DARK CITY shines bright. August 7, 2008
Posted by ghostof82 in : Film General , trackbackWatched DARK CITY on Blu-ray the other night. Being a fan of BLADE RUNNER and film-noir in general, the film is right up my alley, but apart from the obvious visual similarities, DARK CITY had other connections with BLADE RUNNER I was not previously aware of. I’d seen the film on it’s original theatrical release and found it interesting but flawed, and what do you know, it turns out it had suffered the dreaded audience-preview syndrome that had blighted BLADE RUNNER for over 20 years. Fortunately fans of DARK CITY haven’t had to wait that many years.
The new DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film are of a ‘new’ directors cut, which, much in the same way as BLADE RUNNER’s ‘final cut’ release, actually returns the film to its original, audience-preview incarnation (albeit with tweaked visual fx). As with BR, the changes are actually very subtle, but they drastically improve the film. While there are problems with the film and it remains far from perfect, it nevertheless is a superior piece of sci-fi, and on Blu-ray it looks amazing.
Visually it is a remarkable piece of work, with fantastic photography and production design, and it has plenty of ideas to brood over as well, such as the function of memory in defining us, and what it means to be human, and the nature of reality.
I’m struck, also, by how much it reminds me of THE MATRIX, a film it actually pre-dated by about a year. Visually it is remarkably close, lit in artifical light with a green murky tint, but more than that, the way that DARK CITY’s John Murdoch ‘tunes’ or alters the reality of the Dark City around him, just as Neo gains powers over the Matrix. It’s amazing how original everyone thought THE MATRIX was when so much of it had been done in DARK CITY. When Murdoch or the aliens alter the Dark City, they manipulate it in much the same way as the Matrix is. And of course with the investigations into their reality, the citizens of DARK CITY face similar philosophical ideas that we find in THE MATRIX. I’m not suggesting that the Wachowski Bros ripped DARK CITY off, but when they saw it they must have had quite a fright that they had been beaten to the punch with some of the concepts and visual themes. Turned out a year later THE MATRIX blew everyone away and DARK CITY had already been forgotten, but with this new release some of the balance can be restored. In some ways DARK CITY is actually superior, it doesn’t get bogged down in philosophical ramblings or kung-fu videogame action. Like in BLADE RUNNER the ‘big’ ideas are there but they are under the surface to be picked up on by intent viewers, rather than shoved in your face.
I’d recommend anyone who found DARK CITY wanting in its previous incarnation to give the film another go with it’s new directors cut. Indeed, its superior to most of the dumb ’spectaculars’ we have seen in years since and warrants reappraisal. Some films just get better with age, and I think this is one of them. It’s certainly far better now than I had thought it back in 1998.
Comments»
Glad I’m not the only one to have noticed The Matrix similarities! I first saw Dark City earlier this year, and they were one of the main things I remember about it (other than that I thought it was an excellent movie). What struck me even more, however, was that Dark City has all sorts of elements that would also turn up in the two Matrix sequels, five years later! It’s certainly better than both of those.
My copy of the DC turned up yesterday. Very much looking forward to getting a chance to watch it.
Since you already enjoyed the film in it’s theatrical cut, I think you’ll love the new version. The differences are really very subtle, not at all distracting, and really make a difference- at least in my eyes. I find it fascinating to see how short scene extensions - a line of dialogue, a minor sub-plot - show how things can be cut without you ever realising it. For instance, and this is a spoiler-free thing here; you recall Melissa George’s prostitute character? You see that she has a daughter in this version, that was cut out entirely, even though she has maybe just a minute of screentime. She actually has a major input to the plot, which I won’t reveal here, but you have to wonder why, for the sake of a minute’s pacing, she was cut out at all.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the directors cut.
I’ve been waiting for the DC for a very long time, but now I’m going to have to wait a little longer as I want it on BD, but haven’t got around to picking up a BD player yet. There are plenty of titles now on their way in the new format and it’s stuff like the Dark City release that makes the most convincing argument that the format is becoming stronger.
The Blu-ray image has come under fire on the ‘net forums, but I have to say I found it astonishing. The HD image has great contrast- the darks are really dark and the highlights really pop out. A great image, certainly on a 32″ LCD. Maybe on a larger screen or a projected image some flaws can be seen, I don’t know, but it’s certainly far better than a DVD would allow. Certainly worth waiting to get it on BD rather than DVD now.
The odd paradox deepens with the arrival of blu-ray - the better images become the more people find to complain about. Back in the days of VHS I don’t think I ever remember anyone complaining about picture quality - very strange! But yes, you’re possibly right - people’s displays have become larger on average (I project most of my film viewings personally) and flaws are easier to identify.
I think Dark City will be among the first five or so films I buy on BD (along with Blade Runner of course), despite the mumblings of the minority.
For those interested there are some hi-res shots of the new Dark City over at DVD Beaver (e.g. http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews39/dark%20city%20blu-ray/large/2/large%20dark%20city%20blu-ray1345.jpg).
I agree completely- I well recall VHS with drop-outs, tracking noise, pan and scan and non-anamorphic widescreen… to me, Blu-ray is astounding, and re-discovering films like BLADE RUNNER, DARK CITY, DIRTY HARRY etc in HD is a revelation. And we don’t all have enough room/finance for home cinema rooms. I’m very happy with what I have, and well remember the old days.
The ‘Dark City’ Blu-Ray has come under fire because of what is believed to be an excessive level of digital noise reduction, aimed at smoothing out the original film grain - but this process has quite a few unwanted side-effects, such as leaving skin tones unnaturally smooth.
Certain Blu-Ray producers are obsessed with achieving a perfectly smooth image, despite the fact that the grain may be an integral and intentional part of the original visual plan - and the row over ‘Dark City’ has come about partly because DNR has been applied, but mostly because New Line had already come under fire for the practice and said that they were listening to their customers’ complaints.
It’s worth noting that DVD can look surprisingly good projected when both the equipment used and the source is of a higher standard (I’m not rich either by the way, just a very patient saver!). Sometimes I’ll watch a VHS film just to remind myself how good we’ve got it nowadays - no doubt in a couple of years I’ll be doing the same with a Digital Versatile Disc when HD becomes well embedded into my daily film-viewing habits.