Almost had it

Rating: 5/10 (27 April 1999)

This was nearly classic science fiction.
The premise of a race of non-humans experimenting with humans by shifting circumstances, environment, and memories was and is fascinating. And the maker(s) were on the right track so long as they stayed with the premise and the hero who battles himself and his surroundings to find the truth.
However, two (in my view) mistakes kept this movie from reaching its full potential. First, and admittedly by writer's choice, there was no "truth" to go back to. The "Dark City" was not an Earth hideaway, or strictly in the minds of the human guinea pigs but instead off in outer space. The humans had no original identity to aspire to find and recapture. I would have preferred the plot to focus on that aspect.
Second, as most contemporary Hollywood plots, it disintegrated into a special effects war between the hero and the alien race. However, it is never fully explained how our hero inherited their supernatural powers. I didn't follow how interrupting a memory transplant inherits you supernatural abilities.