A visual treat but disappointing story and characters

Rating: 5/10 (25 April 2007)

If you loved the Matrix, you will likely find this older movie disappointing given its high IMDb rating (7.2 at time of writing).
The strength of this movie is its visual imagination - in the style and design of the sets, the atmosphere, the lighting.
Unfortunately, the main character is somewhat flat. By the end of the film, you do not feel you know Murdock as a person. He runs around a lot, does some fighting but that's about it. Nothing that would evoke empathy.
Also, there isn't a single moment of humor in the film, which is a problem because relentless darkness without some light runs the risk of boredom.
Finally, the other weakness are the pasty-faced alien villains, they're one-dimensional and more annoying than malevolent.