Quick reviews!

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2004)

Carrying on with the look of The Crow, Proyas gives Dark City an appropriately nourish atmosphere. Now, did The Matrix rip this off? The similarities are blatant, the opening few scenes are almost identical to the Wachowskis' movie, and some of the early dialogue is the same. The look is similar, as is the story to some extent: your life is being controlled by an outside, unseen force, and the human race is their little play thing. Then again, Proyas' story has elements from Metropolis, and Blade Runner. Sewell's character Murdoch wakes up, with no idea who he is, or who the dead woman beside him is. When he is chased by a group of leather clad baldies, he begins to wonder what the hell is going on. He questions why no-one can remember the last time there was daylight, or remember the way out of the city. Help comes in the form of odd doctor Sutherland, who seems to e the only other person in the city who doesn't mysteriously fall asleep at midnight. Sutherland teaches Murdoch how to harness his powerful gift, and they try to bring down the bad guys. Questions of free will, will arise from this, and like The Matrix, we will wonder whether it would be better not to know. At the end, there is still no escape from the city, although Murdoch's power to create remains. I know many people on this board find Connelly very attractive, I've never been one of those people, but she looks better in this than any other film I've seen her in.