A sci-fi masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (2 May 2003)

"Dark City" is easily one of my favourite sci-fi movies. It has been compared to "Matrix" a lot, and I agree they are similar, but I'm glad I have seen "Dark City" twice but I haven't seen "Matrix" at all.
Some people might classify this as a "sci-fi horror" movie. I don't think it is that. Aside from a few murders, this movie is not scary at all. What it is instead is deep and thought-provoking.
"Dark City" is set in a generic middle-sized American city where it is always night and no one ever seems to get out of the city. John Murdock wakes up in a bath tub with a cruelly murdered prostitute in the next room. He is accused of six murders but nothing seems right in this. The reason behind it is far more sinister...
I love "Dark City"'s visual appearance. All the buildings and the people look like they came from a 1920's or 1930's gangster movie. I particularly like Kiefer Sutherland's performance as Dr. Daniel Schreber and Richard O'Brien's performance as Mr. Hand.
The only thing I don't like about "Dark City" is how Dr. Schreber basically gives away the whole plot in the first few minutes of the film. If you start watching when Murdock wakes up then the movie is much more intriguing.
I recommend "Dark City" to anyone who is serious about movies. If you think all sci-fi is like "Matrix" or "Star Trek" or "X-Men" then "Dark City" will be an entirely new and exciting experience to you.