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Now that I've seen Dark City, The Matrix doesn't seem all that brilliant anymore.

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Honestly, I didn't like how they animated the Ghost in the Shell movie... or the movie itself that much. But Matrix did rip a lot of ideas from it... and I bet with the Standalone Complex and 2ndGIG out now introducing even more new elements and concepts, it's a matter of time before the next Hollywood cyberpunk movie copies from it.

Oh... I haven't seen Ghost in the Shell: Innocence yet but the animation quality is *DROOOOOL*
 
I remembered watching Dark City in the theatre, I fell asleep halfway just for about 10 mins but then I got to see the rest of the movie.
It was really damm boring at first but after I got to know the meaning of the movie, it got really interesting.
While not as exciting as the Matrix, the concept/meaning of the movie is quite fascinatiing.
 
dark city was itself hugely derivative, which gives you an idea how intensely derivative the matrix was. but just because something is derivative doesn't make it bad (take the spagetti westerns, for instance). in this case, the matrix was a much better movie. dark city was fun but the matrix had a very polished storyline and script.

but jennifer connelly..... words can't describe how beautiful she is. 🙂 i just saw "inventing the abbotts" which wasn't very good. in fact, it was bad. but you get to see jennifer connelly, and that's worth the rental right there.
 
I just rented and watched it for the first time. I definetely see the connection between it and the Matrix. The general story lines are nearly identical. The Matrix however, is done much better. Overall though it is a pretty good movie...I'd recommend it.
 
Originally posted by: BatmanNate
Jennifer Connelly was very sexy in that movie. She's come a long way since Labyrinth. 😀

Edit: Oops! 😱 Turn GIS Safesearch off if you want the goodies pics, I turned it back on in my post.
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She looked the best in that movie with Don Johnson and Virginia Madsen.
There was even a topless scene of her 🙂 🙂 🙂
 
i just watched dark city, and i have NO idea how you could even COMPARE matrix with that!!

I mean the special effects basically SUCK, the storyline isn't all that great, the acting is even worse than, dare i say it, the matrix.

maybe same genre of "do we really exist" movies, but i don't know how youc an compare the two.
 
Originally posted by: zimu
i just watched dark city, and i have NO idea how you could even COMPARE matrix with that!!

I mean the special effects basically SUCK, the storyline isn't all that great, the acting is even worse than, dare i say it, the matrix.

maybe same genre of "do we really exist" movies, but i don't know how youc an compare the two.
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Matrix fan boy. 😛
 
Saltboy, for the love of mercy watch Dark City again with the Ebert commentary turned on. You will be blown away by the things that you missed that Ebert sees in the movie. I used to just really like it, but after the commentary I have to believe that it is one of the best movies made in years.
 
Originally posted by: NuclearNed
Saltboy, for the love of mercy watch Dark City again with the Ebert commentary turned on. You will be blown away by the things that you missed that Ebert sees in the movie. I used to just really like it, but after the commentary I have to believe that it is one of the best movies made in years.
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I'll have to check it out. I've already read his review and got some good insight from him there, but it never hurts to get more. Many people tend to disagree with Ebert's ratings/recommendations, but he sure puts a LOT more thought into his evaluations that almost any other person alive. His commentary for Citizen Kane was outstanding.
 
The Matrix didn't steal anything from Dark City, unless you think it also stole from The Thirteenth Floor.
 
I'm not sure why you can't think both movies are brilliant.

I doubt The Wachowskis could have significantly stolen anything from Dark City based on the way movie production schedules work. Hollywood just seems to have a strange concept convergence where thematically similar movies wind up released very close to each other (The Truman Show vs. EdTV, Finding Nemo vs. Shark Tale, The Road to El Dorado vs. The Emperor's New Groove).
 
Originally posted by: Czar
http://rob.mitsi.com/movies/comparisons/tm-dc_images1.htm
lots of images from both films, looks like a ripoff
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Those are incredibly superficial visual comparisons, and most don't even occur in similar contexts. The worst offender that I recognize off the top of my head is the shot of Jennifer Conelly singing in the club compared with The Matrix's "woman in red", just because they both happen to be sexy women in dresses. One is a main character and love interest in the movie, and the other is essentially set dressing who appears in a single scene and is never seen again.
 
I agree. Those image comparisons are pretty week. So they both had cops in them? Or a subway train? I don't think that proves much of anything. Honestly, 1 and a half years isn't a long time considering how long the matrix probably took to make. I am willing to bet the story was written by the time Dark City came out. Beyond that, I don't think calling Matrix a knockoff is fair, because the concepts they present are based largely in classic philosophy. SUch as Plato's allegory of the cave and that other concept of "Am I just a brain in a jar?" but I can't remember who wrote that.
-doug
 
I remember seeing Matrix and thinking it was a rip off from Dark City back in 1999 when Matrix came out. Dark City was really...well...dark. Had more of a film noir style of shooting. Matrix had more of an anime feel to it.

I felt like it was the same story told with a different theme. Both were good IMO.
 
Originally posted by: dmw16
I agree. Those image comparisons are pretty week. So they both had cops in them? Or a subway train? I don't think that proves much of anything. Honestly, 1 and a half years isn't a long time considering how long the matrix probably took to make. I am willing to bet the story was written by the time Dark City came out. Beyond that, I don't think calling Matrix a knockoff is fair, because the concepts they present are based largely in classic philosophy. SUch as Plato's allegory of the cave and that other concept of "Am I just a brain in a jar?" but I can't remember who wrote that.
-doug
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You do have some good points there. I guess watching DC threw me for a loop; I had heard that people thought it was similar to the Matrix, but until I watched it I didn't know how CLOSE it was.

I would think that the producers of the Matrix didn't even look at Dark City when creating their movie, but nevertheless, the fact remains that the two movies are very similar. I haven't seen the 13th Floor, but if it's similar to these movies as some have suggested, then the whole entire "Reality is not what you think" theme does not have sole exclusivity to The Matrix. If more than one person can think up movies such as these, then why should we give glory and honor to the one that has the biggest budget?
 
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