Rating: 
Summary: Dark...Or just dim?
Review: It is clear that in its basic conception, Dark City had the rudiments of an engrossing Sci Fi movie. It becomes quickly evident on viewing that little of this potential made it to the screen. Good Science Fiction depends fundamentally on how completely believable it is. It must be meticulous in the way that its world of fiction is constructed, or the fissures will be blindingly obvious.
The real problem in Dark City is that it does not adequately acquaint us with the the alien race wreaking havoc on the humans. Their motivations for doing so and their overall character are sketched out hastily, evoking a weak sideshow reaction. Because they share a hive mind, they tap into and rearrange human memories, to learn what it's like to have individual minds. But instead of showing us the bleakness or horror of the hive mind which we are supposed to understand outright, we are given the ultimate human self-congratulation: The Soul of Man will always elude capture. It will always triumph over knife-wielding Nosferatus and their exploitive schemes. There are elements which could have come together gloriously: our hero creates a giant moat around the floating city at the end of the movie. It could have meant much more had we ever been given a memorable scene of the aliens' fear of water, and perhaps more of an exposition on it.
Then, there are elements which ought to have been strangled at birth, e.g. the Final Confrontation between Captain Alien and the protagonist, which is like a kind of boring ping-pong match, with extra iridescent goop and rusty spikes for effect.
The dialogue is mediocre and delivered unconvincingly. Particularly bad was Kiefer Sutherland's shallow-breath imitation of a German accent. He should have just talked normally; it would have been far more effective. And shall I explain the aliens' predilection for knives? It makes them easier to be killed. Yawn.
On the plus side, Dark City's set design and 3D animation of architecture were pretty amazing, and used to good effect, giving weight to most of the two-star rating.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark, indeed.
Review: Before the Matrix, before the Crow before any of that there was 'Dark City.' A movie so good people had to find it on DVD because no one saw it at the theatre. If you like 'Matrix' then this will be a movie you treasure because it is the first, the true one.
This movie is so fantastic. It's creepy and makes you think.
The ending is a little disappointing I have to say but everything leading up to is sorely original and as a concept brilliant.
All of the actors are great. Rufus Sewell plays wide-eyed and strong with ease. Kiefer may be a little weak in his role but once the movie gets going you understand why. And Jennifer Connelly well what hasn't been said about this brilliant and underused actress. Whatever you heard apply it here.
There is an hidden conceptual art video on as an easter egg on this disc pretty trippy. The extras as a whole are pretty good the commentary from Roger Ebert is odd but as a movie enthusiast he adds a lot of intellect to a movie chockful. The director and writer have a seperate commentary that is engaging and informative.
Adding this to your collection will make you look cool. Trust me.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, but had it's flaws
Review: Now, this truly is a great movie, and is worth the rent at the very least by any Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan.
The problem I have is with all the other reviewers saying that the Matrix copied Dark City, some of it was filmed at the same places, but think about this. Dark City was released 1 year before The Matrix (so it did come out first,) but odds are The Matrix in that year was more or less working on the special effects, and not the plot of the movie. This movie is great, but I am getting tired of it getting compared to The Matrix so much.
Rating:
Summary: VERY STYLISH AND ORIGINAL
Review: Mix some sci-fi, with horror, and a dash of 40's film noir, and you've got Dark City. Not for everyone's taste to be sure, but highly original. I can't say much about the plot as it does give too much away, especially early on. There are some very suprisingly good extras on the disk, especially the commentary by Roger Ebert who is a big fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great film, explores the importance of individuality
Review: Dark City is an excellent film - one of the most interesting in the sci fi genre. This movie is heavily influenced by film noir and other dark science fiction, including the director's more popular but inferior work, The Crow. While the movie suffers in the acting department and there are certain stylistic issues, it is definitely a great movie to watch and a return to good genre film moviemaking that has been missing for quite some time. Naturally, it does not fit into the pop paradigm, and was largely overlooked. The movie takes place on an "experimental" city that is always dark and subject to change at the whim of powerful alien forces. The "experiments" are intended to determine whether people, given a certain set of memories, will continue to behave in a predictable manner - or if free will and individuality transcend this process. The hive-mind, collectivist experimenters are in for a surprise, however, when certain individuals choose not to cooperate. The movie explores what it means to be human and touches on cognition, the individual's relationship to society, psychological illnesses, and genuine human emotion. Rufus Sewell does a horrible job as the protagonist, Keifer Sutherland overacts his role as mad scientist good guy helping the bad guy, and the supporting cast provides almost no emotion to the story. Yes, its true, the movie is poorly acted, and there are some issues with the "mind power" that certain characters emit from their brains. Also, the evil alien overlords look way too much like the bad guys from "Hellraiser" for my taste. You will have to suspend your disbelief several times during the film, and this may turn off many viewers who are not used to science fiction. If you are not a fan of the genre, you will most likely not like this movie. For the rest of us, this movie explores interesting themes in a new way. The special effects aren't what you'll see in "The Matrix," to which this movie is often compared, and the action scenes are not nearly as exciting. However, I recommend this movie for its story, wonderful art direction, and compelling themes. It should keep you watching until the end, and then bring you back another time to really understand it. The DVD's special features are poor, but the movie looks stunning on a good system and is worth owning. Watch this movie, it won't let you down if you know what to expect.
Rating:
Summary: EXTRAORDINARY!
Review: I first watched "Dark City" in the theater. I was hooked at that moment. It was one of the most original films I had watched in a long time. Director Proyas does a masterful job at directing this Neo-Noir Science Fiction extravaganza. "Dark City" is reminiscient of "Blade Runner," with its extreme set design, with obvious influences in early German expressionist films like "Nosferatu" and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." If you are a fan of "Blade Runner," then "Dark City" is a must to watch.
Rating:
Summary: A Grand Dark Fantasy
Review: Ever walk down a street that you have been down a dozen times and
suddenly felt things were suddenly different than you remembered?
Well imagine that happens to an entire city at night, every night . Why not day? Well day never comes in this city. It is always night and everyone is always asleep at the same time. Well almost everyone. One night one John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakes and finds himself in a wide awake nightmare.Things not only have changed but so have people. The man who was hotel clerk for example is now a news vendor. Nobody is who they were before they went to sleep. "Dark City" is a dark and deliriously stylized fantasy. The look and feel could be any city in the 1920's or 1930's. Styles are mixed so one might think it is New York, Chicago or Berlin. The influence of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" is a bit evident but it works so well you don't really care. A very good and mostly unnervingly sinister cast do a find job of keeping you off kilter. Kiefer Sutherland has a field day as an unhinged doctor clearly modeled on Peter Lorre. In the end a nightmare that you won't mind having over and over.
Rating:
Summary: Cool movie !
Review: This movie reminds me of the same city like landscape that the Matrix holds. I think the same cinematographer worked on both of those films but that's my opinion. This movie is really good and the story is worth watching the movie and finding out exactly what is wrong with the town. The main character is excellent at portraying his innocence when he is the one with the true power and starts unlocking deep secrets held in the most darkest places of the town. Cool movie and worth the pick up!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sci-Fi movie
Review: I'm not a big fan of Sci-Fi movies, but I really enjoyed this film. It's kind of the pre-cursor to the Matrix, only the plot is a lot 'thicker' in this film. This movie runs like a film-noir set in a bleak future, the visuals are excellent, and the acting is slightly above par, All in all, it's a very enjoyable film. Highly reccomended.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible film
Review: I rarely give anything 5 stars, reserving taht for the truly spectacular, the things I would give as gifts or put on a top ten list. This movie is one of them. The intracacies of plot and character, is stupendous and theset designs are amazing.
What I will say truly setthsi film apart from toher sci-fi films is the fully relaized plotting of so many characters coming from such varied frames of reference. William Hurt does an amazing job as someone who doesn't believe and then comes to both believe and understand. What and who everyone is, and ultimately where they even are is a truly magnificent tale. From first frame to last, this film shows a maturaity in teh expression of psychic abilities and ultimately in relaity tampering.
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