4 Star

Darkness and Strange Goings-on.

Co-written and directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow), who brings us a strange Sci-Fi tale that is weirder than ‘Twin Peaks’ ever was. Arrow Video brings us the definitive version in this 4K release, with a shed load of Special Features (See Below), this is a must for the fans of Dark City, a film that was praised by critics, but mostly overlooked by the paying cinema goers. But now you can feast your eyes on Proyas‘ vision of a mind-bending Sci-Fi Cyberpunk nightmare.

A man (Rufus Sewell, Continuum, A Knight’s Tale) suddenly awakes, he’s fallen asleep in his bath, but when he wakes, he doesn’t know where he is, and worse he doesn’t know who he is. After dressing, he looks around the apartment, what he finds is not good, a prostitute’s body with ritual carvings drawn into her cadaver. Just then there is a phone call, it’s Dr Daniel Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland, The Lost Boys, 24: Live Another Day) warning him that “the Strangers” are after him and they are about to arrive.

It turns out that there has been a spate of ritual killings and Inspector Frank Bumstead (William Hurt, Moby Dick TV Mini Series, A History of Violence) believes our mystery man is the culprit, who goes by the name of John Murdoch.

Murdoch is confused by all he sees in this city of perpetual night, and when the clock strikes midnight, everything stops, I mean everything, people fall asleep at the wheel, on buses and trains, all asleep except him, and then the city literally starts changing shape.

What is going on here? The Dr is the one that seems to know the most, and it turns out the strangers have special powers that allow them to manipulate people and the fabric of this world. It turns out that Murdoch also has some of this power that will see him pit himself against them, to get back to his home in Shell Beach, a place everybody has heard of, but nobody knows how to get to. He wants to get back to his wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly, Top Gun Maverick, A Beautiful Mind), but with a cop on his tail and “The Strangers”, this isn’t going to be easy. See how he fares in this mind-altering dark Sci-Fi fantasy.

Dark City Limited Edition 4K UHD [Blu-ray] [Region Free] is available now.

 

2-DISC LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negatives approved by director of photography Dariusz Wolski
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1, stereo 2.0 and 7.1 audio options for both cuts of the film
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• 60-page perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing by author Richard Kadrey, and film critics Sabina Stent, Virat Nehru and Martyn Pedler
• Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Three postcard-sized reproduction art cards
• Postcard from Shell Beach
• Dr Schreber business card

DISC 1: DIRECTOR’S CUT

• Brand-new audio commentary by director Alex Proyas
• Brand-new audio commentary with Craig Anderson, Bruce Isaacs and Herschel Isaacs, co-hosts of the Film Versus Film podcast
• Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas
• Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert
• Archive audio commentary by writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer
• Archive introduction by Alex Proyas

DISC 2: THEATRICAL CUT

• Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas, writers Lem Dobbs & David S. Goyer, director of photography Dariusz Wolski and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos
• Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert
• Memories of Shell Beach, a 2008 featurette in which cast and crew look back at the making of the film from concept to reception
• Architecture of Dreams, a 2008 featurette presenting five perspectives on the themes and meanings of the film
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery