Amazon.com video review:
If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a
nihilistic jolt from The Crow (1994), and share director Alex
Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you
might be tempted to call Dark City an instant classic of visual
imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of
its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so
that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire
their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes
interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's
certainly enough to grab your attention (Blade Runner is
considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that Dark
City has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional
characters are no match for the film's abundance of retro-futuristic
style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly
cinematic terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the
film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German expressionism) were
built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of
director Alex Proyas and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world
depicted in the film required the largest indoor set ever built in
Australia. Befitting a film of such ambition, the DVD includes a feast
of bonus features, including audio commentaries by the director,
producer, writers, and cinematographer, and also by film critic Roger
Ebert, who named Dark City one of the best films of 1998. Also
included is an isolated music track, an interactive game, and a photo
gallery of production stills and set design sketches. --Jeff
Shannon
Amazon.com video review:
If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from The Crow
(1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you
might be tempted to call Dark City an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films
that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that
even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long,
however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly
enough to grab your attention (Blade Runner is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear
that Dark City has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional characters are no match for the
film's abundance of retro-futuristic style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly cinematic
terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German
expressionism) were built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of director Alex Proyas
and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world depicted in the film required the largest indoor set
ever built in Australia. --Jeff Shannon
