the fresh films reviews

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Dark City (1998)

Director:
Alex Proyas
COUNTRY
USA/Australia
GENRE
Fantasy/Science Fiction
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Dark City
RUNNING TIME
100 minutes
Producer:
Alex Proyas
Andrew Mason
Screenwriter:
Alex Proyas
David S. Goyer
Lem Dobbs


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
John Murdoch Rufus Sewell
Emma Murdoch / Anna Jennifer Connelly
Dr. Daniel P. Schreber Kiefer Sutherland
Inspector Frank Bumstead William Hurt
Mr. Hans Richard O'Brien
Mr. Book Ian Richardson

 

Review

Overly stylized science fiction yarn which was released to critical acclaim a year before the Wachowski brothers unveiled The Matrix and effectively buried Dark City's reputation as a landmark film. The reasons can probably be boiled down to the following: Where The Matrix felt new and innovative, Dark City felt old and retroactive; its noirish, comic book setup and cardboard narrative cannot match the Wachowski brothers' futuristic, ominous story, and we're left gazing at impressive, semi-creative visuals, inspired by such films as Metropolis and Blade Runner – both of which provide far better value for money. Like The Matrix, they have allegorical relevance – a connection between the fantasy world presented and our real society – something which this film lacks desperately.

Copyright © 27.2.2011 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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