posted
Of course most of you know about The Matrix, so let me tell you a bit about Dark City:
Dark City came out in 1998. I was a bit young at the time and had merely dismissed it to be, because of its sunless, gothic look and creepy looking villains, as horror (though, to be honest, the trailer for it was amazing). I didn't much care for horror.
Then around 2002 I read Ebert's four star review of the film and, by chance, caught the movie on UPN one friday night.
The story, characters and plot all captivated me so much that the next day I went out and bought the DVD. Rufus Sewell was amazing as the hero who, for some reason, wakes up nude in a bathtub and is soon being pursued not only by incredibly pale men who have supernatural powers, but also by cops who believe him to be a killer. He does not know who he is and has, for the most part, only little bits of vague memory of his past. He escapes into the city he has found himself in...a city that is seemingly always dark and he soon begins a quest to find out his identity and the true nature of the City in question...
If you have not seen it, I cannot for the life of me reveal more. Let's just that the film also has Kiefer Sutherland, William Hunt and Jennifer Connelly in awesome roles and as characters almost as confused as hero.
Watching it the first time, though, I could help but notice obvious similarities to the storyline of The Matrix. Of course that picture is essentially an action movie with a great storyline but still, I could not help but wonder whether or not the Wachowski's ripped off Dark City's plot. The similarities are too strong for it to merely be coincidence. Often when I bring up this point to many people they point out The Matrix was in production before Dark City was released, but still, anything's possible, eh?
In any case, Dark City has awesome cinematography and amazing direction by Alex Proyas (he's the only reason I'm looking forward to the "I, Robot" film...boy do I hope that film doesn't disappoint).
So, for those of you who have seen both Dark City AND The Matrix, which do you think is the superior Science Fiction picture?
Posts: 33 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
"I could not help but wonder whether or not the Wachowski's ripped off Dark City's plot."
No. They ripped off Dark City's art direction, in the sense that both movies took their plots and imagery from the same sort of graphic novels. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
That's interesting you say that, Tom, because the films, to me, seemed to look radically different. For instance, Dark City seemed to be fused with a sort of retro noir look...the City is a compilation of things lifted from the 40s & 50s and the present...plus the pervasive darkness, etc. The Matrix seemed to be glossy and futuristic.
It is the stories that seem so like...at least to me.
In any case, what graphic novels could you be refering to?
Posts: 33 | Registered: May 2004
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I loved, absolutely LOVED Dark City; however, I did not like the ending. I walked away dissatisfied. Overall, I think it was more intriguing and superior in every way to the Matrix as a series. The first Matrix did not leave me unsatisfied like the conclusion to the second and third Matrix left me unsatisfied.
The first Matrix was better then Dark City only because the entire movie kept pace and was one of the coolest movie experiences I ever had. Dark City was for more intriguing, intelligent, captivating, but they did not deliver on the conclusion. Dark City is better then the entire Matrix series.
posted
The Matrix is far better for a very simple reason: The Matrix also has an effective plot structure, while Dark City just has an interesting concept.
Posts: 2432 | Registered: Feb 2001
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I agree with Alexa, the movie (Dark City) was building toward something cool, and then the ending happened. I can't forgive it for that. But as a result, I learned about Metropolis, and saw the recently restored version of Metropolis when it toured the country a year or two ago.
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Bok, it was very interesting reading in the special features of the Dark City DVD H.G Wells' thoughts on METROPOLIS. He had my attention with the first sentence--"I have just seen the silliest film" or something like that. Interesting read...
I have not seen Metropolis but I have seen its directors other famous film, "M". It was really, really cool and still accessible to this day.
Regarding Dark City I am noticing a trend of dissapointment with the films ending--I can only say that I was more than satisfied with its ending and in fact moved.
*spoiler ahead*
I think the "ending" of the film starts when Rufus Sewell's character, John Murdoch, and the Cop played by William Hunt break through the wall at shell beach and learn of the fact that they are in space. So much is revealed in that scene.
The following scene in which John Murdoch is tied down in the lair of The Strangers--with all of them surrounding him--and Dr. Shrieber injects the fabricated memories into Sewell's head and appears in his memories teaching him how to harness his power/ and about the Strangers is single handedly one of the best scenes I've ever seen. In that scene and the action scene that follows so much tension is released...the film has come full circle and quite frankly there is no other it could've ended, IMO.
In any case, it was good. I love it. I wonder if Card has seen it.
[ May 19, 2004, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: the Somalian ]
Posts: 33 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
I think the ending devolved into a stereotypical scifi battle, and TOO MUCH was revealed to the audience at once. It was almost as if the director knew he was bumping into his time limit, and figured it was time to wrap it all up.
That was my perception, anyway. That, and the final scene where Jennifer Connolly has a major mustache prominently featured. Yes, I am shallow, I guess.
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"Come on, dude. Perhaps the mania over it was a bit much but The Matrix was a smart and captivating action/SF film. =)"
I didn't find it smart at all. It was just gnosticism dumbed down about 3 layers. ANd captivating? Only if I ignored the cast not drawing me into the movie or making it believable at all.
Sure, the action sequences were good. I'll give it that.
Posts: 4112 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Since I hate horrors and can't watch them without wetting my pants or leaving permanent nail-shaped scars in the palms of my hands (or someone else's...) I would have to say that, by default, The Matrix was better. The first one at least... it went downhill from there.
Posts: 165 | Registered: Apr 2004
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But Polio, Dark City wasn't a horror the least bit. It's straight science fiction all the way through...there are some horrific elements to the plot--for instance, the fact that The Strangers use the human dead as hosts...but that's just about it.
And I'm glad the poster above you has decided to give the movie a chance. =)
Posts: 33 | Registered: May 2004
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quote:Both are worlds better than The Thirteenth Floor.
I agree. I so much wanted that movie not to suck because the main dude seemed really cool in The Long Kiss Goodnight, but alas.
Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
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That does it for me. I can't stomach anything beyond happy people living in paradise and their dog dies... off-screen, of course.
Posts: 165 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
A while back I saw Dark City at Best Buy for $6 and bought it on a whim after seeing it once years ago and remembering I thought it was really cool. I had always told people that Matrix borrowed elements from Dark City(or that both of them borrowed elements from even earlier works), I remembered there were similarities, but couldn't remember specifics. But I really was suprised at how many there were. Big ones and small ones. I wrote a bunch of them down, and here's the text of what I wrote. It's not in any sort of nice, completely thought out form, but here it is:
*SPOILERS(for both movies )*
quote: Dark City/Matrix similarities
There's a shot early on in one of the buildings when they’re walking up a stairwell. The camera swirls around the stairwell(i think in the opposite direction they are walking) and at the bottom of the stairwell is a checkered floor, causing a really cool shot to occur. Matrix did the SAME EXACT shot.
All the hallways and doors in both movies look the same. The whole lighting of the movie is the same, very dark, lots of green.
There being no sun in either of the real worlds.
Both of them had “The One”. The one able to change the world as they saw fit. More powerful than the people who created it.
Mr. Murdoch is to Mr. Hand as Mr. Anderson is to Mr. Smith. The strangers are like agents. And Murdoch is the one they’re looking for. And the one time Mr. Hand says Mr. Murdoch, I swear, he sounds just like Mr. Smith saying Mr. Anderson.
They’ve created this world to study people/humanity. Find out what makes us human.
They can bend the rules of the world they created. As can the one. The few people who do know about it found out by “waking up from that world”.
The car that the cop and Jennifer connely save Murdoch in from the strangers is the same style car from the beginning of the matrix. That old school 20s or 30s car.
They could implant you with memories instantaneously. Just like jacking in and uploading stuff to you. Using a needle like device.
The end fight scene is the same scene as the end of Revolutions.
There may be more...and of course there were plenty of thematic elements that were similar...
What is reality? Are we really just the sum of our memories or are we more? Do we make our own destiny/who we are? Life is just a dream that we need to wake up from. Etc...
posted
I was just wondering, but did it strike anyone else that The Matrix was kind of based on Jesus' life?
Posts: 853 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I'd have to give the nod to Dark City. It was one of my first DVD purchases. This was the director's (Alex Proyas) follow up film after directing The Crow (character origins soon to be hijacked by Catwoman).
I was excited when I heard he was directing I, Robot, but I got scared when I saw the trailer. Still, until I see it, I shall give him the benefit of the doubt that he hasn't butchered Asimov.
Posts: 1295 | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote: They’ve created this world to study people/humanity. Find out what makes us human.
As luck would have it, I watched Dark City last week, but it's been I while since I've seen any of the Matrix movies (Matrices?). So maybe I'm mixed up, but isn't the point of the Matrix to keep the people passive while they're being used as power plants?
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Since I hate horrors and can't watch them without wetting my pants or leaving permanent nail-shaped scars in the palms of my hands (or someone else's...) I would have to say that, by default, The Matrix was better. The first one at least... it went downhill from there.
