Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]
by Alex Proyas
![Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]](/images/Dark-City-Director-Cut-Blu-ray-B0018O4YSQ-L.jpg)
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Blu-ray details
Actor: Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard O'Brien, Rufus Sewell, William HurtDirector: Alex Proyas
Brand: NEW Line Home Video
Cinematographer: Dariusz Wolski
Composer: Trevor Jones
Blu-ray: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown), DTS-HD High Res Audio; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), DTS-HD High Res Audio
Format: Color, Director's Cut, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2011-01-01
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: New Line Home Video
Product features:
- The critically-acclaimed triumph from visionary director Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow) is back with a brand new directors cut featuring enhanced picture and sound, never-before-seen footage and three commentary tracks that take you deeper than ever before into the world of one of sci-fis most exciting and revered tales. When John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes with no memory at the scene of a gri
Blu-ray Reviews of Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]
Blu-ray Review: Exceptional film presented (on Blu-ray) in both the original version and "Director's Cut" (DVD has only DC)
Summary: 4 Stars
"Dark City" was ahead of its time a year to be precise. Examining many of the same themes (an example of simultaneous evolution of ideas, themes and "the look")as "The Matrix" (with a somewhat different mystery/plot at its core although ironically "The Matrix" used some of the same sets) Alex Proyas' "Dark City" looks at the nature of memory and its definition of our humanity.
The Blu-ray looks quite good although there is an overuse of Digital Noise Reduction to eliminate the film grain (something that is an important part of the "look" of the film as much as the color scheme is for "The Matrix"), the images are crisper with a great deal more detail than on the previous DVD (having seen a DVD rental copy for comparison the DVD looks quite good as well) but some fine detail does occasionally get lost in some of the darker noir influenced sequences of the film due to the overuse of DNR. Still, it is a step up from the previous DVD edition which looked quite good for its time. It doesn't look as bad as "Patton" (where complexions had a waxy, pasty sheen to them and, again, fine detail in the faces were often lost)but looks better than some digitally overprocessed films. The Blu-ray has both editions of the film--the original theatrical cut and Director's Cut of the film both subjected to DNR to about the same degree,while the DVD has ONLY the "Director's Cut" of the film. It's a pity because the original DVD certainly is in need of a decent upgrade.
Audio sounds terrific.Both the DVD and Blu-ray editions come with a Digital "bonus" copy of the film that is Windows compatible. Unless you watch it a lot on your PC, you may pull it out once or maybe twice. It is NOT compatible with Apple or ipod devices however.
This new edition ports over almost all the original special features from the DVD including the commentary tracks plus adds additional ones as well. Some special features are in 480i while some others are in 1080p and these include a new documentary "Memories of Shell Beach", "Architecture of Dreams", a production gallery, introduction by Director Proyas and the film's champion film critic Roger Ebert (from a 2005 video interview for this edition), text essays, a review of the film by Neil Gaiman and a "Director's Cut Fact Track" that is a pop-up trivia text extra that notes differences in the "Director's Cut" vs. the theatrical version of the film, various subtle changes, etc.
As to whether you like the "Director's Cut" or the original theatrical cut that depends on you. I personally preferred the DC because it adds footage (including some alternate angles of shots that Proyas prefers)while subtracting the distracting narration that Keifer Sutherland had to read (it was forced on Proyas by New Line and he never liked it feeling it gave away too much of the plot of the film and was somewhat like the "Blade Runner" narration--it's not THAT bad but it doesn't add to the enjoyment of the film for me). We get the original theatrical trailer as well.
For those who HAVEN'T seen the film a synposis of the plot: John Murdoch (Rufus Swell)awakens in the bath to find two things--1) He doesn't know who he is and a trio of mysterious people are after him 2) there is the body of a prostitute in his hotel room who is the latest victim of a serial killer. He has no memory of having committed the murder nor does he know who he is or why he's there. Murdoch must complete the puzzle of his what happened, figure out who he is before a detective (Willim Hurt)catches him and figure out how the wife he has never seen before (Jennifer Connelly)figures in this mystery. His only guide aside from the clues he can find is a mysterious doctor (Keifer Sutherland)who claims to know who he is, how he lost his memory and that he is involved in some bold, bizarre experiment.
Regardless of which version of the film you like, "Dark City" is well worth seeing as it prefigures "The Matrix" a over a year. While it didn't catch on at the box office the same way, it did earn critical raves including Roger Ebert naming it the Best Film of 1998.
Film- 4 stars
Video-3 stars (Too much Digital Noise Reduction used to eliminate film grain)
Audio-4 1/2 stars
Overall--a terrific film gets its due even if the video isn't perfect it looks stunning at times (although there is a signficant amount of edge enhancement througout the film to compensate for the DNR).
Great extras from New Line.
Recommended.
Description of Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]
The critically-acclaimed triumph from visionary director Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow) is back with a brand new directors cut featuring enhanced picture and sound, never-before-seen footage and three commentary tracks that take you deeper than ever before into the world of one of sci-fis most exciting and revered tales. When John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes with no memory at the scene of a grisly murder, he soon finds himself hunted by the police, a woman claiming to be his wife and a mysterious group of pale men who seem to control everything and everyone in the city. Starring Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist), Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind), William Hurt (A History of Violence) and Kiefer Sutherland (TVs 24).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. --Jeff Shannon
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