This movie made one of my worst days worth of living.

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2001)

This film is immersely captive. Those who know what this film is, would very likely have heard the good things said about this film. The first thing you have likely heard about this film is the fact that it bases on same original concept the Matrix does. Don't worry though, the differences are that remarkable that having seen the other does not give much of clues to the other.
By now I declare to be one of those who consider that Dark City is better film than Matrix. Many have said that and actually I have not heard anyone to claim the opposite. Be warned though, this film is completely different beast than Matrix - different Matrix could ever be.
I feel rather impressed currently. I have finished watching the film some half an hour ago. Time has passed just enough that I have watched the extra material the DVD disc provides.
The name of the movie gives all it out. Dark City. It tells the feeling. It tells what you are going to see. Not murky or greenish depressive world like in Matrix, but utterly dark. You'll going to see something that has more pessimism in it than anything in Matrix. In that sense this movie could be compared to Delicatessen where world is dirty and cruel, but where Delicatessen only has the artistic touch, this movie has well hidden plot as well. I say well hidden, because you are not going to know exactly what is going on until in very end of the story. You would receive half truths all along. Where as Matrix gave out there about all the secrets in very early and the rest was action, the Dark City let you live it within the mystery not knowing how deep or far it goes.
Word of warning for Matrix lovers. This is not an action movie by nature. At least not in the degree Matrix is. This film has a lot more action in it than films like The Seven for example, but the action is not that glorified like in Matrix. The action seams a lot more real. I mean the presenting of it, not the physical manovers. Well, where in Matrix the self was boostable, in the Dark City that is very limited. Don't expect ultra jumps or anything fancy, the 'tuning' is something else. The differences make sense to you when all secrets have been revealed. At that point you might wonder what you have been expecting. After all, this is not Matrix. This is artistic, dark, science fiction movie and far better than Matrix. This is such a movie that I don't regret a minute that I bought the last copy of it from the first shop where I saw it.