Review of Dark City (1998) by Rainer K — 27 Nov 2011

Let's start this by quoting Bertrand Russell:

"There is no logical impossibility in the hypothesis that the world sprang into being five minutes ago, exactly as it then was, with a population that "remembered" a wholly unreal past. There is no logically necessary connection between events at different times; therefore nothing that is happening now or will happen in the future can disprove the hypothesis that the world began five minutes ago.".

Dark City raises some interesting questions about memories and deals with how they work and what they're worth but not only about memories but also about the world we live in, our conscious and about god and creationism. It's quite similar to 1999s The Matrix both in atmosphere and mood and themes but even though I'm not a big Matrix fan I have to say that it's the better movie.

The Matrix has better special effects that are years ahead of regular competition while Dark City reminded me of Terry Gilliam films - of the 80s! which were moreover lacking the charm Gilliam is known for. The solution of The Matrix is more sophisticated and less clumsy than Dark City's Strangers as well.

Beside the philosophical flaws it's actually a pretty nice flick. The genre and style mix is bold and original and although amnesia is nothing new to experienced cinephiles the story evolves in a certain manner that's both unique and creative - thanks to good writing I guess.

The story takes place in some sort of alternate version of the 1950s where some strange creatures called Strangers are capable of shaping the world through mindpower.

John Murdoch, the protagonist is on the run - being accused of murder by the police and keeping a secret he doesn't know himself (thanks to amnesia) from the Strangers.

I can't really explain why films like The Matrix or Dark City are not my taste. I'll explain it the way I learned in the army - Ist so!