Dark City
Dark City

Dark City

1998Movie101 minEnglish

A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.

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Insights

IMDb7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes75%
Metacritic66/100
Google Users84%
Director: Alex ProyasGenres: Neo-noir, Science Fiction, Mystery

Plot Summary

John Murdoch awakens in a strange, perpetually dark city with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As he tries to piece together his past, he discovers he is being hunted by mysterious beings known as the Strangers, who possess the ability to alter the city and its inhabitants' memories. Murdoch must unravel the conspiracy behind the city's existence and his own identity before they can succeed in their sinister agenda.

Critical Reception

Dark City was met with generally positive reviews, with critics praising its distinctive visual style, atmospheric mood, and ambitious storytelling. While it didn't achieve significant box office success upon its initial release, it has since gained a cult following and is now widely regarded as a visually stunning and intellectually engaging science fiction film.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its stunning visuals and noir atmosphere.
  • Lauded for its unique and thought-provoking science fiction narrative.
  • Some found the plot convoluted, but generally appreciated its originality.

Google audience: Google users largely appreciated Dark City for its distinctive visual style, intriguing plot, and unique blend of sci-fi and noir. Many found the film to be a memorable and engaging experience, though a few mentioned that the complex narrative could be challenging to follow.

Awards & Accolades

While not a major awards contender, Dark City was recognized for its technical achievements, particularly its art direction and cinematography, earning nominations and wins from various film critics' associations and genre-specific awards.

Fun Fact

The distinctive look of the city in Dark City was heavily influenced by German Expressionist cinema, particularly films like 'Metropolis' and 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,' as well as the film noir genre.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

5 reviews
Dr_Nostromo

Dr_Nostromo

99/100 The inhabitants of a dark city are being used in an experiment by an alien race that rebuilds both the city and everyone's memories every night in an attempt to determine what makes us humans tick. Although very different films, y...
JPV852

JPV852

This is one I probably haven't seen since the Director's Cut Blu-ray release in 2008 and while I liked it then, I now absolutely love it today. The cast and plot were wonderful to go along with the impressive visual effects, admittedly shro...
dfle3

dfle3

Intriguing sci-fi This is one of my favourite movies of a spate of movies dealing with philosophical themes. This group would include The Matrix (reviewed here by me), The Thirteenth Floor and Gattaca. I saw this movie many years ago ...
Wuchak

Wuchak

**_Atmospheric, dark mixture of film noir, comic book horror and sci-fi_** A man (Rufus Sewell) wakes up one night to great mysteries: There's a dead prostitute nearby that he gets blamed for murdering, but he can't remember much of any...
John Chard

John Chard

This review is of the Director's Cut. Welcome To Shell Beach. Dark City is directed by Alex Proyas who also co-writes the screenplay with Leon Dobbs and David S. Goyer. It stars Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer S...