Dark City (1998)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
Jennifer Connelly
William Hurt
Richard O'Brien
Ian Richardson
Rufus Sewell
Kiefer Sutherland
Movie Details
Genre Science-Fiction
Director Alex Proyas
Producer Andrew Mason; Alex Proyas
Writer Lem Dobbs; Alex Proyas
Studio New Line Home Entertainment
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 96 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from The Crow (1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you might be tempted to call Dark City an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly enough to grab your attention (Blade Runner is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that Dark City has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional characters are no match for the film's abundance of retro-futuristic style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly cinematic terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German expressionism) were built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of director Alex Proyas and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world depicted in the film required the largest indoor set ever built in Australia. Befitting a film of such ambition, the DVD includes a feast of bonus features, including audio commentaries by the director, producer, writers, and cinematographer, and also by film critic Roger Ebert, who named Dark City one of the best films of 1998. Also included is an isolated music track, an interactive game, and a photo gallery of production stills and set design sketches. --Jeff Shannon
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 5
In Collection Yes
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio Standard 1.33:1 Color
Widescreen 2.35:1 Color
Layers Dual side, Single layer
UPC 794043465727
Chapters 16
Release Date 2/3/2004
Subtitles English; French; Spanish
Packaging Snap Case
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Color Closed-captioned Widescreen Dolby
1