View source for Dark City (1998 film)



{{Infobox film
| name           = Dark City
| image          = Dark City poster.jpg
| alt            = A black poster. Above reads the lines: "Rufus Sewell", "Kiefer Sutherland", "Jennifer Connelly", "and William Hurt". In the center, against a black background, a man wearing a blue jacket is rested against an upright clock with Roman numerals as big as him; the setup cast in a blue tint. His arms are outspread, and his head is tilted back with his mouth agape. Behind the man and the clock is a dark city skyline. Below them is the tagline, "They built the city to see what makes us tick. Last night one of us went off." Below the tagline is the film title, "Dark City".
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Alex Proyas]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Andrew Mason
* Alex Proyas
}}
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* Alex Proyas
* [[Lem Dobbs]]
* [[David S. Goyer]]
}}
| story          = Alex Proyas
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Rufus Sewell]]
* [[Kiefer Sutherland]]
* [[Jennifer Connelly]]
* [[Richard O'Brien]]
* [[Ian Richardson]]
* [[William Hurt]]
}}
| music          = [[Trevor Jones (composer)|Trevor Jones]]
| cinematography = [[Dariusz Wolski]]
| editing        = [[Dov Hoenig]]
| studio         = Mystery Clock Cinema
| distributor    = [[New Line Cinema]]
| released       = {{Film date|1998|2|27}}
| runtime        = 100 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=Dark City |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/dark-city-1998-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104163105/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/dark-city-1998-2 |publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |access-date=3 January 2017 |archive-date=4 January 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* United States
* Australia
}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $27 million<ref name=Numbers>{{cite web |title=Dark City (1998) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Dark-City#tab=summary |publisher=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=8 August 2011}}</ref>
| gross          = $27.2 million<ref name=BoxOfficeMojo>{{cite web |title=Dark City (1998) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=darkcity.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607014519/https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=darkcity.htm |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=29 August 2010|archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

'''''Dark City''''' is a 1998 [[neo-noir]] [[science fiction film]] directed, co-written, and co-produced by [[Alex Proyas]]. It stars [[Rufus Sewell]], [[William Hurt]], [[Kiefer Sutherland]], [[Jennifer Connelly]], [[Richard O'Brien]], and [[Ian Richardson]]. The screenplay was written by Proyas, [[Lem Dobbs]], and [[David S. Goyer]]. In the film, Sewell plays an [[amnesia]]c man who, finding himself suspected of murder, attempts to discover his true identity and clear his name while on the run from the police and a mysterious group known as the "Strangers".<ref>{{cite journal | last=Helms | first=Michael | date=May 1998 | title=Dark City: Interview with Andrew Mason and Alex Proyas | journal=[[Cinema Papers]] | publisher=Cinema Papers Pty Ltd. | location=North Melbourne | issue=124 | pages=18–21 | issn=0311-3639 | language=en}}</ref>

Primarily shot at [[Fox Studios Australia]], the film was jointly produced by [[New Line Cinema]] and Proyas's production company Mystery Clock Cinema, and distributed by the former for theatrical release. It premiered in the United States on 27 February 1998 and received generally positive critiques. [[Roger Ebert]], in particular, supported the film, appreciating its art direction, set design, cinematography, special effects, and imagination, and even recorded an [[audio commentary]] for the film's home video release.

The film was nominated for the [[Hugo Award]] for [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]] and six [[25th Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]. Some critics later noted ''Dark City''{{'}}s similarities to and influence on the [[The Matrix (franchise)|''Matrix'' film series]], whose [[The Matrix|first installment]] came out a year later,<ref>{{cite web | last=Ebert | first=Roger | title=The Matrix | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-matrix-1999 | date=31 March 1999 | work=RogerEbert.com |access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dark City vs The Matrix|url=http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/214/dark-city-vs-the-matrix|date=17 August 2015 | publisher=RetroJunk | access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Tyridal|first=Simon|title=Matrix City: A Photographic Comparison of The Matrix and Dark City|url=http://www.electrolund.com/2004/10/matrix-city-a-photographic-comparison-of-the-matrix-and-dark-city/|date=28 January 2005|work=ElectroLund|access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref> and the film is now widely considered a sci-fi [[Cult film|cult classic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-12 |title=Dark City director Alex Proyas reportedly tuning up for new series based on the 1998 sci-fi cult classic |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/alex-proyas-developing-new-dark-city-series |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=SYFY Official Site |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-13 |title=Dark City, the sci-fi cult classic, is being made into a TV series |url=https://www.shortlist.com/news/dark-city-the-sci-fi-cult-classic-is-being-made-into-a-tv-series-402869 |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=Shortlist |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-15 |title=The Best Movie You Never Saw: Dark City |url=https://www.joblo.com/the-best-movie-you-never-saw-dark-city-video/ |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=JoBlo |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-13 |title=Dark City Series Is in Development with Director Alex Proyas |url=https://movieweb.com/dark-city-series-alex-proyas/ |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=MovieWeb |language=en-US}}</ref>

Concerned that audiences would not understand the film, New Line asked Proyas to add an explanatory voice-over to the introduction, and he complied. When a [[director's cut]] of the film was released in 2008, among the changes was the removal of the opening narration.

==Plot==
John Murdoch awakens in a hotel bathtub with amnesia. He receives a phone call from Dr. Daniel Schreber, who urges him to flee the hotel to evade a group of men who are after him. In the room, Murdoch discovers the corpse of a ritualistically murdered woman and a bloody knife. He flees the scene, just as a group of pale men in trenchcoats ("the Strangers") arrive.

Police Inspector Frank Bumstead, who is investigating murdered prostitutes, identifies Murdoch as a suspect. Following clues, Murdoch learns his name and finds out he has a wife named Emma. When the Strangers corner him, Murdoch instinctively [[psychokinesis|alters reality]] (an ability the Strangers share and refer to as ''tuning'') to create an escape path for himself.

Murdoch wanders the streets of the city where it is perpetually nighttime but no one seems to notice. When the clock strikes twelve, Murdoch witnesses everyone else fall asleep and the Strangers use ''tuning'' to physically rearrange the city's architecture. Afterwards, assisted by Schreber, the Strangers change the inhabitants' memories using an injection containing the new memories. Murdoch learns that he came from a coastal town called Shell Beach, which everyone knows, though no one remembers how to get there and Murdoch's attempts to visit fail. The Strangers inject a copy of the memories given to Murdoch into one of their men, Mr. Hand, hoping it will help them predict Murdoch's movements and track him down.

Inspector Bumstead catches Murdoch, though he acknowledges that Murdoch is most likely innocent, as he has misgivings about the city's nature. They confront Schreber, who explains the Strangers' nature. They are [[Extraterrestrials in fiction|extra-terrestrials]] residing in human corpses who share a [[Group mind (science fiction)|hive mind]], and are experimenting with humans to analyze individuality in hopes of making a discovery that will help their race to survive. Murdoch, as Schreber reveals, is an anomaly who inadvertently awoke before Schreber could implant his latest identity as a murderer.

Murdoch and Bumstead take Schreber and attempt to reach Shell Beach but instead end up at a poster for the town on a wall at the edge of the city. Frustrated, Murdoch and Bumstead break through the wall, revealing outer space, just before some of the Strangers, including Mr. Hand, arrive with Emma as a hostage. In the ensuing fight, Bumstead and one of the Strangers fall through the hole and drift out into space, and the city is shown to be a deep space habitat surrounded by a [[force field (technology)|force field]].

The Strangers bring Murdoch to their home beneath the city and force Schreber to imprint Murdoch with their [[collective memory]], believing Murdoch to be the culmination of their experiments. Against their order, Schreber instead injects Murdoch with memories of decades of training about the Strangers, their machines, and ''tuning''. Murdoch awakens with his powers fully realized. He frees himself and battles the Strangers, eventually defeating their leader Mr. Book in a psychokinetic fight high above the city.

After learning from Schreber that Emma has been re-imprinted and cannot be restored, Murdoch employs his powers, amplified by the Strangers' machines, to create a real Shell Beach within the habitat. On his way home, Murdoch encounters a dying Mr. Hand and informs him that the Strangers searched in the wrong place—the mind—to understand humanity. He rotates the habitat toward the star it had been turned away from and the city experiences sunlight for the first time.

Opening a door leading out of the city, Murdoch steps out to view the sunrise. On the pier in front of him is the woman he knew as Emma, who now has new memories and a new identity as Anna. Murdoch reintroduces himself and they walk to Shell Beach, beginning their relationship anew.

==Cast==
<!-- In the same order as the scrolling end credits -->
{{Cast listing|
* [[Rufus Sewell]] as John Murdoch
* [[William Hurt]] as Inspector Frank Bumstead
* [[Kiefer Sutherland]] as Dr. Daniel P. Schreber
* [[Jennifer Connelly]] as Emma Murdoch / Anna
* [[Richard O'Brien]] as Mr. Hand
* [[Ian Richardson]] as Mr. Book
* [[Bruce Spence]] as Mr. Wall
* [[Colin Friels]] as Detective Eddie Walenski
* [[John Bluthal]] as Karl Harris
* [[Mitchell Butel]] as Officer Husselbeck
* [[Melissa George]] as May
* [[Frank Gallacher]] as Chief Inspector Stromboli
* [[Ritchie Singer]] as Hotel Manager / Vendor
* [[Justin Monjo]] as Taxi Driver
* [[Nicholas Bell]] as Mr. Rain
* Satya Gumbert as Mr. Sleep (Noah Gumbert as Mr. Sleep Filming Double)
* Frederick Miragliotta as Mr. Quick
* Jeanette Cronin as a Stranger
* [[David Wenham]] as Schreber's Assistant
* [[Alan Cinis]] as Automat Cop
* Bill Highfield as Automat Cop
* [[Darren Gilshenan]] as Fingerprint Cop
* Terry Bader as Mr. Jeremy Goodwin
* Rosemary Traynor as Mrs. Sylvia Goodwin
* Maureen O'Shaughnessy as Kate Walenski
}}
[[Anita Kelsey]] provided the singing voice of Emma Murdoch in the theatrical cut.

==Production==
===Influences===
For ''Dark City'', Proyas was influenced by [[film noir]] of the 1940s and the 1950s, such as ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' (1941),<ref name="wagner1998a40">{{Harvnb|Wagner|1998a|p=40}}</ref> but also elements from the 60s and 70s were included in the movie.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtO-2gETXSA&t=950s |title=The Making of 'Dark City' Behind The Scenes |date=2019-11-28 |last=Flashback FilmMaking |access-date=2025-05-15 |via=YouTube}}</ref> The film has been described as [[Franz Kafka|Kafkaesque]], and Proyas cited the TV series ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' as an influence.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wagner|1997a|p=8}}</ref> Proyas wanted the film, though nominally science fiction, to have an element of horror to unsettle the audience.<ref name="wagner1997a9">{{Harvnb|Wagner|1997a|p=9}}</ref>

===Writing===
Proyas conceived a story about a 1940s detective who is obsessed with facts and cannot solve a case where the facts do not make sense, saying, "He slowly starts to go insane through the story. He can't put the facts together because they don't add up to anything rational".<ref name="wagner1997a7">{{Harvnb|Wagner|1997a|p=7}}</ref> In the process of creating the fictional world for the character of the detective, Proyas created other characters and shifted the focus of the film from the detective (Bumstead) to the person pursued by the detective (Murdoch). Proyas envisioned a robust narrative where the audience could examine the film from the perspective of several characters and focus on the plot.<ref name="wagner1998a40" />

After writing the first draft of the screenplay by himself, Proyas worked with [[Lem Dobbs]] and [[David S. Goyer]] to create the final script. Goyer had written ''[[The Crow: City of Angels]]'' (1996), the sequel to Proyas's 1994 film ''[[The Crow (1994 film)|The Crow]]'', and Proyas invited Goyer to co-write ''Dark City'' after reading Goyer's screenplay for ''[[Blade (1998 film)|Blade]]'', which had yet to be released. The [[Writers Guild of America]] initially protested against the crediting of more than two screenwriters for a film but relented and credited all three writers.<ref name="wagner1997b67">{{Harvnb|Wagner|1997b|p=67}}</ref>

===Design===
When Proyas finished his preceding film, ''The Crow'', in 1994, he approached production designer [[Patrick Tatopoulos]] to draw concepts for the world in which ''Dark City'' takes place.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wagner|1997b|p=64}}</ref> The city was built on a set, and no practical locations were used in the film.<ref name="wagner1997a7" /> Describing the city, Tatopoulos said,

{{blockquote|The movie takes place everywhere, and it takes place nowhere. It's a city built of pieces of cities. A corner from one place, another from some place else. So, you don't really know where you are. A piece will look like a street in London, but a portion of the architecture looks like New York, but the bottom of the architecture looks again like a European city. You're there, but you don't know where you are. It's like every time you travel, you'll be lost.<ref name="wagner1997b65">{{Harvnb|Wagner|1997b|p=65}}</ref>}}

The production design included themes of darkness, spirals and clocks. There appears to be no sun in the city's world and spiral designs that shrink when approached were used. The Strangers' large clock does not have any numbers and Tatopoulos said "But in a magical moment it becomes something more than just a clock".<ref name="wagner1997b65" /> The production designer created the city architecture to have an organic presence alongside the structural elements.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wagner|1997b|p=66}}</ref>

The Strangers' lair is a large underground amphitheater, in which a sculpture of a human face hides a large clock and a spiralling device changes the layout of the city above. The set for the lair was {{cvt|50|ft|spell=in}} in height, while an average set is {{cvt|36|ft|spell=in}}, and was built on a fairground in Sydney, Australia. The film's budget was approximately $27 million, so the crew used inexpensive techniques to build the set, such as stretching canvas onto welded metal frames.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wagner|1998b|p=33}}</ref> The lair also had a rail conveyance that appeared expensive. Tatopoulos said "We had, obviously, a car built, but we had just one built. We laid some rail for it to ride on. We made a section of corridor that we kept driving through all the time and you end up believing this thing is running along forever". Proyas wanted the rail car to pass various rooms, which was not feasible given the budget, so Tatopoulos and the crew used "replaceable elements and strong design textures" to give the impression it was passing different rooms.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wagner|1998b|p=34}}</ref>

The Strangers are energy beings who reside in dead human bodies. At the beginning of the design process, the filmmakers considered having the Strangers resemble insects, but they decided the bug appearance was overused. Tatopoulos said one day Proyas "called me and said he wanted something like an energy that kept re-powering itself, re-creating itself, re-shaping itself, sitting inside a dry piece of human shape".<ref>{{Harvnb|Wagner|1998b|p=32}}</ref>

===Casting===
About the character of Mr Hand, Proyas said: "I had Richard in mind physically when I wrote the character, because I had these strange, bald-looking men with an ethereal, androgynous quality", and O'Brien had famously played a similar character (Riff Raff) in ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]''. When Proyas visited London to cast the film, he met with O'Brien and found him suitable for the role.<ref name="wagner1997a9" />

Daniel P. Schreber, the character portrayed by [[Kiefer Sutherland]], was named after [[Daniel Paul Schreber]], a German judge with narcissistic, paranoid [[psychosis]], and possibly [[schizophrenia]], whose autobiographical ''Memoirs of My Nervous Illness'' (''Denkwürdigkeiten eines Nervenkranken'') (1903) inspired some elements of the film's plot.<ref>Kemble, Gary (2009). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090626035210/http://blogs.abc.net.au/articulate/2009/03/movie-minutia-1.html ''Movie Minutiae: Dark City (1998)'']. ABCNews. Articulate: Daily talk on arts news and events. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-10.</ref><ref>Harris, Ken: ''Film and Conspiracy'', in: Knight, Peter (2003). [https://books.google.com/books?id=qMIDrggs8TsC&q=%22Dark+City%22+%22Sigmund+Freud%22+Schreber&pg=PA262 ''Conspiracy theories in American history: an encyclopedia, Volume 1''], ABC-CLIO Inc., Santa Barbara, California, {{ISBN|1-57607-812-4}}, p. 262</ref><ref>Bould, Mark. [http://www.wright.edu/~david.wilson/eng205/bouldarticle.pdf ''On the Boundary between Oneself and the Other: Aliens and Language in the Films AVP, Dark City, The Brother from Another Planet, and Possible Worlds''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403033037/http://www.wright.edu/~david.wilson/eng205/bouldarticle.pdf |date=3 April 2012 }}, Yearbook of English Studies, University of West of England</ref> [[William Hurt]] was originally asked to play Dr Schreber before eventually being cast as Inspector Bumstead.<ref name="wagner1997a9" /> Proyas said that [[Ben Kingsley]] was one of the original choices to portray Dr Schreber.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 13, 1998 |title=SPLICEDwire &#124; Alex Proyas interview for "Dark City" (2002) |url=http://www.splicedwire.com/features/proyas.html}}</ref> When Sutherland received the script he didn't understand why it was sent to him, thinking it was a mistake and that they wanted his father [[Donald Sutherland|Donald]].<ref>{{cite web |date=12 January 2012 |title=39 Things We Learned from the 'Dark City' Commentary |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/39-things-we-learned-from-the-dark-city-commentary/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923223859/https://filmschoolrejects.com/39-things-we-learned-from-the-dark-city-commentary/ |archive-date=September 23, 2021}}</ref>

===Soundtrack===
The film's [[soundtrack]] was released on 24 February 1998 by [[TVT Records]].<ref>Fawthrop, Peter. "[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r347671|pure_url=yes}} ''Dark City'' (Original Soundtrack)]". [[Allmusic]]. Retrieved 4 March 2006.</ref> It features music from the original [[film score|score]] by [[Trevor Jones (composer)|Trevor Jones]], and versions of the songs "[[Sway (Luis Demetrio song)|Sway]]" and "[[The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (song)|The Night Has a Thousand Eyes]]" performed by singer [[Anita Kelsey]]. It also includes music by Hughes Hall from the [[trailer (film)|trailer]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090913081442/http://www.mysteryclock.com/video/large/darkcitytrailer_l.mov ''Dark City'' trailer] ([[QuickTime]]). Retrieved 4 May 2007.</ref> a song by [[Echo & the Bunnymen]] that played over the final credits, as well as songs by [[Gary Numan]] and [[Course of Empire (band)|Course of Empire]] that did not appear in the film. The music for the film was edited by Simon Leadley and Jim Harrison.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800021141/cast |title=Dark City (1998) |access-date=1 September 2010 |publisher=Yahoo! Movies |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622014205/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800021141/cast |archive-date=22 June 2011 }}</ref>

==Release==
New Line Cinema wanted the filmmakers to consider retitling the film ''Dark World'' or ''Dark Empire'' to help differentiate it from the recently released ''[[Mad City (film)|Mad City]]'', but ''Dark City'' was kept as the title.<ref name="wagner1998a40" /> The film was originally scheduled to be released in theaters on 17 October 1997,<ref name="wagner1997b67" /> then 9 January 1998,<ref name="wagner1998a40" /> and finally 27 February 1998, when it debuted in 1,754 theaters in the United States.<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo" />

===Home media===
A [[DVD region code|Region 1]] [[widescreen]] [[DVD-Video|DVD]] of the film was released in the United States on 29 July 1998. Special features on the DVD included two audio commentary tracks (one with film critic Roger Ebert, and one with director Alex Proyas, writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer, and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos), cast and crew biographies and filmographies, comparisons to Fritz Lang's ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'', set design drawings, and the theatrical trailer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=2239 |title=Dark City DVD |publisher=[[DVDEmpire.com]] |access-date=2 September 2010}}</ref> The film was released on [[laserdisc]] in the United States on 12 August 1998. Special features were an audio commentary track by writer/director Alex Proyas, screenwriters Lem Dobbs & David Goyer, production designer Patrick Tatopoulos and director of photography Dariusz Wolski on the left analogue track and a Theatrical Trailer on chapter 19. The right analogue track contained a Dolby Digital / AC3 5.1 soundtrack. The film was also released on [[VHS]] on March 2, 1999.<ref name="Amazon">{{cite book |title=Dark City VHS Format |isbn = 0780622545}}</ref>

===Director's cut===
A director's cut of ''Dark City'' was officially released on [[DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]] disc on 29 July 2008. The director's cut removes the opening narration, which Proyas felt explained too much of the plot, and includes approximately eleven minutes of additional footage, most of which extend scenes already present in the theatrical release with additional establishing shots and dialogue.<ref>[http://twitchfilm.net/interviews/2008/06/alex-proyas-interview-dark-city-directors-cut-and-more.php Alex Proyas Interview - Dark City Director's Cut and More] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621231505/http://twitchfilm.net/interviews/2008/06/alex-proyas-interview-dark-city-directors-cut-and-more.php |date=21 June 2010 }}. ''twitchfilm.net.'' Retrieved 5 September 2010.</ref> The DVD and Blu-ray feature expanded audio commentaries by Ebert, Proyas, and Dobbs and Goyer, along with several new documentaries. The Blu-ray also includes the original theatrical cut of the film and the special features from the 1998 DVD release.

==Reception==
===Critical response===
Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received generally positive reviews.<ref name="meta">{{Cite web |title=Dark City Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/dark-city/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.metacritic.com |language=en}}</ref> {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|77|6.9|90|Stylishly gloomy, Dark City offers a polarizing whirl of arresting visuals and noirish action.|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted mean|weighted average]] score of 66 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics.<ref name="meta" /> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “B-“ on an A+ to F scale.

{{quote box|width=35em|No movie can ever have too much atmosphere, and ''Dark City'' exudes it from every frame of celluloid. Proyas' world isn't just a playground for his characters to romp in—it's an ominous place where viewers can get lost. We don't just coolly observe the bizarre, ever-changing skyline; we plunge into the city's benighted depths, following the protagonist as he explores the secrets of this grim place where the sun never shines. ''Dark City'' has as stunning a visual texture as that of any movie that I've seen.|salign=right|source=—[[James Berardinelli]], writing for ''ReelViews''<ref name="berar">Berardinelli, James (1998). [http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/d/dark_city.html Dark City]. ''[[ReelViews]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref>}}

Writing in the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', [[Roger Ebert]] called the film a "great visionary achievement", while also exclaiming that it was "a film so original and exciting, it stirred my imagination like ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' and ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dark City movie review & film summary (1998) {{!}} Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dark-city-1998 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.rogerebert.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', Peter Stack wrote that the film was "among the most memorable cinematic ventures in recent years", and "maybe there's nothing wrong with a movie that is simply sensational to look at." He felt the film's "twisting of reality and its daring look—layered and off-kilter grays, greens and blacks—make it click."<ref>{{Cite web |title=FILM REVIEW -- The `Dark' Side / Stunning visuals overshadow thriller's muddled plot |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/02/27/DD53668.DTL |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918075700/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/02/27/DD53668.DTL |archive-date=18 September 2008 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.sfgate.com |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a mixed review, Walter Addiego of ''[[The San Francisco Examiner]]'' thought that "as a story, ''Dark City'' doesn't amount to much", its "complicated plot" containing important themes that were "no more than window dressing", but that "what counts here is the show, the creation of a strange world by a filmmaker who clearly knows science fiction and fantasy, past and present, and wants to share his love for it."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grave new world with a murky plot |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/02/27/WEEKEND13156.dtl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918081713/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/02/27/WEEKEND13156.dtl |archive-date=18 September 2008 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.sfgate.com |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Unimpressed by the film, Marc Savlov of ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' wrote: "You really have to feel for Alex Proyas. This guy wears bad luck like the grimy trenchcoats of his protagonists, only his zipper's stuck and he can't seem to shake the damn thing off." He felt "''Dark City'' looks like a million bucks (or rather, a million bucks gone to compost), but at its dark heart it's a tedious, bewildering affair, lovely to look at but with all the substance of a dissipating dream."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Movie Review: Dark City |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/1998-02-27/dark-city/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.austinchronicle.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Left equally disappointed was John Anderson of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', who said of the directing that "If you had to guess, you might say that Proyas came out of the world of comic art himself, rather than music videos and advertising. ''Dark City'' is constructed like panels in a [[Batman]] book, each picture striving for maximum dread", and that Proyas was "trying simultaneously to create a pure thriller and sci-fi nightmare along with his tongue-in-cheek critique of artifice. And this doesn't work out quite so well."<ref>Anderson, John (27 February 1998). [http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie980226-2,0,5350781.story Dark City]. ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref> Author TCh of ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' felt that the development of the Murdoch character was "surprisingly engrossing" and thought 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."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Dark City Review. Movie Reviews - Film |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/64964/dark_city.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019022727/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/64964/dark_city.html |archive-date=19 October 2012 |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' said the film was "as cool and distant as the planet the Strangers come from. But, Lord, is ''Dark City'' a wonder to see."<ref>Corliss, Richard (2 March 1998). Dark City. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref> [[James Berardinelli]] writing for ''[[ReelViews]]'', remarked that "Visually, this film isn't just impressive, it's a tour de force." and noted that "''Dark City'' opens by immersing the audience in the midst of a fractured, nightmarish narrative."<ref name="berar" /> Berardinelli also said "''Dark City'' appears to be New York during the first half of this century, but, using a style that is part science fiction, part noir thriller, and part gothic horror, [Proyas] has embellished it to create a surreal place unlike no other."<ref name="berar" /> Describing some pitfalls, Jeff Vice of the ''[[Deseret News]]'' said that "when critics talk about films being 'style over substance', they're definitely talking about movies like ''Dark City'', which looks good but leaves an unpleasant aftertaste."<ref name="vice" /> He was quick to admit that "The special effects and set designs are dazzling", but ultimately felt "Proyas makes a crucial error in treating the subject even more seriously than ''The Crow'', and the dialogue (co-written by Proyas and ''The Crow: City of Angels'' scriptwriter David S. Goyer) is unintentionally funny at times and often just plain dumb."<ref name="vice">Vice, Jeff (27 February 1998). [https://web.archive.org/web/20100110071713/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700000411/Dark-City.html Dark City]. ''[[Deseret News]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref>

{{quote box|width=30em|align=left|quote=What they have done is taken a few second-hand ideas from noir and speculative fiction and mixed them in occasionally striking ways, even if, in the end, the result isn't all that much fun.|salign=right|source=—[[Todd McCarthy]], writing in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''<ref>McCarthy, Todd (19 February 1998). [https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=review&reviewid=VE1117467192&categoryid=31&query=dark+and+city+and+sewell&display=dark+city+sewell&cs=1 Dark City]. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Retrieved 2010-09-02.</ref>}}

Andrea Basora of ''[[Newsweek]]'', stated that director Proyas flooded the screen with "cinematic and literary references ranging from [[F. W. Murnau|Murnau]] and [[Fritz Lang|Lang]] to [[Franz Kafka|Kafka]] and [[George Orwell|Orwell]], creating a unique yet utterly convincing world".<ref>Basora, Andrea (1998). "Dark City". ''[[Newsweek]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref> Similarly, David Sterritt wrote in ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' that "The story is dark and often violent, but it's told with a remarkable sense of visual energy and imagination."<ref>Sterritt, David (1998). Dark City. ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref> Marshall Fine of ''[[USA Today]]'' found the film to be "Fascinating, visionary filmmaking", and said that "With its amber-tinged palette and its distinctively dystopian view of life, it may be the most unique-looking film we've seen in ages", but said that it "defies logic and makes frightening and unexpected leaps."<ref>Fine, Marshall (1998). Dark City. ''[[USA Today]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref> [[Stephen Holden]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the "plot that ''Dark City'' builds on John's predicament is a confused affair" and that the film's premise is "unsettling enough to make you wonder if it could actually derail a seriously drug-addled mind."<ref>Holden, Stephen (27 February 1998). [https://www.nytimes.com/library/film/022798dark-film-review.html Dark City: You Are Getting Sleepy: Who Are You, Anyway?]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref>

Steve Biodrowski of ''[[Cinefantastique]]'' found the production design and the cinematography overwhelming, but he considered the narrative engagement of Sewell's amnesiac character to be ultimately successful, writing: "As the story progresses, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and we gradually realize that the film is not a murky muddle of visuals propping up a weak story. All the questions lead to answers, and the answers make sense within the fantasy framework." He compared ''Dark City'' to Proyas's preceding film, ''The Crow'', in style, but found ''Dark City'' to introduce new themes and to be a "more thoroughly consistent" film.<ref>{{Harvnb|Biodrowski|1998|p=35}}</ref> Biodrowski concluded that "''Dark City'' may not provide profound answers, but it deals seriously with a profound idea, and does it in a way that is cathartic and even uplifting, without being contrived or condescending. As a technical achievement, it is superb, and that technique is put in the service of telling a story that would be difficult to realize any other way."<ref>{{Harvnb|Biodrowski|1998|p=61}}</ref>

===Box office===
Its opening weekend in theaters, ''Dark City'' grossed $5,576,953, enough to place fourth at the box office;<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo" /> ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', which had been released ten weeks earlier, grossed $19,633,056 and was still number one.<ref name="BoxOfficeResults">{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1998&wknd=09&p=.htm |title=February 27-March 1, 1998 Weekend |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=2 September 2010}}</ref> The following weekend, it earned $2,837,941 (a decrease of 49.1%) and dropped to ninth place, while ''Titanic'' remained in first with grosses totaling $17,605,849.<ref name="BoxOfficeResults2">{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=1998&wknd=10&p=.htm |title=March 6–8, 1998 Weekend |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=2 September 2010}}</ref>

During its four-week theatrical run, the film earned $14,378,331 domestically. Internationally, it took in an additional $12,821,985, for a combined worldwide box office total of $27,200,316.<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo" /> The film's cumulative gross was the 105th-highest of 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1998&p=.htm |title=Domestic Grosses |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=2 September 2010}}</ref>

==Accolades==
The film won and was nominated for several awards in 1998. Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] cited it as the best film of 1998,<ref name="ebert1">{{Citation | last=Ebert | first=Roger | author-link=Roger Ebert | url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980227/REVIEWS/802270304/1023 | title=Dark City | work=Chicago Sun-Times | date=27 February 1998 | access-date=28 July 2009 | archive-date=11 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311171517/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19980227%2FREVIEWS%2F802270304%2F1023 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Ebert, Roger. "[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981231/COMMENTARY/40308009/1023 The Best 10 Movies of 1998] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930060458/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981231/COMMENTARY/40308009/1023 |date=30 September 2007 }}". ''Chicago Sun-Times''. Retrieved 20 December 2005.</ref> and in 2005 he included it on his "Great Movies" list.<ref name="greatmovies">Ebert, Roger. [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-dark-city-2005 Great Movies: Dark City (2005)]. 6 November 2005.</ref> Ebert used it in his teaching, and also recorded an [[audio commentary]] for the original [[DVD-Video|DVD]] and the 2006 Director's Cut.<ref name="greatmovies" /> The film was screened out of competition at the [[1998 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{Citation|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4899/year/1998.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Dark City |access-date=4 October 2009 |work=festival-cannes.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018090836/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4899/year/1998.html |archive-date=18 October 2012 }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Award !! Category !! Name !! Result
|-
| [[Imagine Film Festival|Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival]]
| Silver Scream Award
| [[Alex Proyas]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Bram Stoker Award]]
| [[Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
| Alex Proyas, [[Lem Dobbs]], and [[David S. Goyer]]
| {{won}} (tied with ''[[Gods and Monsters (film)|Gods and Monsters]]'')
|-
| [[Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film]]
| Pegasus Audience Award
| Alex Proyas
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Film Critics Circle of Australia]]
| Best Screenplay – Original
| Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, and David S. Goyer
| {{won}} (tied with ''[[The Interview (1998 film)|The Interview]]'')
|-
| [[Hugo Award]]
| [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]]
|
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[International Horror Guild Award]]
| Best Movie
|
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review of Motion Pictures|National Board of Review]]
| Special Recognition
|
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="6" | [[Saturn Award]]
| [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]]
|
| {{won}} (tied with ''[[Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon]]'')
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Costume|Best Costume]]
| Liz Keogh
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Direction|Best Director]]
| Alex Proyas
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Make-up|Best Make-Up]]
| [[Bob McCarron]], [[Lesley Vanderwalt]], and Lynn Wheeler
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]]
| Andrew Mason, Mara Bryan, Peter Doyle, and Tom Davies
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writer]]
| Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, and David S. Goyer
| {{nom}}
|}

==Analysis==
{{quote box|width=26%|align=right|quote=One of the things that we're exploring in this film, is what it is that makes us who we are.  And, when you strip an individual of his identity, is there some spark, some essence there that keeps them being human, gives them some sort of identity?|source=Alex Proyas<ref name="Proyas">{{cite video|people=Proyas, Alex (Director)|date=2008|title=Dark City (Director's Cut Commentary)|medium=DVD|time=1:15:23-1:17:40|quote=And so for me, the love story aspect of this film, the love affair between Murdoch and his wife, that kind of grows and sort of comes to a culmination in this scene, [Scene 12, "Do You Remember?"] is for me exploring that idea, and how, when you take away both of these people, these character's identity, is there something left, something that they acknowledge or recognize within each other, that is expressed as love for each other? For me the question is, if there was a man and a woman who were in love who were married let's say, and who had been together for a very long time, if by some strange procedure they could have their memories erased, and then they would re-meet, would they fall in love again? Is love some kind of a force that rules us beyond our identification with each other and ourselves?  My feeling is that's probably the case.  I don't think any scientist has fully resolved why two people amongst the many millions of people in the world and the many thousands they might meet, why you find a partner and have this bond with a particular person.  So my belief is that it is a very fundamental aspect of the way we function as human beings and that perhaps it's something that rules us, that drugs us in ways we can't explain or understand.}}</ref>}}

The theologian [[Gerard Loughlin]] interpreted ''Dark City'' as a retelling of [[Plato]]'s [[Allegory of the Cave]]. For Loughlin, the city dwellers are prisoners who do not realize they are in a prison. John Murdoch's escape from the prison parallels the escape from the cave in the allegory. He is assisted by Dr. Schreber, who explains the city's mechanism as Socrates explains to Glaucon how the shadows in the cave are cast. Murdoch becomes more than Glaucon, "He is a Glaucon who comes to realize that Socrates' tale of an upper, more real world, is itself a shadow, a forgery".<ref name="loughlin">{{Citation | last=Loughlin|first=Gerard|title=Alien Sex: The Body and Desire in Cinema and Theology | chapter=Seeing in the Dark |date=February 2004 | publisher=Wiley–Blackwell | isbn=0-631-21180-2 | pages=46–48 }}</ref> Murdoch defeats the Strangers, who control the inhabitants, and remakes the world based on childhood memories, illusions arranged by the Strangers. He casts new shadows for the city inhabitants, who must trust his judgment. Unlike Plato, Murdoch "is disabused of any hope of an outside" and becomes the [[demiurge]] for the cave, the only environment he knows. Of the lack of background provided in the film, Loughlin said "The origin of the city is off-stage, unknown and unknowable".<ref name="loughlin" />

The city in ''Dark City'' was described by Sarah L. Higley as a "murky, nightmarish [[German expressionist cinema|German expressionist]] [[film noir]] depiction of urban repression and mechanism". It has a [[World War II]]-era dreariness reminiscent of [[Edward Hopper]]'s works, as well as details from different eras and architectures, from the 1940s to the 1960s, that are changed by the Strangers "buildings collapse as others emerge and battle with one another at the end". The round window of Murdoch's hotel room is concave, like a fishbowl and is a frequently seen element throughout the city. The inhabitants do not live at the top of the city; the main characters' homes are dwarfed by the [[bricolage]] of buildings.<ref>{{Citation | last=Higley | first=Sarah L. | title=A Taste for Shrinking: Movie Miniatures and the Unreal City | journal=Camera Obscura | year=2001 | publisher=[[Duke University Press]] | volume=16 | issue=2 47 | pages=9–12 | issn=0270-5346 | doi=10.1215/02705346-16-2_47-1 | s2cid=192198570 }}</ref>

The film contains motifs from [[Greek mythology]], in which gods manipulate humans to serve a higher agenda. Proyas said "I do like Greek mythology and have read a little of it, so maybe some of it has crept into the work, though I don't completely agree with that point of view".<ref>{{Harvnb|Wagner|1998a|pp=40–41}}</ref>

==Similarities to other works==
The film's style is often compared to that of the works of [[Terry Gilliam]] (especially ''[[Brazil (1985 film)|Brazil]]'').<ref>Hicks, Adrienne. [http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/2001/dark.html ''"DARK CITY" (1998): Critical Review and Bibliography''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319161743/http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/2001/dark.html |date=19 March 2015 }}</ref><ref>Blackwelder, Rob. [http://www.splicedwire.com/features/proyas.html ''Visions of 'strangers' dance in his head: 30 minutes with 'Dark City' writer-director Alex Proyas''], SPLICEDwire</ref><ref>Dunne, Susan (2006).[https://www.courant.com/2006/02/23/welcome-to-dystopia-at-trinitys-cinestudio/ ''Welcome To Dystopia At Trinity's Cinestudio''], Hartford Courant, 23 February 2006</ref><ref>Fisher, Russ (2008). [http://chud.com/articles/articles/14568/1/YOU-GOT-IT-ALL-WRONG-DAY-TWENTY-TWO/Page1.html Why Dark City is What The Fuck?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208004708/http://chud.com/articles/articles/14568/1/YOU-GOT-IT-ALL-WRONG-DAY-TWENTY-TWO/Page1.html |date=8 December 2008 }}, chud.com</ref><ref>Maciak, Luke (2010). [http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2010/10/15/dark-city/ ''Dark City''], Terminally Incoherent, 15 October 2010</ref><ref>Wroblewski, Greg. [http://www.scoopy.com/darkcity.htm ''Dark City (1998)''], Scoopy.com</ref> Some stylistic similarities have also been noted to [[Jean-Pierre Jeunet]] and [[Marc Caro]]'s 1995 film ''[[The City of Lost Children]]'',<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.scifilm.org/reviews/citylostchild.html |title=The City of Lost Children |access-date=7 November 2007 |last=Carpenter |first=Jerry |format=review |work=Movie Reviews |publisher=SciFilm.org |quote=The production design by Jean Rabasse is marvelous. The city is dark and damp, all stairs and walkways. It clearly served as inspiration for DARK CITY three years later—- one scene even features sharply inclined risers filled with members of the cyclops cult just like those used by the cenobites in the later film. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012134312/http://www.scifilm.org/reviews/citylostchild.html |archive-date=12 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.lightsoutfilms.com/dvd_cityoflostchildren.html |title=The City of Lost Children (1995) |access-date=7 November 2007 |last=Mestas |first=Alex |date=3 March 2003 |format=review |work=DVD Reviews |publisher=LightsOutFilms.com |quote=The film is similar in theme and execution to the slightly better ''Dark City''. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907214756/http://www.lightsoutfilms.com/dvd_cityoflostchildren.html |archive-date=7 September 2008 }}</ref> another film that was particularly inspired by Gilliam (Gilliam had presented Jeunet's and Caro's previous film ''[[Delicatessen (1991 film)|Delicatessen]]'' (1991), which was a deliberate homage to Gilliam's style, in North America<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfrevu.com/Review-id?id=3970|title=Delicatessen|website=www.sfrevu.com}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2006-05-04-new-on-dvd_x.htm | work=USA Today | first=Mike | last=Clark | title=New on DVD | date=5 May 2006}}</ref>).

''[[The Matrix]]'', which was released one year after ''Dark City'', was also filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney, and it even used some of ''Dark City''{{'}}s sets.<ref name="greatmovies" /> Comparisons of the two films have made note of similarities in [[cinematography]], atmosphere, and plot.<ref name="Morales">Morales, Jorge. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080804171653/http://galeon.hispavista.com/cinerama/actu2/matrixdarkcity.htm Comparación de los Filmes "Dark City" & "The Matrix"]. Retrieved 24 December 2005. (Spanish)</ref>

[[Fritz Lang]]'s 1927 film ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' was a major influence on the architecture, concepts about the baseness of humans within a metropolis, and the general tone of ''Dark City''.<ref>"The Metropolis Comparison". ''Dark City'' DVD (1998).</ref> In one of the documentary shorts included on the director's cut home video releases of the film, the influence of the [[German Expressionism (cinema)|early German films]] ''[[M (1931 film)|M]]'' and ''[[Nosferatu]]'' are also mentioned.

One of the last scenes of the movie, in which buildings "restore" themselves, is similar to the last panel of the ''[[Akira (manga)|Akira]]'' [[manga]], and Proyas has called the film's final battle an "homage to [[Katsuhiro Otomo|Otomo]]'s ''Akira''".<ref>Proyas, Alex. {{cite web |url=http://mysteryclock.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1647 |title=Dark City DC: Original Ending !? |access-date=29 August 2008 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014191637/http://mysteryclock.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1647 |archive-date=14 October 2007 }}. Mystery Clock Forum. Retrieved 29 July 2006.</ref> ''Dark City'' has also drawn comparisons to the [[anime]] films ''[[Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer]]'' (1984)<ref name="highdefdigest">{{cite news |title=Off the Shelf – Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer |url=https://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/off-the-shelf-urusei-yatsura-2-bluray/ |work=High-Def Digest |date=12 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="Marko">{{cite book |last1=Schmeink |first1=Lars |last2=Müller |first2=Hans-Harald |title=Fremde Welten: Wege und Räume der Fantastik im 21. Jahrhundert |date=2012 |publisher=[[Walter de Gruyter]] |isbn=9783110276732 |page=170 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-1rnBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA170 |language=de}}</ref> and ''[[Megazone 23]]'' (1985),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pellitteri |first1=Marco |last2=Bouissou |first2=Jean-Marie |last3=Fratta |first3=Gianluca Di |last4=Martorella |first4=Cristiano |last5=Suvilay |first5=Bounthavy |title=The Dragon and the Dazzle: Models, Strategies, and Identities of Japanese Imagination : a European Perspective |date=2010 |publisher=Tunué |isbn=9788889613894 |page=607 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FxUZHy9MXgoC&pg=PT607 |language=en}}</ref> as well as the 1993 [[video game]] ''[[Gadget Invention, Travel, & Adventure]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/hellboy-director-talks-gaming |title=Hellboy Director Talks Gaming |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |date=26 August 2008 |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812073133/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/hellboy-director-talks-gaming |archive-date=12 August 2010}}</ref>

When [[Christopher Nolan]] first started thinking about writing the script for ''[[Inception]]'', he was influenced by "that era of movies where you had ''The Matrix'', you had ''Dark City'', you had ''[[The Thirteenth Floor]]'' and, to a certain extent, you had ''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'', too. They were based in the principles that the world around you might not be real".<ref name="Boucher">{{cite news |last=Boucher |first=Geoff |title=''Inception'' breaks into dreams |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=4 April 2010 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-inception4-2010apr04,0,6869939.story |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>

==Related works==
''Mask of the Evil Apparition'', a short film written and directed by Proyas, set in the ''Dark City'' world, was released in 2021. The film was distributed only through Proyas' streaming platform [[VidiVerse]]. During a Q&A session after a screening of the short film, Proyas revealed he was in the early stages of developing a ''Dark City'' series.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alex Proyas Reveals That He's Developing a 'Dark City' Series!|first=John|last=Squires|website=Bloody Disgusting|date=12 August 2021|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3678172/alex-proyas-reveals-hes-developing-dark-city-series/|access-date=14 August 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814043751/https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3678172/alex-proyas-reveals-hes-developing-dark-city-series/|archive-date=14 August 2021}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of films featuring space stations]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Citation | last=Biodrowski | first=Steve | title=Dark City – Review | journal=[[Cinefantastique]] |date=April 1998 | volume=29 | issue=12 | pages=35, 61 | issn=0145-6032 }}
* {{Citation | last=Khoury | first=George | title=The Imagineer: An Interview with Alex Proyas | journal=Creative Screenwriting |date=September 2000 | volume=7 | issue=5 | pages=83–90 | issn=1084-8665 }}
* {{Citation | last=Wagner | first=Chuck | title=Dark World | journal=Cinefantastique |date=September 1997a | volume=29 | issue=3 | pages=7–9 | issn=0145-6032 }}
* {{Citation | last=Wagner | first=Chuck | title=Dark Empire | journal=Cinefantastique |date=October 1997b | volume=29 | issue=4/5 | pages=64–67 | issn=0145-6032 }}
* {{Citation | last=Wagner | first=Chuck | title=Dark City | journal=Cinefantastique |date=January 1998a | volume=29 | issue=9 | pages=40–41 | issn=0145-6032 }}
* {{Citation | last=Wagner | first=Chuck | title=Dark City | journal=Cinefantastique |date=April 1998b | volume=29 | issue=12 | pages=32–34 | issn=0145-6032 }}
* {{Citation | last=Wilson | first=Eric G. | year=2006 | title=Gnostic Paranola in Proyas's ''Dark City'' | journal=Literature/Film Quarterly | volume=34 | issue=3 | pages=232–239 | url=https://www.questia.com/library/1P3-1214287831/gnostic-paranola-in-proyas-s-dark-city | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630051930/http://www.questia.com/library/1P3-1214287831/gnostic-paranola-in-proyas-s-dark-city | url-status=dead | archive-date=June 30, 2013 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==

*Dark City at Letterboxd https://boxd.it/26uk
* {{IMDb title|0118929}}
* {{Mojo title|darkcity}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|dark_city}}

{{Alex Proyas}}
{{David S. Goyer}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film 1991–2010}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark City (1998 Film)}}
[[Category:1998 films]]
[[Category:1998 drama films]]
[[Category:1998 American films]]
[[Category:1990s dystopian films]]
[[Category:1998 English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s science fiction drama films]]
[[Category:American dystopian films]]
[[Category:American neo-noir films]]
[[Category:American science fiction drama films]]
[[Category:Australian neo-noir films]]
[[Category:Australian science fiction drama films]]
[[Category:Films about amnesia]]
[[Category:American films about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:Films about memory erasure and alteration]]
[[Category:Films about psychic powers]]
[[Category:Films directed by Alex Proyas]]
[[Category:Films produced by Alex Proyas]]
[[Category:Films scored by Trevor Jones]]
[[Category:Films set in outer space]]
[[Category:Films shot in Sydney]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Alex Proyas]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by David S. Goyer]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Lem Dobbs]]
[[Category:Gothic films]]
[[Category:1998 science fiction films]]
[[Category:Existentialist films]]
[[Category:Films based on Allegory of the Cave]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction drama films]]
[[Category:New Line Cinema films]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]
[[Category:1998 Australian films]]
[[Category:Gnosticism in popular culture]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Dark City (1998 film)|access_date=2026-03-02}}