:
Summary: Very Cool, Very Spooky--Yess?
Review: This is a visually-arresting work of art. The story is well-told, and the characters play their parts well--but they seem a little shallow. The more times I've watched the film, the more I've noticed about each of the characters, but they still don't seem very deep. One touching scene is when John, in jail, uses his telekinetic powers to shatter the pane of glass between him and his "wife." The ending is also moving. Buy it? Definitely. But keep your eyes on the overall picture; don't look too deep.
Rating:
Summary: Stylish and Clever (spoiler)
Review: Common thing with the DARK CITY - reviewers often consider movie's end as "happy-endish". Let's get a point. The City was liberated from the aliens. Yes. But what John Murdoch, the new "tuner", do with the reality? He builds new illusion. Not he restores his past - but creates the past he whats it to be... The new fake. For Anna/Emma. For himself. For all other people of the City. Poor hero, he killed Dragon only to become Dragon himself. Of course, he was ought to. But was it a HAPPY end, I wonder? Great movie.
Rating:
Summary: An orgasm for the senses
Review: Dark City completely blew me away. As the credits started to roll and the lights came up in the house, I could hardly move as I noticed how heavily I was breathing. This film was like an orgasm for the senses. The cinematography, mood, music and ambience easily equaled that of "The Crow" and "City of Lost Children". Unfortunately, this film lacked in just about every other category. That is to say, the acting, plot, dialog, and characters were all pretty laughable. Still, I have to give this movie 5 stars, just for the intense feeling of "WOW!" I had when it was over.
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