Dark City MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -1

Classic science-fiction is brought to the screen by acclaimed writer/director Alex Proyas (The Crow.) A man (Rufus Sewell) wakes up in his bath tub, disoriented and unsure of who he is. A broken syringe lies on the floor. After he discovers a dead woman, he quickly dresses and flees the scene. His identity card says he's J. Murdock, but he has no memories of the past. He finds newspapers that indicates he murdered the woman in his room and others. As police detective (William Hurt) and Murdock's wife (Jennifer Connelly) hunt for the crazed man, they discover evidence that their memories, and reality as they know it, are artificial creations. Hoping to discover the truth, Murdock locates a strange doctor (Kiefer Sutherland) who knows the truth. Outside, the world is always dark. With special effects magic, the world alters. At the stroke of 12, everybody falls into a strange sleep, except Murdock. He's pursued by 3 scary aliens who can float through the air and shift the world with their minds. The imaginative storytelling and exciting special effects will make this a sure fire boxoffice success for lovers of science fiction.

The film has many scary elements - scenes are always shot in black and gray and yellow without a designated time period or place. The music is intense and haunting, and the aliens are menacing. In quick sequences, two murdered women appear with spirals carved on their naked torsos. Pin wheels are used as a symbol for the solar system. Several people appear to be crazy, and most people behave erratically. Although there are no gun or fist fights, a violent element is present as a man is crushed against a building, a boy bites a man's hand, a man's throat is slit, a character is impaled on a spike, and a man commits suicide by jumping in front of a train. There are also several chase sequences. Surprisingly for an R-rated film, DARK CITY has only two mild crudities and no obscenities or profanities. However, the scary elements, the violence, and the brief nudity earn this film its R rating.

Preview Reviewer: Theresa Zumwalt
Distributor: New Line Features, 116 N. RobertsonBlvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048