Dark City (1998)

Directed by Alex Proyas
Written by Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer & Alex Proyas
Starring Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard O'Brien

My Advice: Wait and Rent It.

When I  tell people my thoughts on this film, they always respond, "But wasn't it nice to look at?"  If I had wanted nice to look at and nothing else, I would have gone to an IMAX showing of Nature Vistas or something.  But let's get something out of the way then--yes, the constant morphing and changing of the setting in this film is awesome.  Yes, thank you.  Hmm.  Let's say the other positive thing--Richard O'Brien was nice and sufficiently creepy as Mr. Hand, and it was good to be able to see him again without stooping to watch Spice World.  Now, for the rest of the film.  Although Sewell, Hurt and Connelly all do fairly well with what little plot they had to stand on (and Sutherland seemed to be enjoying his Peter Lorre impersonation), the only thing the film had going for it (the visuals, yes, they're a given, now go away), namely the mystery of it all--was given away too quickly.  And then--when it is given away, we don't know enough about the people involved to care, despite the flimsy love story.  Sewell can make it look like someone dropped a quarter into the surface of reality and is trying not to be killed by Floating Cenobite Wannabes (TM).  So?  We were pleased here after the first Crow, but now we're wary.