Possibly the most under appreciated groundbreaking film...ever

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2002)

Director Alex Proyas has created in `Dark City' a totally new breed of film. A cross between sci-fi, film noir, and even German expressionism, `Dark City' fails to belong to any category. This is precisely what makes the film so innovative...and, I think, why audiences didn't respond very well to it. In the traditional sci-fi atmosphere, `Dark City' deals with a man, John Murdoch, struggling to overcome a great mystery as aliens stifle his efforts. The catch to this traditional sci-fi story line is that the aliens, or strangers,' do not wish to annihilate the human race, but learn from it to survive. As for film noir, the smoky physical atmosphere, abundant fedoras, and search for the great whatsit dominate the aesthetics. And German expressionism? Lets just say that Proyas drew from such masterful films as `Metropolis' and `Nosferatu' to create his post-modern sci-fi tale. All in all, `Dark City' is the most original sci-fi film I have ever seen.
In all the reviews I have written, `Dark City' has been the most difficult to complete. There are simply no films to compare it to and thus no way of describing its excellence without simply telling the films story and trying to dictate the image in words, a task far too difficult for `Dark City.' The amazing special effects and brilliant camera work of Alex Proyas paint a film in the tone of Edward Hopper meets 1940s horror films. Really, about the only other thing I can comment on is the choice of cast and acting, and the only thing I can say there is that each role was perfect and executed flawlessly. However, not to detract from my previous comments at all, I still feel that something is amiss. I cannot point it out or even give it a name. But it should be a crime that this film doesn't make imdb's top 250 list.
I would also recommend: Kiss Me Deadly; Metropolis