Major Disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (22 March 2005)

'Dark City' is one of my favorite Sci-Fi flicks of recent years so I was hoping for much, much more. After all, this is an intelligent work of fiction. But it seems he succumbed to the usual Hollywood 'dumbing down' for the mass audience, infusing it with some of the most absurdly unbelievable 'action', and casting a 'money man' incapable of acting his way out of the proverbial paper bag. The biggest mistake, though, was the casting of the ever-annoying Mr. Smith in yet another much-undeserved and much-overpaid leading role. This will be the last time I ever waste money on a film with his participation. I had hoped for more, as I said, from the director of 'Dark City', but then I have to remember he also directed the hopelessly stupid, but stylish 'The Crow'. Another piece of major Hollyweed garbage. So perhaps he's yet another one of the many director's with only one good film in him. But then that's been the trend for the last 20 years. Indeed there is very little good I can find in the crap heap. The script is stupid and obvious, the acting exceedingly dull, even Proyas' usual visual style would seem to be totally gone as there is nothing worth even looking at here.
Anyway, my advice is to avoid this, even if, like me, you are an avid sci-fi fan. There's nothing here worth wasting your time on. Go back and watch the old 'Outer Limits' episode.