as good as Matrix, maybe better

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2003)

I have seen lots of people compared Dark City with Matrix. They are quite similar in certain ways: both are about what is real and not real, both have a hero (in Matrix, Neo; in Dark City, John) with super power which can save the world, both have a mentor for the potential hero (in Matrix, Morpheus; in Dark City, the doctor), both have non-human forces controlling humans.
One difference between them is Dark City put more emphasis on how John discovered the truth, while Matrix put more emphasis on how to overthrow the non-human forces (how to let Neo unlash his potential power), but the problem with Morpheus and his team is they do not really know how to do that, so finally Neo obtaining his power is attributed to the magic of love, which is not very satisfactory.
Another good thing about Dark City is they depict a good scientist, which is relatively rare in sci-fi movies. Except in really "scientific" movies like Contact or 2001 Space Odyssey, scientists are quite often depicted as either mad dangeous weirdos. But in this movie, the doctor is the real hero, who has his own ideas, wisdom and courage, although he looks quite nerdy.
The atmosphere of the movie is very dark for most of the time, somewhat reminding me of Blade Runner. At the end of the movie John changed the orientation of the floating land so that they get sunlight. That's a happy end.
I like this movie. It makes you think. It discusses the relation of reality, memory and human nature and the possibility of chaning one's memories. The idea is creative while the way it is presented is clear, not as cryptic as Donnie Darko. Rate: 8 out of 10.