What the Matrix should have been

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2004)

Many young people saw the Matrix and got really taken in with the entire notion of perceived reality vs true reality. This is not a ground breaking concept but the Wach. Bros packaged it in a polished, high energy action flick replete with gratuitous Hong Kong violence and women in tight leather pants. Dark City does not need to rely on such base devices to get its message across and it doesn't need to drive away at rather overly vague chosen one plot devices to move the action forward. The simple fact that Dark City was able to do everything the entire Matrix Trilogy did in one movie and do it better should speak for itself.
Right away, the first thing one sees is this movie is far more 'grown-up' than the Matrix. Instead of slogging from one tired action sequence to the next, the story is calmly paced like a slightly up tempo film-noir flick. The special effects may not be as flashy as the Matrix (with all its slo-mo, explosions, morphing, etc) but it actually manages to better convey the atmosphere of this 'Dark City' better despite this. As if superior atmosphere and pacing were not enough, this film also deals with emotions far better. The Matrix felt like a teen in many ways - all the characters could have been people in a high school (Neo/Trinity-angst-ridden teen couple, Morpheus-knowledgeable mentor teacher, Agent Smith-mean spirited Principal). Dark City had adult characters with a full range of emotions. Also, though this may be because they were working with better material, the acting seems far better (particularly when one compares the two protagonists).
It should be said that simply comparing this movie to the Matrix does not do it justice. It is just so much more. My advice would be to watch it and come to your conclusion.