Dark City Review - Off The Shelf Reviews
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- This week Gary and Iain review and discuss Dark City (1998) by Director, Alex Proyas. Starring, Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien and William Hurt.
For more Off The Shelf Reviews:
Follow us on Twitter: / @otsreviews
RUclips: / hunterscrow
Facebook: / offtheshelfreviews
Support us: / offtheshelfreviews
This is one of my favorite films, there's not much I can add to the review. It's an underrated and/or ignored gem that deserves more appreciation. Thank you for giving it some attention.
Finally, critics with tastes of my kind of movies. Dark city is one of my favorites, as well as those Jean-Pierre Jeunet films you mentioned. Thanks, subscribed!
I never get tired of this movie. I always catch something new when I watch it.
I also think you are completely wrong about so-called "dated cgi". The fact that this is set in Dark Noir, makes the surreal aspects completely and continually, and PROPERLY, otherworldly within its own genre of film, and BOY is it done well for the genre. I believe it all still holds up, and if you are scrutinizing it, you are completely missing the point.
Dark city and existez, both such good movies. These are excellent films that are so overlooked.
and I agree also that Jennifer Connelly was a great Betty Banner in Ang Lee`s Hulk
my dark city impression: “i wish somebody would turn on some lights in this Dark City”
I just found you guys through this video. And I agree it is such a great film (I actually watched it on VHS from my local rental shop in 1999 and was blown away). However, I just noticed you have reviews for Lost Odyssey and Psychonauts and I'm pretty sure I now have to watch everything you have produced. Keep up the great work.
Kiefer!!! Got to watch anything he's in...not always good...but this is an under appreciated gem!
You make a fantastic point that ALL THIS could have been a stage production. In fact it WAS a stage production, but FILMED as a movie. I think THAT is truly what makes Dark City most unique... Like Sweeney Todd, but 100x better, cuz NOT a musical lol.
It's like The Matrix if The Matrix didn't suck. I can't really criticize the movie for its CGI since what is going on is so fantastic. Like the part with the small table turning into a large fancy table, that's something that cannot possibly exist or actually happen, so I think it's sort of OK that it looks a little fake. It kind of works in its favor that it doesn't look real since the Strangers are warping reality itself.
great review, guys. i love the ending. great stuff.
me and some friends watched this recently for the first time, and we hadn't even heard of it until that day, and pretty much every one at some point was like "what the hell? why haven't i heard of this film before?"
i really like the dynamic of u two u guys have two different options on stuff and are ok with people have there own opinions and u just don't really get that with a lot of reviewers great job guys i always look forward to ur reviews
This is one of my favorites too . Very nice in depth review! But there's more: did you not that Proyas stole this story from the Strugaski brothers? Yes, from Stalker. One of the brothers commented he didn't mind. I think: maybe he got it from somewhere else too...
In my eyes the effects require to suspend your disbelief quite a bit .
I would not tell they hold up, but they definitely work.
I love Dark City so take it with pinch of salt.
Jennifer Connelly is Classic Timeless Beautiful, great Review, Matrix owes this film a Lot
Sometimes style and mood are traits that elevates the substance, I think with Dark City that is definitely the case.
Loved when I saw this aired on tv and the ending was that the whole city were in space then commercial.Thought it was a brilliant ending. On repeat viewing and to my surprise, it's not the ending. I like the ending I saw the first time more.
Great movie. I always have to think about Kafka, the RHCP-music-vid "Otherside" and the german 80ties kids-fantasy-movie "Momo" (which has similar "strangers" in it) when I see Dark City...
This and shock treatment have to be the most underrated movies of all time
I love this movie. I will def. watch the director's cut. I knew about this movie when I was in high school, there was a comic book store across the street from my high school and the owner put a huge theatrical release poster to promote the flick in their front window. That was the only promotion I saw for the film. As soon as it came out on video I rented it at my local video store.
The Matrix and Dark City are cousins to each other.
I think the strangers represent a hyper rationalistic society that denies individuality in favor of the state. They have lost their souls, what makes them human, because they deny anything else than that which is in the brain, they think humans are only the sum of the chemicals and processes in the brain; sum of their memories. Hence why the protagonist, while pointing at his forehead, tells Mr.Hand that the Strangers were looking in the wrong place when they looked in the brain. I think it's implied that they are willfully blind by the fact that they can't stand water nor light. Light is what lets us see, it represents truth, but they are corrupt, deceitful and evil and can't stand the truth, it would kill them, so they hide in the dark. Water or the ocean, represents the edge of the world, the unexplored or the unknown, chaos. The unknown is something that has to be continually explored because it is what provides new insights and lets us adapt to the world, but they choose to instead create walls to secure themselves from the unknown.
I think what the movie is trying to convey is that if a society or individual becomes willfully blind to who they are and become deceitful, corrupt and evil and try to hide it, and become too orderly/rigid in their thinking and close themselves within the safe walls of their ideology/society and cease to confront the unknown/ocean they will decay, and ultimately perish. You can see the contrast to this in the protagonist John who wants to know and understand himself, more than anything else he wants to confront and explore the unknown/ocean while basking in the sunlight/truth. And that is what makes him different from them, he's able to survive and adapt to the world by being open enough to courageously go beyond the city walls to face the unknown.
It's also interesting to note how the protagonist awakens in a bathtub full of water and that might be why he gained the power to tune and woke up before he could be imprinted with new memories, essentially implying that he is saved by water, kind of like a baptism.
Ironic that you mentioned The Crow and The Matrix because these movies have a connection. The late Brandon Lee who starred in The Crow was apparently rumored to have been one of the actors chosen to play the role of Neo. Would have made sense because he learned a few moves from his legendary father Bruce.
all from, the book dune
'acting debut by Melissa George'
As if she was in home and away 5 years before this film.
Dark City > The Matrix > Inception > The Thirteenth Floor > eXistenZ
do a review of session 9
RIP William Hurt
I saw this 4 times in theatres when it was out (last 3 by myself!). It is still my favourite movie of all time. The first time I watched it I barely got it. There's just too much going on. But each time I watch it (still) I pick up something new. It is so rich. I think the point of this movie is the triumphant nature of the human spirit, the thing which makes us each so special. It's a brilliant movie and beautifully made.
actually loved the voice over at the beginning. it's haunting. it also didn't spoil the movie for me in any way.
just watched this movie last night.. man I FUCKING LOVE IT
For the longest I thought this movie was Hell Raiser and looked at every hell raiser looking to fin which one it was
Now that's interesting... 19:53 "Triangle" starring Melissa George...
- my first time watching Triangle: I didn't like it
- my second time watching Triangle: I liked it
- my third time watching Triangle: I absolutely loved it :)
EDIT:
*Please review "Triangle"* :D
I fell in love with Melissa George here. And in Triangle, I too was lost the 1st time I saw it.
She is fascinating. Watch her filmography. You wont be disappointed.
If you guys like Jennifer Connelly you should check her out in "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984)
Oh and I like to think of Colin Friels character in Darkman as Evil JFK ( because of his American Accent he does ...Lol ) hey are you guys going to do a Off the Shelf of Darkman ? ) ^_^
super cool movie great sound effects
this is my #1 movie. it will likely remain there for a long time.
Hey I almost forgot this movie also starred the Actor who played Louis Strack Jr from Sam Raimi's Darkman ( the scottish actor Colin Friels ) :)
Brilliant yet again. I love this movie, you give me the incentive to watch it again lol.
Bruce Spence ( aka the Gyro Captain ) Yay :D
I wonder if Bioshock was inspired by Dark City. Very similar themes.
Yup, I was thinking that too. Even visually, the two are similar. An isolated, film noir, art deco city stuck in perpetual nighttime.
Mimic?
I would love to know what happened next as John is basically now a God.
Jennifer Connelly first movie was "Once Upon a Time in America", from Sergio Leone. She was only 12, I think. Fix it, guys!
*Turn up*
Hope the flat earthers dont get ahold of this one.😎
there is no case, there never was
I concur
Jennifer Connelly.. Don't mind me. I might be straight, but things aren't always completely black and white hehe #firstgirlcrush
C'mon, guys ! The effects we're purposely done clunky to mirror the German expressionist style...
COOL G RAPP
The original is WAYYY better than the Director's Cut. Yes, there is exposition at the beginning, but it's like Fight Club "I know this because Tyler knows this", there's only a slight semblance of understanding... the whole Spirals thing in the Director's cut is the WORST thing ever.
While I love this movie I was put off by Jennifer Connelly's eyebrows. The way she was lit for most of the movie probably didn't help.
The strangers make me think of the Democratic party with their hive mind and their central memory and their desire to control people also their desire to save their lives.