Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, good use of DVD
Review: Well, the movie left me speechless. Not only a riveting story with gorgeous sets and direction, it touched parts of my subconscious that I didn't know were there. I would, however, warn that I have a particular fondness for mind-power and artificial world themes as well as the unearthly beauty that Alex Proyas has so deftly given us in such movies as _The Crow_.That being said, the DVD (vs. tape) purchase is worth a look if you want background on the movie and the players involved, with a nice UI in the darkly beautiful style of the movie. The DVD also includes a "game" of finding Shell Beach but I have found that this is nearly unplayable. Oh well, everything else was wonderful. END
Rating:
Summary: another entertaining vision from the director of the crow
Review: In Dark City, Alex Proyas conjoins Ridley Scott's vision of Blade Runner with his own saga of The Crow to present clearly the greatest movie ever made. From the opening sequence of a world falling asleep to the final apocalyptic battle and aftermath (a visual parallel to the Biblical story of Revelation), the movie is sheer greatness. It constantly challenges our beliefs, indeed our very sanity, with the Lovecraftian inference of madness being the key to a truth too terrible to bear. Proyas dark vision of a future world detached from Earth--a medley of various timeframes in human history--where all the known remnants of humanity are merely mice in some cruel experiment conducted by strangers to whom we are of no more concern than a guinea pig harkens back--effectively--to the Robert E. Howard story The People of the Black Coast. In short, an entertaining, dark, poetic vision of human plight with a heavy concentration of questioning of established beliefs. END
Rating:
Summary: Amazing plot, relentless actors and beautiful direction!
Review: More props to Alex Proyas for his direction of this chilling fairy tale. It has already become my favorite sci-fi story, because of the great writing and artistic nature of the film. From a technical POV, the filming was incredible with sweeping city shots, fantastic cuts made in the editing room, and wonderful set design. No more can be said about this film than "Wow!" You must see it - you won't be disappointed. END
Rating:
Summary: Near-Perfect Sci-Fi Mystery
Review: Mixing elements of film noir with bits of allegory, mythology and religion thrown in for good measure, "Dark City" is one of the most original and amazing sci-fi films to come out in the last thirty years. It is a film that is destined to grow through closed circles until it reaches the level of a classic. Some films transcend their meager box office totals to live long lives on video shelves and TV: this is one of those films. In the beginning, a man wakes in a bathtub. Naked. He has no idea how he got there. In fact, he has no memory at all. He has trouble keeping his balance, like a newborn fawn. It's as if he's forgotten how to walk. In the mirror: there is a thin trickle of blood beading on his forehead. Is it his own? The lamp swings from the ceiling, creating shadows that move and leap, lunge and dive. But he never touched it. Never mind. He steps into the next room and dresses. A suitcase, initials: KH. His? No wallet, no ID. A phone call. A strange voice. Men are coming to his apartment for him. He must leave, now! He drops the phone, because now he can see the dead body on the floor.... This is the opening scene; it's one you'll never forget. I'd tell you more about the movie, of what it's about, but you'll enjoy it so much more if you discover it for yourself. Watch this movie: you won't regret it. END
Rating: 
Summary: Memorable and Influential Sci-Fi
Review: I would agree with almost anyone who says that "Dark City" is one of the most visually arresting cinematic efforts made in the last few years. Alex Proyas's film employs shifting set pieces, hallucinatory effects, downright bleak atmosphere, and bizarre characters to create a science fiction tour de force of epic proportions. I have never seen a movie quite like "Dark City," and I do not expect to see something like this again for some time to come, if ever. The movie seems to divide viewers; either you will like this one or absolutely detest it. Either side can make strong cases for their opinions. Fans can point to the devilishly clever plot, the casting of well-known actors such as Jennifer Connolly, Kiefer Sutherland, and William Hurt in key roles, and the nifty special effects work. Detractors are correct when they spotlight the movie's tendency to embrace style over substance, the paper-thin characters, and an occasionally convoluted plot. I am going to take the middle ground with this picture because I feel that "Dark City" is a wonderful idea in terms of special effects and plot but too often fails to realize the human aspects of its story. John Murdoch awakens in a bathtub with a raging case of amnesia the likes of which few people have ever seen. He simply has no memory of how he got into the bathtub, why the lamp above his head is swinging as though someone just bumped into it, or why there is a body in the other room. Over the course of the next few minutes, Murdoch realizes he has a wife and that the police think he is a serial killer of some sort. To make matters exponentially worse, a group of flying humanoids who look a lot like Uncle Fester on a diet occasionally turn up and attempt to do Murdoch some serious harm. Our forgetful hero must find out who he is, track down his wife, and figure out why a place called Shell Beach is so important before the Fester-like creeps hunt him down. Throw in a strange doctor who appears from time to time and spouts rather cryptic statements about the city, an alien conspiracy that would make even the most levelheaded soul paranoid, a truly mind blasting conclusion, and you have all the makings of a film that will stay with you for quite some time. To reveal more could very well spoil the whole movie, as "Dark City" utilizes each and every one of its scenes to build to a shattering conclusion. This movie reminds me of "Memento" in the way that you need to pay close attention to what is going on in order to arrive at the ending fully informed. The special effects are the best aspect of "Dark City." Proyas and gang constructed a truly frightening, grim backdrop for their characters to explore. The city never sees the light of day, and at midnight all life in the city comes to a screeching halt. The urban landscape itself is like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, capable of assuming new forms on a daily basis. The film reeks of noir stylings, as characters amble around in circa 1940s clothing, drive outdated automobiles from the 1950s to the 1960s, and occasionally banter using dialogue right out of a Raymond Chandler novel. The floating Festers who appear from time to time and talk in a strange lisping accent work as well, especially when we discover exactly what these creatures are and what their relation is to the humans in the city. What is this place and what does it all mean? A good question, and one that very few of the people in the city think about let alone can answer. Regrettably, I thought the characters in the film often took second fiddle to the special effects and eerie plot. Kiefer Sutherland does an effective turn as the nervous Dr. Schreber, a guy who knows everything about this city and the shenanigans taking place within its parameters but who has no idea how it all started. William Hurt turns up as the meticulous detective Frank Bumstead, a man who notices minute details within the conscious world but has no understanding of the reality of the city. Jennifer Connolly is completely, utterly wasted as Emma, Murdoch's barely remembered wife. Any Connolly fan that watches "Dark City" is sure to experience disappointment about how little she does here. Rufus Sewell, an actor I am unfamiliar with and whom I thought was miscast here, plays the amnesia addled John Murdoch. I never felt much sympathy with Sewell's character and I kept thinking of other actors who should have played the part. Ian Richardson turns up as one of the creepy Fester creatures. "Dark City," while failing to fire on all cylinders, is still an enormously entertaining science fiction film. As others have mentioned, it is easy to see this film's influence on later blockbuster sagas like "The Matrix." The extras on the DVD, including a couple of commentaries, cast biographies, and an interactive game, spare no effort to convince you that the film is nothing less than visionary. In fact, the producers of "Dark City" even draw comparisons between their effort and Fritz Lang's monumental epic "Metropolis." I wouldn't go that far, but Proyas's film is amazing on many levels and certainly makes for a couple of hours of great amusement.
Rating:
Summary: One of the last great films during the 20th century!
Review: "Dark City" will be remembered as the film that bridged the film noir genre at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Alex Proyas directs a suspenseful story on the meaning of reality in a dark, foreboding dream world. As people go about their lives, almost no one notices something is seriously wrong with their world. Until one man wakes up alone, one fateful night. John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakes in a hotel room to find he's lost most of his memories. Even worse, he may have committed a string of brutal murders against local prostitutes. Fleeing the crime scene, he finds himself pursued by not only the police, but also a mysterious cabal of cloaked men. Assisted by a cowed doctor and a supportive woman who claims to be his wife, Murdoch learns the truth of the city, and its secret Masters, the Strangers. The feature actors all give strong performances, as a confused Murdoch and a supportive Jennifer Connelly as Emma. Keifer Sutherland is impressive, especially when you contrast the cowardly Dr. Scheber vs. his characters from "The Lost Boys" or "24." The sets are as compelling as the actors, and credit is due for the deliberate "retro" look of the city. Making of movie of this style look creative guts, and it paid off. I just beg of the producers of the story one request: don't make a sequel, this story will always stand as a one and only!
Rating:
Summary: Move Over, Matrix...
Review: Time for something meatier! And that something is "Dark City." From the mind of Alex Proyas, director of "The Crow," comes the twisted tale of a world that is anything but what it appears to be. In a city without light, everyday people go about everyday tasks, leading everyday lives, completely unaware of the puppet masters who are pulling their strings. Deep beneath the mysterious city lies an underground world of manipulation and exploitation, as alien creatures from parts unknown carefully reconstruct and rearrange the lives of their pitiful experiment subjects above, the human race. One man shines as a beam of hope for the victimized humans, but only another man can show him the way. Rufus Sewell plays John Murdoch, the miracle man with the ability to "tune" the world around him the same way "The Strangers" do, and who has suddenly become aware that something about his world is just not right. As lost and out of place as the rest of his kind, marked with false memories of a life he never lived, and in danger of being given a whole new set of memories if he is captured by the agents who pursue him, John is forced to find a new escape route at every turn as he attempts to discover the truth about the Strangers and the Dark City.
Dark City is sci-fi film noir at its best. As dark as a movie can be without becoming lost in its lack of light, Dark City paints a perfect picture of a society lost in every other possible way. Rufus Sewell is excellent in the lead role, but Kiefer Sutherland is the man that steals the show with his creepy portrayal of a "Peter Lorre meets Claude Rains" scientist walking the line between good and evil. Jennifer Connelly, back when she looked more stunning than weary, is fantastic as the sultry nightclub singer who holds the glazed look of someone unfamiliar with her own life. William Hurt is equally superb as a man thrust into the role of a classic noir detective trying to figure out what is real and what is madness, even from the mouth of his now disturbed partner, played wonderfully by Colin Friels. Richard O'Brien, Ian Richardson, and a host of cronies, even some terrifying children, give nightmare inducing performances as the emotionless "Strangers." And this wouldn't be a classic slave2moonlight review if I didn't mention the character of May the prostitute, played by Melissa George. I would not be at all surprised if her picture was printed next to the word "gorgeous" in an illustrated dictionary somewhere; absolutely breathtaking. One cannot forget the city itself, either, which is as much a character as any human actor onscreen. The filmmakers have done a wonderful job here of blending various 20th century decades to create a world that seems very familiar, but somehow is not.
Dark City on DVD has a nice bit of extras. Most interesting are the comparisons to Fritz Lang's 1926 German Expressionist film, "Metropolis," and the commentaries by film critic Roger Ebert and the creators of Dark City. There are also some set design galleries, a theatrical trailer, Neil Gaiman's views on the film, cast and crew bios and filmographies, and some sort of interactive game that I was clueless about. In this case, however, the extras are incidental. This film on its own is a work of art that belongs in every film buff's library!
Rating:
Summary: Sci Fi meets Film Nior
Review: This is a truly great movie. While the requisite special effects are present (especially at the end) it is the acting that shines through. Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, and Richard O'Brien give spot on performances. Kiefer Sutherland is less successful in his attempt to channel the late Peter Lori.
This film along with Gattica are some of the few true Sci Fi classics of the 1990's. While wrapped in crunchy Film Noir shell the premise harks back to the great 1950's Sci-Fi pot boilers:
Evil Aliens have hijacked a bunch of poor sap humans to do nefarious experiments on them. It seems "the strangers" (a.k.a. the evil aliens) can remake physical reality by will alone. Not only that but they can mess up peoples memories. Again we are were great Sci Fi lives and breaths; dealing with questions of what is the essence of reality and what make us human (and therefore unique.)
One of the reason I love this film is it dares to be a true Sci-Fi film. Most "Sci-Fi" is some other genre in drag. Star Wars is a Saturday Matinee Western tarted up in outer space garb and then pumped up on special effects steroids. The Matrix while originally a good Magna/Sci Fi premise got lost in own myth. The arc of The Matrix was a very nasty downward curve, ending in the sickening splat that is Matrix 3. While The Matrix and Dark City do have the commonality of a unifying and overarching style, the Matrix suffers in the comparison. In the Matrix we have style for style's sake. Everyone in the Matrix is spending way too much time being far too cool. By the last installment the only characters I cared about were the Oracle and the little Indian girl.
In Dark City the characters never slip into caricatures. It's the little things, William Hurt's loving caress of his "mother's" old accordion and the pained expression on his face when he can't remember an important detail about that same accordion. It's the real fear on Kiefer Sutherland's face when confronted with having go to "Shell Beach". It's in a hundred of little details throughout the film. The style is there, it's there in hundreds of little Noir details, but the style never overwhelms the substance.
Talking about downward spirals, Star Trek is another great example of good Sci Fi premise ending in very bad way. While starting out shaky with the first installment, Star Trek hit a good stride with Wrath of Khan, stumbled with Shatner's overblown contribution to the cause and then passed the baton brilliantly to new kids on the block with The Undiscovered Country / Star Trek Generations. Then the whole affair went into free fall ending with the craptastic waste of time that is Star Trek Nemesis. I bring up Star Trek because it illiterates what is wrong most big budget Si-Fi ,that is the lack of imagination in their alien life forms. With all that money and supposed talent running around all we get is the nine millionth derivation of little green men. Dark City gave us a brief view of the aliens true form and it really got outside the box. The strangers look like a cross between a tapeworm from hell and an overgrown hydroid . This is exactly what one can expect from a few billion years of evolution on totally different world. Again this is brilliant (I will admit the animation / CGI is substandard even by 1990's standards)
A final note, if you will excuse the pun, about the music in this movie. The main theme is a luscious bit orchestration that can be listen to on its own merits and Trevor Jones nails each and every scene with the right music.
At its present price this movie is an absolute steal and should be in any Noir or Sci Fi fan's collection.
Rating:
Summary: A dazzling Sci-fi fantasy beyond your imagination!
Review:
Set in a dark and gloomy floating city somewhere in outer space, a race of malevolent and intelligent beings from another dimension called " The Strangers" who have control of the city and of the humans that inhabit it. These beings have unique powers that can alter time and reality with the help of a doctor named "Shaufer" ( Keither Sutherland)who helps conduct experiments, John Murdoc ( Rufus Sewell) is a man who is wrongfully accused of murder as he has strange powers that can help him repell against the deadly bald aliens and bring light back into the world.
A unique and dazzling dark Science Fiction movie from the director of "The Crow" with elements of film noir, fantasy and horror all rolled into movie. It's also a very entertaining and smart movie which is chockload of atmosphere and terrific special effects in which makes this Roger Ebert's pick for best movie of 1998.
The DVD has a cool game, theatrical trailer, two commentaries even by Roger Ebert himself, cool game you can play with your remore, cast and crew biographies, galleries of set designs and more. This is a Fun and smart Sci-fi movie for all Sci-fi fanatics to have in their collection!
Also recommended: " Heavy Metal", " The Wizard of Oz", " Total Recall", " The Fifth Element", " Blade Runner", " Metropolis ( 2001 and 1927 versions)", " 2001: A Space Odyssey", " Star Trek movies", " Making Contact ( a.k.a. Joey)", " Gattaca", " The Dark Crystal", " City of Lost Children", " Krull", " The Running Man".
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Viewing
Review: As a film, I think it is best to say that this is a more defined story along the lines of THE CUBE.
It is not until the big reveal at the end that you discover why things are so undeveloped, and why no-one can remember when, specifically, they last saw the sun.
This is a great film to watch, and like all of Alex Proyas's work I know of, it is a very fulfilling story... at least on an entertainment level.
All the actors are well crafted in their roles, and fulfill their acting roles in superb form. Lots of material left to the imagination ... both visual and ( not in a pretentious manner) literary in a good way.
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