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0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Great movie, outstanding picture! A must-see for sci-fi fans.. Oct 27, 2009
I was surprised by the quality of the digital film transfer. If you haven't seen this movie before, here's an excellent opportunity to know it. This is not a regular sci-fi movie, and I think this is really what makes it unique in the genre.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Dark City the way Alex Proyas intended it to be. Oct 06, 2009
While the original DVD release of Dark City is quite good it's here where Alex Proyas delivers an expanded story and rights some errors that were necessitated by the studio in its original 1998 release. Characters have been expanded further and the pace was tightened up on what I considered to be an excellent movie to begin with. It simply gets better in the director's cut.
The most notable change I've noticed was the removal of the narration at the beginning which simply gave away the film's secret far too early regarding "tuning". Also the opening sequence is shorter without any cutaways to the traffic and denizens of the city. Wordlessly, Dr. Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland) checks his watch as it freezes at midnight, turns and walks away from the camera as if he were Marty Feldman beckoning you to "walk this way". On the original commentary on the 2001 DVD release Proyas stated that, regarding the original cut, he was pleased with 90% of it. The introductory sequence was a sizable chunk of that 10% he was unhappy with for it was the studio's decision and not his to spoon-feed the audience.
Afterwards it was the slow revealing of the nature of the city and the characters who inhabit it where the director's cut shines. Once past the abbreviated beginning the story now has a bit of extra time to develop the details further.
The director's cut DVD, while marred by the "Digital Copy" (Expired July 29, 2009, even though all DVDs are already digital copies of film/video to begin with) it has a much better picture when compared to the original 2001 flipper DVD release. It also boasts three commentary tracks: A version of Roger Ebert's original commentary with new interview details spliced in (you can tell which parts were spliced due to when Ebert got surgery performed on his jaw), a newly-recorded Alex Proyas commentary and finally commentary track with both Lem Dobbs and David Goyer. Three documentaries (totaling 82 minutes) help to flesh out an already spectacular thought-provoking film.
I wouldn't replace the old 2001 release with this DVD. I do prefer Ebert's more detailed commentary on the 2001 DVD release. And, like Ebert's commentary, the other commentary tracks are different enough to render the original release worth keeping. It is also missing the "Find Shell Beach" interactive "game" (more along the lines of "find all the easter eggs for a kitschy little animation") and some other lesser features such as the pan'n'scan 4:3 version of the film. New Line has always done excellent DVD's for their "Platinum Series". And, if you don't have the 2001 version, it can be found cheap.
With the discovery of a lengthier and more complete version of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" found in Buenos Aires, Dark City whets the appetite for its inspiration. And, within these links of films, I wonder how much of an influence Dark City had on 1999's "The Matrix".
I'm not disappointed by this DVD. It was an impulse buy for me for $15 at a brick'n'mortar store a couple years ago. The price is even better now on Amazon. It's a cut which has the fans of Dark City and neo-noir science fiction in mind.
 The human laboratory Sep 28, 2009
Dark City (1998), directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot), is a film noir sci-fi which plays tribute to much older black and white silent films like Metropolis, and Nosferatu. Kiefer Sutherland portrays a rather mad scientist (Dr. Daniel Schreber) who assists aliens in their experiments on the humans trapped in this artificial world. Every night the city is shifted into new configurations, and the people are given new memories. These aliens, "Strangers", are endangered parasites with a collective consciousness, who are experimenting on humans so as to analyze the "nature verses nurture" concept of the human hosts in their hope to find a way to survive. John Murdoch is one human that has accidentally awoken during the night and is now beyond the control of the Strangers. As he's trying to make sense of the world that he finds himself in, the aliens are trying to track him down. William Hurt also appears in the film as a tough guy inspector, who begins to suspect that Murdoch might be telling the truth. Jennifer Connelly is Emma, John Murdoch's wife.
The Matrix film, which came out a year later, shares many similar qualities. As in the Matrix, there is a protagonist who discovers that he has the ability to manipulate the virtual world that he is living in. And as in the Matrix, the humans are being used, mostly unbeknownst to them, by an alien race. Both films question notions about reality, perception, and identity.
The blu-ray extended cut has 15 extra minutes compared to the theatrical release. In these extra minutes the director has added some additional scenes that help to further develop the characters. Also, in the extended cut, the director has eliminated the voice over that was originally heard at the beginning of the film on the theatrical version of the film.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Dark City provides bright blu-ray! Sep 15, 2009
Always loved this movie! The blu-ray brightens the heart of the viewer with crisp images and full sound (LOVE that soundtrack!). The Director's Cut is the same as the anniversary dvd, but after seeing this on blu-ray, well... And this came with the Digital Copy, so I can enjoy this movie on the road on my PSP as well.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Dark City (1998)-Beautiful special effects, good performances, interesting ideas! Aug 17, 2009
I saw Dark City when it first came out in 1998 and believe it is a five star sci-fi thriller. Dark and colorful, it is another story of circumstances totally out of control masquerading as possible paranoid delusion. The ending reminded me of the Matrix, but it was very interestingly done.
It appears that the overused theme of an individual (or individuals) suffering from paranoia underwent an increase in usage in middle of the 90's in movies. Fortunately, it was pretty clear almost from the outset of the movie that this was not the case. The atmosphere of the film was dark, brooding and always troubling, until its Matrix like ending. John Murdoch is "the one"!
This film had absolutely terrific special effects, and featured some good performances of an interesting theme.
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