27 Years Ago, This Neo-Noir Sci-Fi Gem Didn't Become a Hit Only Because of The Matrix
The Wachowskis used decorations from the set of this movie, and Roger Ebert called it one of the best sci-fi projects of its time.
The brilliant visionary Alex Proyas has been both incredibly lucky and incredibly unlucky in his creative life. On the one hand, he managed to make a career for himself in the 90s.
His two main films, The Crow and Dark City, went down in the history of world cinema. Whatever he made later – be it the big-budget I, Robot or the controversial Knowing – could not surpass the success of these projects.
Alex Proyas' Two Main Films Didn't Get the Recognition They Deserved
On the other hand, the two best films did not bring the director commercial success and world fame. All the cinematic delights of The Crow were overshadowed by the tragedy of Brandon Lee's death on the set.
And Dark City was overshadowed by the Wachowskis' The Matrix, which came out a year later – a movie much less aesthetically pleasing, but more spectacular in terms of action and much clearer in terms of plot.
What Is Dark City About?
In Dark City the world rebuilds itself every day – huge black skyscrapers are put together like a construction set to form new buildings, people lose their memories in their cramped apartments to become different people on a new day.
And only one person, Murdoch, a man with no past, accidentally becomes a witness to these backstage games – now he must find out what is happening, how real his fragmentary visions are, and where is the paradise that keeps appearing in his dreams.
Dark City Has a Lot in Common With The Matrix
It is easy to see the similarity of the original ideas, the parallels of the characters, and the overlap of individual plot lines of Dark City and The Matrix: Murdoch – Neo, the ability to rebuild the world by force of will – the gift of overcoming the laws of the Matrix.
The Wachowskis even used some of the decoration left over from Dark City, which is why the frames from the Wachowskis' film look like quotations, and not vice versa.
As is often the case, the pioneer and his more successful follower have merged in the public consciousness, only to switch places.
Dark City Is an Underrated and Overlooked Project That Deserves the Attention of Sci-Fi Fans
At the time, Alex Proyas' film was unfairly branded as overly formalistic, with critics saying that there was absolutely nothing behind the beautiful visuals and outstanding effects.
Later, the great critic Roger Ebert came to its defense, calling Dark City one of the most outstanding sci-fi films of the year. It's true: Dark City is a creative thriller in terms of visuals and script, which is worth seeing for all fans of truly complex science fiction.
