RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Dark City
Dark City

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Dark City (1998)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
77 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:77

Fresh:59

Rotten:18

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Stylishly gloomy, Dark City offers a polarizing whirl of arresting visuals and noirish action.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: Upon awakening with a start in an icy bathtub in a strange room--with a woman's dead body inconveniently nearby--John Murdoch can't remember how he got there. With a police detective hot on his... Upon awakening with a start in an icy bathtub in a strange room--with a woman's dead body inconveniently nearby--John Murdoch can't remember how he got there. With a police detective hot on his trail and a psychiatrist skulking around, Murdoch discovers that the key to his mystery is the presence of strange extraterrestrial creatures, the Strangers, who are experimenting with the memories of the humans in his city--from which there may be no escape. Ambitious sci-fi noir, with rich production design and a dense, Kafkaesque concept. [More]

Starring: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien

Starring: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, Ian Richardson, William Hurt, Bruce Spence, Colin Friels, John Bluthall, Mitchell Butel, Melissa George, Frank Gallacher, Ritchie Singer, Justin Monjo, Nicholas Bell, Satya Gumbert, Frederick Miragliotta, Peter Sommerfeld, Timothy Jones, Jeanette Cronin, Paul Livingston, Michael Lake, David Wenham, Alan Cinis, Bill Highfield, Terry Bader, Rosemary Traynor, Edward Grant, Maureen O'Shaughnessy, Dhobi Oparei, Marques Johnson, Doug Scroope, Cinzia Coassin, Tyson McCarthy, Luke Styles, Anthony Kierann, Laura Keneally, Natalie Bollard, Eliot Paton, Naomi van der Velden, Peter Callan, Mark Hedges, Darren Gilshenan, Ray Rizzo, Bill Rutherford, Marin Mimica, Tony Mosley, Glenford Richards, Stanley Steer, Greg Tell, William Upjohn

Director: Alex Proyas

Director: Alex Proyas
Composer: Trevor Jones
Producer: Andrew Mason, Alex Proyas
Story: Alex Proyas
Screenwriter: Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Dark City

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

It does not take long to realize that there is a lot less here than meets the eye.

Full Review Source: Film4 | comment 1 Comment
04/28/08
Film4
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Murdoch's quandary proves surprisingly engrossing, the art direction is always striking, and unlike most contemporary sci-fi, the movie does risk a cerebral approach, tapping a vein of postmodern paranoia.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Proyas drenches each shot in a unique feel and delivers a movie with a visual sense with all the inventive, poetic power of Ridley Scott or Terry Gilliam firing on all cylinders.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A visionary slice of visceral experience.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
03/31/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/07/09
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The experience of Dark City is one that no film lover should miss... seen now as it was intended after 10 long years of wandering in the shadows.

Full Review Source: Flipside Movie Emporium | comment Comment
08/10/08
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

Proyas assembles his inspirations into a unique amalgam with the power of myth to tap the fears and desires of our collective unconscious. [Blu-Ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
08/05/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

mixes visual marvels with B-movie archetypes

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/28/08
Jesse Hassenger
Jesse Hassenger
Filmcritic.com

Was "The Matrix" before "The Matrix" was ever in the pop culture lexicon...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
07/27/08
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

In the annals of noir Sci-Fi, by any measure, this is a Classic of cinematic invention.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
07/25/08
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

...the movie is mostly style, but it's a style so engrossing, it more than makes up for any lack of substance.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
07/25/08
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

A mishmash of iconography lifted from better movies.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
04/28/08
Lisa Alspector
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader

Dark City trades in such weighty themes as memory, thought control, human will and the altering of reality, but is engaging mostly in the degree to which it creates and sustains a visually startling alternate universe.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/28/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

City ultimately plays like one of those art-deco dystopian CD-ROM adventures of recent years.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/28/08
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Entertainment Weekly

[A] stylish hybrid of futuristic thriller and film noir.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
04/28/08
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post

Proyas floods the screen with cinematic and literary references ranging from Murnau and Lang to Kafka and Orwell, creating a unique yet utterly convincing world.

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
04/28/08
Andrea C. Basora
Andrea C. Basora
Newsweek

If you don't fall in love with it, you've probably never fallen in love with a movie, and never will.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
04/28/08
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post

This is one of those movies that's more concerned with set design motivation than anything that's going on inside the characters' heads.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment 2 Comments
04/28/08
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the most ludicrous movies in years.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
07/29/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Dark City is a truly scary flick.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
05/09/07
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
all

Latest News for Dark City

March 10, 2009: Alex Proyas Looks Back at Dark City Opens in new window
Director Alex Proyas has kicked off his guest-starring stint at /Film in the best possible way -- namely, by revisiting "Dark City." More...

July 28, 2008: RT on DVD: Harold & Kumar, Doomsday and Dark City Director's Cut
Since we're all still recovering from Comic-Con 2008, and tons of new home video details dropped at the Largest Nerd Gathering in the World, it's time for RT on DVD: Geek... More...

July 26, 2007: Alex Proyas to Direct The Silver Surfer?
After having a grand old time shooting "Ghost Rider" in Melbourne, it looks like producer Avi Arad wants to bring more superhero movies down to Austrlia. Plus, word is that an... More...

May 21, 2007: Four Directors Up for the Next "Bond" Flick?
Curious to know who'll be directing the next James Bond flick? Join the club. One source has a short list of potential helmers, all of whom would be pretty ... distinctive. More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
40% 40% Surrogates
83% 83% Whip It
29% 29% Gamer
97% 97% The Hurt Locker
81% 81% Michael Jackson's This…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
87% 87% A Serious Man
37% 37% The Time Traveler's Wife
78% 78% Bronson
11% 11% The Stepfather

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Oscar Nominations

Oscar Nominations

The Academy have chosen their contenders.

Anika Noni Rose

Anika Noni Rose

Disney's new princess picks her 5 Fave Films.

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges

The Crazy Heart star's best roles, ranked.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton gives RT an exclusive peek.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tom Cruise Accepts Another Mission: Impossible Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
38
  • Chris Nolan on Board for Dark Knight Sequel -- and Superman Reboot? Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
267
  • Tim Robbins Joins Green Lantern Source: Hollywood Reporter
58
  • Fox Moves Forward with 24 Movie Source: HitFix
8
  • Bill Murray Talks Ghostbusters III Source: Sunday Mail [UK]
56
  • Captain America News, News, and More News Source: Collider.com
20
  • Taylor Lautner Is Stretch Armstrong Source: MTV
78
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
288
  • Percy Jackson Star (Briefly) Rumored for Spider-Man Reboot Source: Hollywood Reporter
35
  • Five Facts About Alice in Wonderland
140
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Jeff Bridges' Best Movies
114
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Finally Toppled by Dear John
104
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
96
  • Five Favorite Films With Precious' Gabby Sidibe
35
  • Friday Harvest: The Last Airbender, The A-Team, and more!
27
  • Critics Consensus: From Paris With Love Is Not Bon
22
  • Total Recall: Anthony Hopkins' Best Movies
20
  • Five Favourite Films with Anika Noni Rose
17
  • Awards Tour: Pixar and Disney Rule The Annies
15
  • Great Directors: Martin Scorsese's Career in Film
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Oscar Nominee Gabby Sidibe Talks Precious
20
  • One Man's Quest To Find The Worst Movie Ever
7
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
77
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
22
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
3
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
13
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
24
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Dark City at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Dark City at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

Competitions
Get the Flixster App Now
Get the Flixster App Now External Link

Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2010, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.