Dark City: Limited Edition is one of the most original films of the 1990s makes its long-awaited 4K UHD debut.
The Production: 5/5
Greatness is not always readily apparent. Such a truism can be a frequent refrain in Hollywood, a town and an industry often driven by the sure thing, the easy money and the familiar feel. However, art is built upon risk — what is the point of a medium like cinema if there aren’t bold swings? Dark City is a case study in how time can be kind to the visionaries, even if the initial response is less than welcoming.
Director Alex Proyas unleashed Dark City upon American audiences in March of 1998, over a year before The Matrix would deploy similar subject matter with a reminiscent look and feel — indeed, some of Dark City’s Australian sets were re-purposed for the Wachowskis’ era-defining blockbuster. Dark City, however, was not a smashing success, and met with commercial indifference, but some pockets of fervent critical praise (chief among them the late Roger Ebert, who adored Dark City).
Proyas’s film, drawn from a screenplay co-written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer, was an arresting synthesis of film noir, German expressionism, sci-fi and horror elements which felt like nothing like else on screen at the time (for context, the top movies around the time of Dark City’s release: U.S. Marshals, The Man in the Iron Mask and The Wedding Singer).
Broadly, Dark City concerns John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), who awakens in a hotel bathtub, slightly bloodied and disoriented. He soon discovers a dead body in the hotel room, and sets off on a frantic, paranoid journey into a city where the sun never seems to shine, and he’s struggling to piece together his past, as the police doggedly pursue a killer carving spirals into his predominantly female victims. Although the film is nearly 30 years old, I’ll refrain from wading any deeper into Dark City’s atmospheric, intricately plotted shadows, except to say the black-clad Strangers are not what they appear to be.
Ominous, fantastical and gorgeously filmed — director of photography Dariusz Wolski creates one striking tableau after another — Dark City is a gripping examination of, as one character puts it, “trying to find the soul” of humanity, delivered with style and flair. The cast is uniformly superb: Sewell excels as the terrified, bewildered Murdoch, and Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt, Richard O’Brien and Ian Richardson turn in fantastic performances. The technical credits are as crucial to the success of the film, and as mentioned, Wolski’s work, along with composer Trevor Jones, editor Dov Hoenig and art directors Richard Hobbs and Michelle McGahey make invaluable contributions.
While it’s true Dark City limped out of multiplexes in the spring of 1998, just barely breaking even worldwide, time — and the creation of a director’s cut in 2008, which adds about 10 minutes to the run time and substantially improves upon the theatrical version — has been exceedingly kind to Proyas’s vision. (An aside: If you’re watching Dark City for the first time — A) I’m jealous; and B) The director’s cut does a far better job introducing the film’s mysteries, pulling you along as Murdoch makes his discoveries. Start there.) Greatness may not always be apparent, but for those dialed into Dark City’s wavelength, it was as clear in 1998 as it is in 2025: This film is every inch a masterpiece.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
For its 4K UHD debut, Arrow Films undertook a brand-new restoration of Dark City, working from a 4K, 16-bit scan of the original 35mm camera negative, which was provided by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. (A 2K master was sourced for the sections unique to the director’s cut.) The film, in both its theatrical and director’s cut versions, is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 in 2160p resolution, and with a Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR10) grade applied. Per Arrow Films, this restored image was approved by director of photography Dariusz Wolski.
Dark City looks extraordinary — with a relatively minor caveat. Finely resolved grain, vivid colors and exquisite detail is evident in facial features, clothing, furniture and the bizarre world of the Strangers, making this the definitive home video presentation of both cuts of Dark City. Black levels are sturdy throughout, as befits a film almost entirely transpiring at night and in the shadows. There’s no trace of print damage or other notable visual defect, aside from the inherent softness at the edges of the anamorphic image, detracting from the visual presentation.
This is more of an observation than a complaint, but the restored image is a bit too clear and clean, as it betrays some of Dark City’s terrific miniature and effects work (especially during the “city rebuilding” scenes) — it does not look bad, as the special effects would’ve needed to be rebuilt in 4K as well, but it does somewhat dilute the illusion. This visually striking film has been done justice in its 4K UHD debut.
Audio: 5/5
Dark City is outfitted with no less than three distinct audio options: A DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, a DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track and a newly created Dolby Atmos track (which, in essence, functions as a kind of modern-day upgrade of the original theatrical Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, or SDDS, track, which had the capability of supporting up to eight independent channels).
The pair of DTS-HD MA tracks were sourced from Warner Bros., while Arrow Films produced the Dolby Atmos track. Dark City is very much a film dependent on sound to build its vivid cinematic world, which means the soundtrack gets a substantial workout. It’s fascinating how the DTS and Dolby Atmos presentations give viewers the opportunity to experience the film in subtly different, but equally satisfying, ways. The DTS-HD MA track is louder, punchier and feels fuller — the rumbling of buildings erupting into the sky, gunfire and explosions have a satisfying heft and depth, and the dialogue is heard clearly throughout.
The Dolby Atmos track, on the other hand, is a bit more subtle and smoother, with a tendency toward more realistic representation — there’s a touch more presence in the surrounds here versus the DTS track, which feels more enveloping, particularly during sequences where the Strangers are gathered en masse, for instance — but is just as dynamic during the more dramatic moments.
You can’t go wrong with either — it’s a matter of personal taste that I found myself leaning toward the meatier, slightly less nuanced DTS track, as I preferred its presence — and kudos to Arrow Films for offering viewers both options. There’s no distortion, drop-out or audible defects evident throughout either track. Optional English subtitles are also included.
Special Features: 5/5
Arrow Films has provided an extensive suite of supplements for its two-disc limited edition of Dark City, preserving much of what was found on the 2008 Blu-ray release. Somewhat uniquely for Arrow, there is a two-disc 4K UHD set and a two-disc Blu-ray set — the only discernible difference between the two appears to be a Dolby Atmos mixdown to a 7.1 soundtrack, otherwise the bonus features should be identical.
The first disc, home to the director’s cut, contains a staggering five audio commentaries: A pair of brand-new tracks (one from Proyas; the other from Craig Anderson, Bruce Isaacs and Hershel Isaacs of the Film Versus Film podcast), alongside a trio of archival commentary tracks, from Proyas, film critic Roger Ebert and co-writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer. Also on the first disc is an archival introduction from Proyas (4:51; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen); “Return to Dark City” (58:55; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen), a newly filmed retrospective featuring interviews with Proyas, producer Andrew Mason, production designers Patrick Tatopoulos and George Liddle, costume designer Liz Keough Palmer, storyboard artist Peter Pound, director of photography Dariusz Wolski, actor Rufus Sewell, hair and makeup artist Lesley Vanderwalt and VFX creative director Peter Doyle; “Rats in a Maze” (14:33; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen), a visual essay from film scholar Alexandra West; “I’m as Much in the Dark as You Are” (19:50; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen), a visual essay from film scholar Josh Nelson, and a montage of design and storyboard images (14:08; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen).
The second disc, which houses the theatrical cut, includes an archival audio commentary from film critic Roger Ebert, as well as an archival audio commentary from Proyas, writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer, director of photography Dariusz Wolski and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos. Also included are the 2008 featurettes “Memories of Shell Beach” (43:26; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen) and “Architecture of Dreams” (33:41; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen), along with the film’s theatrical trailer (2:23; Dolby Digital 5.1; 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen) and a gallery, containing 294 images.
As Arrow did not provide a final, retail version of the set for advance review, I can’t speak to the slipcase or the disc case, which, per press materials, features both original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller. The two-disc limited-edition 4K UHD set also includes additional supplemental material — according to press materials; I have not seen these elements — a 60-page, perfect-bound collector’s book featuring new writing on the film from Richard Kadrey, Sabina Stent, Virat Nehru and Martyn Pedler, as well as a double-sided, fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller, three postcard-sized reproduction art cards, a postcard from Shell Beach and a business card for Dr. Daniel Schreber. Should Arrow provide a final, retail version of the set, I’ll update this review accordingly.
Overall: 5/5
Greatness is not always readily apparent. Such a truism can be a frequent refrain in Hollywood, a town and an industry often driven by the sure thing, the easy money and the familiar feel. However, art is built upon risk — what is the point of a medium like cinema if there aren’t bold swings? Dark City is a case study in how time can be kind to the visionaries, even if the initial response is less than welcoming.
Director Alex Proyas unleashed Dark City upon American audiences in March of 1998, over a year before The Matrix would deploy similar subject matter with a reminiscent look and feel — indeed, some of Dark City’s Australian sets were re-purposed for the Wachowskis’ era-defining blockbuster. Dark City, however, was not a smashing success, and met with commercial indifference, but some pockets of fervent critical praise (chief among them the late Roger Ebert, who adored Dark City).
While it’s true Dark City limped out of multiplexes in the spring of 1998, just barely breaking even worldwide, time — and the creation of a director’s cut in 2008, which adds about 10 minutes to the run time and substantially improves upon the theatrical version — has been exceedingly kind to Proyas’s vision. Greatness may not always be apparent, but for those dialed into Dark City’s wavelength, it was as clear in 1998 as it is in 2025: This film is every inch a masterpiece.
Arrow Films’ limited edition 4K set at last provides the film’s fans with a definitive home video presentation, thanks to a gorgeous transfer, multiple audio options and a plethora of bonus features. Very highly recommended.
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