Much ado about nothing

Rating: Null/10 (2 October 1999)

Movie critics, horror and science fiction fans fell over themselves fawning for this film while mainstream audiences stayed away in droves. For once I agree with the mainstream. Dark City is an overblown and highly unoriginal peice of genre filmmaking that really grates on one's nerves after awhile. Much was made over the film's "highly original" look which is laughable in the extreme. Dark City rips it's visuals off of Brazil, Blade Runner and most importantly the Hellraiser films. The Hellraiser rips are so blatant that I'm surprised Clive Barker and company didn't sue the filmmaker's for appropriation of copyrighted material. There is not one original bone in this film's flabby body. That could be exscused had director Alex Proyas crafted something good out of it but he didn't. The final nails in the coffin are the unlikeable characters. You simply do not care one iota for any of these people. Their plight does not raise your interests and you don't care whether they live or die. Characterasation is nill. And what is with Keiffer Sutherland? A usually fine actor turns in a sniveling, rat like performance that ranks as one of the worst in years. What happened? Blame director Proyas. If he is determined to direct films from his own ideas them he must first let his imagination catch up with his knack for camera movements. The Crow signaled the coming of a major talent. Dark City sees that talent go down in flames.