Dark City

I just watched Dark City for the first time last night.

Dark City is a sci-fi flick came out back in 1998. The plot follows around a man named John Murdock. John wakes up in a bathtub with no memories. As the movie progresses, John learns his name, wife, and so on. But the entire city/memories he learned come into question as he meets some strangers.

The story is pretty much impossible to sum up with out giving away a bunch of twists.

I did end up enjoying the movie quite a bit. The plot offers up some cool ideas. There are several “wow” moments throughout the film. It has Jennifer Connelly in it.

I’ve heard that some people compare it to The Matrix. I found it more closely related to the underrated Thirteenth Floor. Anyway, it’s one of those movies were things aren’t quite as they seem. Then at the end you get some answers. Definitely a good rental if you are into that kind of plot.

The biggest downside I can think of for the movie would have to be the lead character. At no point through out the movie does the main character win over the viewers heart. He’s just the guy we are following while this cool story unravels around him. It is the equivalent of John Hughes making Ferris Bueller, but casting Alan Ruck as Ferris and Matt Broderick as Cameron. You just don’t buy into the character with that actor playing him.

While we are discussing acting, we have to comment on Keifer Sutherland’s character. While I like the character and the character’s arc, Keifer made some poor choices. The biggest flaw in his character choices is Keifer’s decision to made him sound like he is always out of breath. It just comes off annoying instead of entertaining.

Overall, I gave the movie 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix. Really good story, some solid originality, cool sets, and a hot but under-utilized lead actress outweighs the poor acting of the lead and the poor choices of the supporting actor.