Movie Notes: Dark City
= 4 stars
Starring Rufus Sewell, Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland
Directed by Alex Proyas
Synopsis
John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a strange hotel room with no memory of his life, or wife Emma (Jennifer Conelly). He discovers he’s wanted for murder in a strange, dark world involving the Strangers, mysterious beings that can alter reality.
The Good
- Really loved the 1950s setting with a futuristic sci fi. Provides for some amusing design similar to the “steampunk” genre.
- The Matrix borrowed quite a bit: the green tinged alternate reality where anything can happen, a clueless superhero who becomes the world’s savior, and baddies in overcoats.
- John is a decent point of entry — we learn increasingly more about this bizarre world as his amnesiac character does.
The Bad
- How did John get the ability to “tune?” I have no idea.
- So much imagination that some elements are bound to miss. The “strangers” reminded me of Hellraiser baddies or the Romulans in Star Trek Nemesis — neither of which are good associations in my mind. More than once I felt the film presenting style over substance. Lastly, I prefer the Matrix’s action, lack of aliens, and better, mind-blowing reveal (Neo finds himself in a tank) of the hidden reality.
- I think Minority Report was a more successful at linking film noir murder mystery with science fiction.
Conclusion
Read this line: Earth has been invaded by aliens with the ability to alter reality through a psychic technique called “tuning.” If that sounds like utter nonsense and a waste of time, you won’t like Dark City. Otherwise, rent and enjoy.
IMDB: Dark City
Wikipedia: Dark City
Rotten Tomatoes: Dark City 76%