This reminds of a great Babylon 5 episode where a serial gets new memories and becomes a good person. When he finds out what he was he doesn't go back to being a serial killer he still wants to be a good person. It is not clear if he did this because ofmind manipulation or because he just needed to see what a good person he could've been
I was reminded of this episode too! Interestingly, that episode aired BEFORE this movie came out (Passing Through Gethsemane was '95, this movie was '98), so I was wondering if maybe they were both inspired by the same book or short story, but I can't find anything citing that either is based on anything. Guess people just end up exploring similar questions across all of sci fi!
I first saw this when I was 13 as soon as it left theatres and FINALLY made it to my local blockbuster (yeah that's right, blockbuster baby). The trailer and its dark imagery grabbed me and after finishing it I was completely baffled by it but mesmerized. It wasn't until I was older until I could grasp it's themes and ideas, fully appreciating it as a fantastic film that I continue to enjoy several times a year now in my 30's.
Thanks for this great analysis. Dark City is a hughly underestimated and undervalued movie in my opinion. It had the bad luck of being released at almost the same time as the Matrix.
That wasn´t the problem, Matrix came out a solid year later (they even used sets from Dark City in the beginning with Trinity), the problem was that the studio didn´t knew how to market the film, so the trailers let it look like a typical 90´s Slasher-Murder-Mystery, which no one wanted to see (most likely because of the Scream movies, which were a new concept at the time)
I think the movies themes are the human soul dosen't derive from memories but from the energy of emotions. This is why if you take away your memory you'll still feel the same anger hate love etc
My opinion of the personal identity question is thus: The body (and therefore brain) may exchange it's own building blocks through it's lifetime, but the structure of the body (and therefore brain) remains intact. As the body's lifetime goes on the structure evolves over the course of its lifetime, yet it evolves based on it's own previous structure. All experiences shape the structure of the brain, as well as any genetic predispositions that the body may be subject to. The structure of the brain and body creates the perspective of that body. The 'soul', in my opinion, is bound to the structure of the body for the lifetime of the body, and must adhere to the experience brought upon by the structure of the body/brain. I hope this is clearly explained 😅
My favorite explanation on how body and soul are connected (that I don't believe in) is occasionalism :D It posits that God moves your body for you according to your will. you think "I want to lift my arm" and god is like "I gotcha, buddy, there you go". It's an idea that gets creepier the more you think about it. not only does god know that you have sinned, he was there in the first row and helped you do it. and probably went "oh my Me, GROSS" while he was at it.
I'm so glad you reviewed "Dark City". It's a film that I like a little more every time I see it. Each time is a slightly new experience, since I tend to notice something new every time. The way a shot is put together, the subtleties of the performances, the fact that Ian Richardson's character has a scar on his head, as do the rest of the strangers. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and look forward to every new video. Touching on that, is patreon the only way to commission a video? Or is there a secondary method?
Thanks for your thoughtful explanation of the film. I felt conflicted over the way many things were presented while watching this movie. I just saw it for the first time today so my mind is still mulling it over quite a bit. I definitely like the movie overall and your video helped me to organize and understand a lot of my thoughts and feelings towards the film. I may come back to write a lengthier comment with more specifics once I've had more time to process everything. Cheers!
I absolutely love this movie. I consider it The Matrix done perfectly. The villians are some of the best I've ever seen (especially Mr. Sleep, who still scares me). And the explanation for why everything is done is great. I just adore the aesthetic of this movie. Mixing film-noir with gothic architecture is natural and so, so clever. I just love everything about it... except William Hurt. Who isn't a good actor. He's not terrible. But not good.
While I do like this movie I wish it dove more into "muscle memory" and "Experience vs Memory" and other things that make us who we are beyond our memories.
It's because the average cinema goer doesn't want to think about what they're watching. They just want to sit there with a big bucket of popcorn and be entertained by big explosions and wobbly camera work courtesy of Michael Bey. It reminds me of when The Artist was released in theatres and people were walking out on the film, complaining that it was in black and white, silent or both.
Thank u so much for this video, I was looking for this and everything I found was that we are in the matrix or we are being control for an alien group and not the topic that the movie truly explain, so thanks 🙏🏾
This movie isn’t bad at all, but the editing and cutting seemed just dizzying and too fast, they barely gave any scene or line of dialogue a time to breath. Though I kinda liked it in a weird way (it was like a twisted dream), it really distracted me from attaching to the characters or the plot. Maybe pace should’ve been much slower and suspensful
I don't really buy the idea that there is a contradiction between the self as a construct and the self existing. "Self," after all, is just a word humans use to describe something that we experience. To me, it's a little like soup. If I think cereal is a type of soup, and you don't, that doesn't mean soup doesn't exist. We just have different experiences of the word because soup, in out heads, isn't one solid, objective thing. It's a construct that we use to structure and communicate in our world.
Fun Fact: Rufus Sewell was a drinking buddy when they shot "Bless the Child" up here in TO. He told me after the happy ending, they shot a twist wherein he reaches out strangles Jennifer Connely to death - Surprise ! He really was the serial killer! The end. But the studio made Proyas cut it out.
Renegade Cut Whoa, dude! Tiny penis-syndrome much?! "No cast member has made that claim"?! Yeah - Except directly to my face. But hey, your channel, you wanna look like the big man, with the biggest penis, I get it. God forbid something happen in another person's life that is at all interesting. Of course not, your the greatest Rick whoever Ricked, right?
Hey everyone, lets just believe a story some random stranger on the internet tells us without any proof to back it up solely because HE assures us it is true.
Mr Renegade, I love your work. Your videos are excellent, fascinating and with a depth rarely seen on RUclips that remain accessible and enjoyable. I would love to hear you thoughts on a movie that I enjoyed a wile ago that doesn't get much attention due to its erotic nature. The movie is "Blind Beast" from director " Yasuzo Masumura". The Guardian once said for its review "would give Salvador Dali nightmares". Love Dark City by the way !
Very interesting that I see this video now, just days after finishing playing Disco Elysium. *minor spoilers* So, I felt intuitively that Harry wasn't the same person as he was before the blackout. I made a strong effort to keep him sober and reliable, but I still felt obliged to apologise and make amends for the behaviour of the "previous" identity of Harry. While they do share the same body, I think it comes down to my belief that as a white man I am nevertheless responsible to correct the racist and sexist attitudes propagated for my benefit. It wasnt this *I* who did it, but for the sake of justice, this *I* is tasked with correcting it.
Great video! It would have also been interesting to hear your take on the ending of the movie. Has John created a new reality that will be better for all the inhabitants of the city or is he just as bad as the previous "rulers" of Dark City?
It took me twenty years to understand the very end. One day, not long ago, it suddenly occurred to me out of the blue why Murdock told Emma/Anna that his name was John Murdock. It used to be such a letdown for me, and I did not understand why. Now I understand, that no matter what he has the power to change about the world around him, he will always be stuck with the identity he was given at the beginning, even if he knows it was false. If he could really make the world anything he wanted, and be the god of that space station, it would have occurred to him that he could say he was Brad, or Nick, or Jack, or any number of moviestar names. But he is loyal to the identity someone else gave him.
Analysis is great but the first minute and a half is either a waste of time or COMPLETELY spoilers the movie depending on whether or not your viewer's seen it yet???
Is the soul a rare kind of energy in the universe that activates conscience and faith in complex lifeforms? There is also anti soul or dark energy which aims to feed on it? Which is why we have atheists and fundamentalists?
Jennifer Connelly was also on a pier in “requiem for a dream”. A movie that also is in my top 10 of all time.
I love this movie. It is a very underrated experience. Thank you for discussing it
This reminds of a great Babylon 5 episode where a serial gets new memories and becomes a good person. When he finds out what he was he doesn't go back to being a serial killer he still wants to be a good person. It is not clear if he did this because ofmind manipulation or because he just needed to see what a good person he could've been
"Passing Through Gethsemane"
I was reminded of this episode too! Interestingly, that episode aired BEFORE this movie came out (Passing Through Gethsemane was '95, this movie was '98), so I was wondering if maybe they were both inspired by the same book or short story, but I can't find anything citing that either is based on anything. Guess people just end up exploring similar questions across all of sci fi!
One of my absolute favorite films of all time.
I first saw this when I was 13 as soon as it left theatres and FINALLY made it to my local blockbuster (yeah that's right, blockbuster baby). The trailer and its dark imagery grabbed me and after finishing it I was completely baffled by it but mesmerized. It wasn't until I was older until I could grasp it's themes and ideas, fully appreciating it as a fantastic film that I continue to enjoy several times a year now in my 30's.
Thanks for this great analysis. Dark City is a hughly underestimated and undervalued movie in my opinion. It had the bad luck of being released at almost the same time as the Matrix.
That wasn´t the problem, Matrix came out a solid year later (they even used sets from Dark City in the beginning with Trinity), the problem was that the studio didn´t knew how to market the film, so the trailers let it look like a typical 90´s Slasher-Murder-Mystery, which no one wanted to see (most likely because of the Scream movies, which were a new concept at the time)
Hughly 🤣
I just watched the movie. Wow!
I really enjoyed your analysis.
One of my all time favorite movies.
Still my favorite movie made. Directors cut
Always my favorite movie
2nd- starship troopers
3rd - the thing
I think the movies themes are the human soul dosen't derive from memories but from the energy of emotions. This is why if you take away your memory you'll still feel the same anger hate love etc
My opinion of the personal identity question is thus:
The body (and therefore brain) may exchange it's own building blocks through it's lifetime, but the structure of the body (and therefore brain) remains intact. As the body's lifetime goes on the structure evolves over the course of its lifetime, yet it evolves based on it's own previous structure. All experiences shape the structure of the brain, as well as any genetic predispositions that the body may be subject to. The structure of the brain and body creates the perspective of that body. The 'soul', in my opinion, is bound to the structure of the body for the lifetime of the body, and must adhere to the experience brought upon by the structure of the body/brain.
I hope this is clearly explained 😅
Brilliant, smat and beautiful movie.
This movie just has to be the textbook definition of underrated.
One of the most underrated movies ever it was so good .It is really a shame that so few people was exposed to it.
My favorite explanation on how body and soul are connected (that I don't believe in) is occasionalism :D It posits that God moves your body for you according to your will. you think "I want to lift my arm" and god is like "I gotcha, buddy, there you go". It's an idea that gets creepier the more you think about it. not only does god know that you have sinned, he was there in the first row and helped you do it. and probably went "oh my Me, GROSS" while he was at it.
This is one of my fave films of all time. I just after finishing watching it again on Syfy Ireland. Such a great written film and directed too..
Really underrated movie that more people should have been exposed to
I'm so glad you reviewed "Dark City". It's a film that I like a little more every time I see it. Each time is a slightly new experience, since I tend to notice something new every time. The way a shot is put together, the subtleties of the performances, the fact that Ian Richardson's character has a scar on his head, as do the rest of the strangers. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and look forward to every new video.
Touching on that, is patreon the only way to commission a video? Or is there a secondary method?
Hot damn on a stick, that was a whole philosophy course in under 15 minutes.
Thanks for your thoughtful explanation of the film. I felt conflicted over the way many things were presented while watching this movie. I just saw it for the first time today so my mind is still mulling it over quite a bit. I definitely like the movie overall and your video helped me to organize and understand a lot of my thoughts and feelings towards the film. I may come back to write a lengthier comment with more specifics once I've had more time to process everything. Cheers!
If only they had put kung fu in Dark City, it would be household name
This is a movie I keep wanting to see, but never get the chance.
I agree wholeheartedly Red, but if he watched this video, the twist has long been ruined.
I absolutely love this movie. I consider it The Matrix done perfectly. The villians are some of the best I've ever seen (especially Mr. Sleep, who still scares me). And the explanation for why everything is done is great. I just adore the aesthetic of this movie. Mixing film-noir with gothic architecture is natural and so, so clever. I just love everything about it...
except William Hurt. Who isn't a good actor. He's not terrible. But not good.
While I do like this movie I wish it dove more into "muscle memory" and "Experience vs Memory" and other things that make us who we are beyond our memories.
happy "independence day" from New York I found out your channel recently and I love ya content
Really an underrated gem. I remember watching it for the first time in 2010 and thinking why this wasn't a bigger hit at the box office.
It's because the average cinema goer doesn't want to think about what they're watching. They just want to sit there with a big bucket of popcorn and be entertained by big explosions and wobbly camera work courtesy of Michael Bey. It reminds me of when The Artist was released in theatres and people were walking out on the film, complaining that it was in black and white, silent or both.
I'm trying to work out what I wore on Wednesday...
really underrated channel. great video
Would love a mystery game of the Dark City IP or something based on it.
l've been waiting for this one.
a great study, and in under 15mins too! Thanks for sharing (aaaand I'm 7 years late to the party hehe)
I love this movie. I've just put you commentary into the line up. I await it with great anticipation.
I love your analyses and thank you for choosing this film.
OMG. One of my all time favorites!
Great video, love this movie!
Thank u so much for this video, I was looking for this and everything I found was that we are in the matrix or we are being control for an alien group and not the topic that the movie truly explain, so thanks 🙏🏾
I would love this compared against the Truman Show🤔
This movie isn’t bad at all, but the editing and cutting seemed just dizzying and too fast, they barely gave any scene or line of dialogue a time to breath. Though I kinda liked it in a weird way (it was like a twisted dream), it really distracted me from attaching to the characters or the plot. Maybe pace should’ve been much slower and suspensful
Dark City is seriously underrated
I just realized that the main character is played by Rufus Sewell!
I don't really buy the idea that there is a contradiction between the self as a construct and the self existing. "Self," after all, is just a word humans use to describe something that we experience. To me, it's a little like soup. If I think cereal is a type of soup, and you don't, that doesn't mean soup doesn't exist. We just have different experiences of the word because soup, in out heads, isn't one solid, objective thing. It's a construct that we use to structure and communicate in our world.
So which one of us would be right?
love these reviews so much keep them coming i'll keep the donations flowing! :)
What makes the self an 'illusion' if it is a collection of memories and stimuli that change?
I feel like the TV show Big-O ,took influence from this movie
This movie is a metaphor for the clock work elves u see when u take dmt. Plus the Mandela effect....
Brilliant! Great Work! Keep it up!
You could even make the argument, that the Stranger Mr. Hand is not responsible, because he was inprinted with a murder memory. Like Angle from Buffy.
eery simillarites to our current reality
Fun Fact: Rufus Sewell was a drinking buddy when they shot "Bless the Child" up here in TO. He told me after the happy ending, they shot a twist wherein he reaches out strangles Jennifer Connely to death - Surprise ! He really was the serial killer! The end. But the studio made Proyas cut it out.
Renegade Cut Whoa, dude! Tiny penis-syndrome much?! "No cast member has made that claim"?! Yeah - Except directly to my face. But hey, your channel, you wanna look like the big man, with the biggest penis, I get it. God forbid something happen in another person's life that is at all interesting. Of course not, your the greatest Rick whoever Ricked, right?
Hey everyone, lets just believe a story some random stranger on the internet tells us without any proof to back it up solely because HE assures us it is true.
you should do total recall since it also deals with memory
Why not 'scratch' below the surface?? Great vid Thanks!
So are the memories injected into the conscious soul?
What timing, I literally just rewatched this last night
are we just persisting in our self? or is our self persisting?
The spiral represents the universe
Mr Renegade, I love your work. Your videos are excellent, fascinating and with a depth rarely seen on RUclips that remain accessible and enjoyable. I would love to hear you thoughts on a movie that I enjoyed a wile ago that doesn't get much attention due to its erotic nature. The movie is "Blind Beast" from director " Yasuzo Masumura". The Guardian once said for its review "would give Salvador Dali nightmares". Love Dark City by the way !
Very interesting that I see this video now, just days after finishing playing Disco Elysium.
*minor spoilers*
So, I felt intuitively that Harry wasn't the same person as he was before the blackout. I made a strong effort to keep him sober and reliable, but I still felt obliged to apologise and make amends for the behaviour of the "previous" identity of Harry. While they do share the same body, I think it comes down to my belief that as a white man I am nevertheless responsible to correct the racist and sexist attitudes propagated for my benefit. It wasnt this *I* who did it, but for the sake of justice, this *I* is tasked with correcting it.
Big problem with movie is why did the aliens need to change the buildings ???
Great video! It would have also been interesting to hear your take on the ending of the movie. Has John created a new reality that will be better for all the inhabitants of the city or is he just as bad as the previous "rulers" of Dark City?
It took me twenty years to understand the very end. One day, not long ago, it suddenly occurred to me out of the blue why Murdock told Emma/Anna that his name was John Murdock. It used to be such a letdown for me, and I did not understand why. Now I understand, that no matter what he has the power to change about the world around him, he will always be stuck with the identity he was given at the beginning, even if he knows it was false. If he could really make the world anything he wanted, and be the god of that space station, it would have occurred to him that he could say he was Brad, or Nick, or Jack, or any number of moviestar names. But he is loyal to the identity someone else gave him.
Same man, different person...
If the head transplant is successful it would give credence to memory theory
Great film and renegade analysis video. Please could you do The 13th Floor if you haven't already. Cheers mucho!
Lee Thomas Was The 13th Floor is just a terrible remake of “World on a Wire”... one of the greatest SF movies ever made.
love it!
Where to find this movie it's not on Netflix? :(
Who am I?
Analysis is great but the first minute and a half is either a waste of time or COMPLETELY spoilers the movie depending on whether or not your viewer's seen it yet???
Sleep now!
Is the soul a rare kind of energy in the universe that activates conscience and faith in complex lifeforms? There is also anti soul or dark energy which aims to feed on it? Which is why we have atheists and fundamentalists?
very confusisng
The directing and editing of this movie made me cringe :( Also there is no soul. The self is an illusion, useful for societal interactions.