The Matrix including all its sequels in one brilliant movie#2

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2002)

'Dark City (1998)' is 'The Matrix (1999)' with better storytelling, better performances and captivating atmosphere. Let's compare the two movies, shall we? (this might contain some spoilers.)
In 'Dark City' John Murdoch, the main character, lives in a simulation of a city that 'the strangers' have created. He is not alone, other people live there too, but he has a gift: he has the ability to alter physical reality in the city, an ability that only the strangers have. The rest of the people are totally guided by the will of the strangers and they are unable to resist. The police are after John, accusing him of crimes he never committed. But there is someone else in this city who knows the truth and wants to reveal it to John. It's Dr. Schreber who will help him master his skills, so that John can take over the city and set the people free.
You can have Matrix's plot by replacing John with Neo, Dr. Schreber with Morpheus and the Strangers with the Agents. It's that simple! They even used Dark City's ending! They also made Neo's character emerge out of the water, just like in Dark City's introduction. Of course in 'The Matrix' you have the super slow motion effect, which is so great that people don't even bother to make the above comparison. To me, 'The Matrix' doesn't stand the test of time. Other movies will follow with better visual effects and 'The Matrix' will be considered dated. Take out the visuals, which are not all that great by the way (the mother ship has a cartoonish texture on it) and you have a boring version of Dark City. Incidentally, both movies were filmed in Australia.
Of course 'The Matrix' is easily digested by large audiences, so it's easier to promote and even to maintain. It's got techno-music, kung fu sequences and designer clothes. 'Dark City' is dark, creepy and Gothic. It's not your average teen movie.
'Dark City' is a masterpiece of modern cinema. The story is unfolding at a captivating pace. The truth is slowly revealed and new facts are shown even at the end of the movie. The cast is superb and the leading man Rufus Sewell gives an excellent performance. The director Alex Proyas, delivers another dark brilliance after 'The Crow'. His job is unbelievably good for such a complex movie. Elements of film noir, Gothic comics and classic horror are blended in harmony, while Proyas retains total control of everything. The visual effects in contrast to 'the Matrix', are so well integrated into the storytelling, that you don't even notice them (there are no martial arts sequences here), another proof of Proyas' skills.
The only minor weakness is the opening voice-over that was actually studio imposed. If only these fat studio executives let the artists do their work undistracted, we would enjoy a much better cinema.
Now you might be wondering why there wasn't any formal complaint or even a lawsuit against the creators of 'the Matrix'? Is it a coincidence that Proyas, a highly creative genius, hasn't made any other film since then? Hollywood has a way with promoting whoever they feel like and maybe they didn't want someone who created the Matrix's concept to be around. Because how can the promote the hell out of 'the Matrix', when someone who's done this movie in the past, is still active.
Spoiler: You want to know what happens in the next 'Matrix' movies? Just watch the last 10 minutes of Dark City.