Reviews

You could say this movie was a precursor to The Matrix, but its better than that. You could say this movie takes its cues from Bladerunner, but it would be more accurate to say it got those cues from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. You could say this is the best sci-fi movie ever, and I would only put up a token argument. Throughout the film there is an incredible amount of tension. The special effects are amazing (especially for 1998), and somehow it never bites off more than it can chew. The plot is daring, complex and filled with twists, but in the end it completely makes sense. There were so many times when this movie could have fallen apart, devolved into nonsense, but it always holds together. The acting is great, the visuals are great, and the script is great. What more could you want?

On first viewing I hated this film. If you're a serious sci-fi fan the plot will probably seem painfully obvious ten minutes in. On further reflection I realized that I was too harsh in my criticism. The film certainly has problems, but it has some virtues compared to the crappy action sci-fi prevalent in Hollywood today. It follows conventions you might know from Bradbury or Phillip K. Dick (still better than movies from his stories like Next and Paycheck). If you like this you should watch Dark City. It may be the best sci-fi film I've ever seen. And hopefully Mr. Proyas gets a few more chances to make another one as good as Dark City.

This movie is one of the best comedies I've ever seen. Think Bachelor Party meets Son of the Beach. The acting is top notch. The only problem is that it is only 90 minutes long. The premise easily justifies a four hour epic, or maybe even a trilogy. It's sad that the only directing work John Quinn can get nowadays is filming Playboy casting calls. His talent is far too great for him to be pigeonholed in this manner. I pray that in the future he will be given funding to do what he does best: making groundbreaking comedy masterpieces. And don't think I'm forgetting the incredible cast. Loretta Swit puts in one of her finest performance as the horny landlord, and Bronson Pinchot's brilliant, imaginative portrayal of Ronald was a joy to watch.