Unfairly Overlooked

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2004)

My Rating: ***1/2 out of ****.
When Dark City came out in 1998 it was not a box office success. In fact, it was a failure. It did receive some good reviews, especially from critics James Berardinelli and Roger Ebert. But it did not stay in theaters for more than a few weeks.
I am one of the few people I know that saw this film in the theater. I just recently got the DVD for Christmas and watched it. I got alot more out of the film than I did five years ago. It provides some really thought-provoking about our memories. Dark City is an intelligent film thats more rewarding if you think about the film while watching. There are no easy answers here though, director/screenwriter Alex Proyas wants you to think about the film, instead of him just overexplaining it.
When talking about the film, it is impossible not to mention how much style is in this film. The vision of this city is absolutely stunning. I immediately recalled images of Tim Burton's oh so memorable vision of Gotham City in Batman. Both of those visions are gothic and absolutely stunning. The film is also drenched in atmosphere. Dark City has one of the most stylish visions I have ever seen in a film.
The acting is solid. Rufus Sewell is solid as John Murdoch. Some complain about Kiefer Sutherlands performance but I think it works well here. Jennifer Connelly puts her heart and soul into her perfomance as Emma Murdoch. William Hurt is very effective as the detective. Richard O'Brien is excellent and at times chilling as Mr. Hand.
There have been many comparisons with Dark City and the very popular Matrix. Its true they both have similar ideas but Dark City maybe a little more thought-provoking. Also, Dark City did not need two money driven sequels(although its questionable if The Matrix really did need them). I love both films equally, but if someone said Dark City was better than The Matrix I would understand.
Dark City does have one small(and weird)flaw. At times I feel the pacing is a little fast, especially the first 30-40 minutes. However, thats a small flaw that does not hurt the film horribly.