Dark City

Own It!

Considered a cult classic, Dark City tells the story of a man who suddenly awakens to find himself sitting in a bath tub with no memory of who he is or where he is. Little by little he begins to rebuilt his past and learns a terrible secret about who he was.  Then the story takes a turn as we discover nothing in Dark City is as it seems.

Director/Screen Writer Alex Proyas builds a case for alien abduction and experimentation unlike any we have seen before.  The story has little expository to help the audience as originally shot. Concerned that the audience might be lost early on the studio asked Proyas to add a narrative explanation in the introductory scenes. 

Dark City was nominated for Hugo and Saturn awards in the science fiction community and critics were largely positive but the film failed at the box office, soon to disappear.  

I discovered it quite by accident and it took some patience on my part to get through the first few scenes trusting I wasn't being led down a path going nowhere.  It was worth it.

The film scenic design is interesting.  You can't easily tell what era the story is taking place in. The vehicles are 40's and 50's vintage, the buildings could be in any large city from the same general decades.  The costuming is just as vague all lending to the mystery.

Then, just as things are beginning to fit together there comes a series of bigger and bigger reveals about the true plot of the story until there comes a very satisfying ending leaving you wondering why Dark City didn't become the subject of a television series at the very least.

I go back and watch this one periodically because it's a great story worth seeing again.
Rent it at least then OWN IT!