Alex Proyas' Sci-Fi Masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (1 September 2007)

This is one of the best newer Sci-Fi Films to come out of the 90's. Saw this film on TNT late at night back in 2003. It was edited for content of course also shown in Pan & Scan. I recently bought The New Line DVD that includes The Letter-Box Version on Side A also Pan & Scan Version on Side B. I have yet to watch it in LBOX yet I have just heard The 2 Audio Commentaries which are very informative as commentaries usually are on DVD's I buy like this. DVD has some nice extras. I would like to see The Director's Cut in the future which is 105 mins. which I heard would be nice to see a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD in the future of this film with nice behind the scenes footage. And a documentary about the making of the film. Dark City is a Sci-Fi-Thriller that blends mystery elements as well as the old Classic Film-Noir elements together to make one awesome Sci-Fi-Thriller. I guess technically u could classify it as a Sci-Fi-Mystery-Film-Noir-Thriller. But if u wanna be short & sweat it's a Sci-Fi-Thriller. I never knew of Alex Proyas before this. I, Robot (2004) which I saw on DVD in 2006 is also really awesome & I think is another one of Proyas Sci-Fi Masterpieces. Proyas a native of England had his first big hit with 1994's The Crow. DC's opening sequence of the story takes place in a bathroom where John Murdoch is in a bathtub naked with a dead guy in the bathroom. He has his mind & memory erased. The police are after him obviously thinking he committed the crime. He didn't he was married to Emma played excellently by Jennifer Connelly. Rufus Sewell's Murdoch character develops these strange telekinesis powers. Not only are the police after him but these weird pale white beings with powers like Murdoch's character as well. He has memories of his past life with his wife that he had meet at Shell Beach. Kiefer Sutherland plays a Doctor that was once John's teacher & is caught in the middle of helping these beings. It is a very weird story these beings control the city at midnight they stop time & change everything around. Their race is dying & they need the human soul in order to survive. Don't wanna say much more don't wanna spoil it for those that have yet to see it. I would also like to point out on the soundtrack Gary Numan's song Dark from his 1997 Exile album is present. Also an old Numan song from 1979 called Replicas the title track from that same album. A character in the song called Mr. Wall is also featured in this film he is one of the evil beings that is after Murdoch's character. I am snot sure if Proyas or the screenwritter got the idea for that character & name from Numan's Replicas song seems like it & I think that's so awesome since a lot of Numan's older stuff was Sci-Fi related & he was inspired by Sci-Fi Writter Phillip K. Dick. As well as 70's Classic Sci-Fi Films as Westworld (1973) & Soylent Green (1973). So I wouldn't be surprised if Proyas got his idea for Mr. Wall from Numan's Replicas song which has the same character name in it. Replicas by the way is my favorite Numan song very dark & awesome song with Sci-Fi lyrics. So u could relate & link a lot of Numan's songs & albums to Proyas' Dark City. Especially Numan's 1980 album Telekon. What can I say great movie one of my favorite newer Sci-Fi Films. Seems though Hollywood today is dying & can't come up with Films like this much anymore I, Robot (2004) & Transformers (2007) are the last 2 Sci-Fiers I thought were really good. Transformers the movie is Sci-Fi The Transformers movie technically isn't the original start. Since it originally came from Japanese Comic Books & the 80's Cartoon Series as well as the 80's Cartoon Movie. Then Beast Wars came around later. Seems all most Movie Makers do today is do remakes of Classic Sci-Fi Films I ain't gonna sit here & name the many remakes that only just came out. I am sure die-hard Sci-Fi & Horror Fans like myself know of the remakes. Some movies like the Sci-Fi Classic "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers"(1956) have been remade for the third time. Invasion (2007) with Nicole Kidman just came out on Friday Aug. 17, 2007 there is an example enough of that though anyway Dark City is awesome & they don't make em' like this much anymore 8 out of 10!