Brilliant storytelling...

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2002)

When I was first about to watch "Dark City," I really had no idea on what it was about, what the characters would be like, or whether or not the film's visual storytelling would work. The thing I admire about films like this is that you hardly know about the movie until you actually see it.
I've had some bad relationships with movies that tell their story visually. For example, "The Matrix," although having some cool special effects, wasn't really that good of a movie. It really didn't tell the story with special effects the way "Dark City" did.
One fantastic thing about "Dark City" is the beautiful production design by Patrick Tatopoulis. It reminded me of movies like "Batman," as it was impossible to determine when this movie takes place. The characters in the movie also don't talk like they do today (A prostitute says "shoot" rather than "sh*t").
Having not seen enough of director Alex Proyas' movies, I can already tell that he's a genius behind the camera. He often utilizes Dutch angles, which help with the visual storytelling. He can tell a story with just enough special effects, which don't get in the way of the experience.
"Dark City" is a movie that's definitely ahead of its time. It's story and storytelling are wonderfully inventive and they constantly ask you questions. "Dark City" defines exactly what filmmaking is: an art. And the art in this movie is crafted with pure genius with its direction, photography, editing, and production design. Director Proyas knows that special effects should be told with the story, and that they always come second. Not many movies get to be like "Dark City," and this is one that should be remembered for a long time to come.