Dark City 6/10

Dark City (R) 1998
Reviewer’s Tilt (9)
Sci-Fi-100min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Commentary by Roger Ebert

In a classic case of sacrificing the forest for some very meticulously crafted trees, Writer/Director Alex Proyas draws us into his eerily noir universe. The acting is great: Rufus Sewell is haunting, Jennifer Connelly is mesmerizing, William Hurt is stunning and Richard O’Brian is positively inhuman. The acting takes a back seat only to the great direction and masterful camera work. The problem lies with the story. Obviously, every Sci-Fi flick requires a certain suspension of belief. Dark City, however, sets us up, and then refuses to play by its own rules. Proyas gives us beings with the power to create completely furnished buildings with their minds, but for some reason, they have to create a candelabra and physically place it in the building. Why it the candelabra different than the chandelier, or the flatware that came with the building? Roger Ebert explains this in his commentary, but the explanation does not make the scenes any less distracting.

Keifer Sutherland unconvincingly plays a doctor with an affected speech pattern, which leaves him sounding like a cross between Peter Lorie and “Stevie” from Malcolm in the Middle. The doctor’s daily chores would appear to take months, but are evidently completed in a matter of hours every night. The worst part, however, is the dues ex machina conclusion, manufacturing a hero from whole cloth. Throughout the film, the existentialist in me yearned to be drawn in, projected, into the film. I wanted to feel “How do I know this is not happening to me, right here, right now.” Needless McGuffins and numerous plot flaws, however, made this impossible. This is not a bad movie; the tragedy is that it could have been a true masterpiece. Watch Dark City for its acting, set designs, special effects and attention to detail; just remember to check reason at the door.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Director, co-writer, cinematographer and production designer commentary. Commentary by Roger Ebert, production notes, Metropolis comparison, set designs, Neil Gaiman analysis, interactive game, and trailer.