Dark City is one of the best science fiction movies which almost no one has seen. It has however, developed a rabid cult following, a cult of which I’m proud to be a part. That doesn’t mean it needs a sequel. What it needs is a revival, a re-release in theaters with a marketing plan behind it that might get people to show up and see it. I know I’m there.
But Dark City director Alex Proyas hasn’t let go of the let’s do more notion, even more than a decade after the first film released and flopped. He has sequel on the brain and talking to MTV he says, “I always thought it would be intriguing to have Rufus [Sewell], who was the hero in the first one, be the bad guy. He should turn nasty because he’s got unlimited power. That’s something I’d like to explore.”
In the interview Proyas admits that when he originally made Dark City he saw it only as a stand-alone movie. This is just an idea he’s had bouncing around his head in recent years. I’d say you should stick with the original plan Alex. I love your work, but Dark City is perfect as is. Doing more could only ruin it. It’s like Richard Kelly’s abortive attempt to explain everything that happened in Donnie Darko’s director’s cut. Part of the reason Dark City works is because every corner of the world isn’t explored, everything isn’t spelled out. Doing more would only cause it to lose some of it’s mystique. Leave Dark City where it belongs, lurking in the shadows, existing only in the memory of man living out the rest of his life in comfort on Shell Beach.
