I first viewed Alex Proyas’ Dark City, a year or so after its 1999 UK release on DVD, and it has remained in my psyche ever since, and awoke an intrigue of the darkness beyond the reality, of the mystery of a world within a world, and the importance of compelling characters to take us beyond the realms of what-we-know-as truth into a sinister tangle of genre and the unforeseen. So, I was really keen to revisit and immerse into this new Arrow Video release, and see if all that intrigue remained – and it absolutely does.

Proyas’ cult success with 1994’s The Crow, the Brandon Lee-starring supernatural thriller based on James O’Barr’s comic book series, eventually gave him the studio backing to delve into an older idea of his, one that infused in his mind for years in the best creative way, which he discusses in the new ‘Return to Dark City’ interview on this release. There’s no doubting that the gothic aesthetic of The Crow continues throughout Dark City, but it’s also a step up and away in the most wonderful surreal, exciting, and extraordinary ways.

As a brief synopsis: we’re first introduced to an unknown man waking up in a bathtub in a murkily-lit bathroom, this is John Murdoch (played superbly by Rufus Sewell) who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. As he stumbles outside the room into the bedroom, he discovers a dead body that’s carved with bloody spirals, and just as he turns to panic, the phone rings a man on the phone tells him to escape. And before we know it, John is always on the run, meeting a woman who says they’re married, and then the mysterious The Strangers, who are a colony of bald, pale men who lurk beneath the city – and appear to be controlling everything. Well, everything apart from John Murdoch but why, and how?

Watching Dark City in 2025 reminds you of a few things of the time, including how could such a mind-bending science fiction film be made – with all its quirks, narrative gambles, and uniqueness. But it really works, and much of this to down to curious characters, that brooding sense of the noir detective feeding the mystery, alongside ambitious sets, lighting use, original sequences and super committed performances.

Considering its original release date, and we know how many movies failed gloriously with an over-use of CGI in that era, Dark City is smart in its production by using a blend of miniatures, intelligent set building and CGI, for specific moments. And, importantly, this new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negatives, approved by director of photography Dariusz Wolski (yes!), succeeds and looks sharp and grainy, and engulfed in shadow and mystery. I was particularly glad that’s lasted and comes across fantastically. Dark City fuelled a love of the unravelling of time and the unknown on film for me, and I can easily see the influence on other movies since it was made, and I’m certainly including Christopher Nolan in that bracket, with elements of Memento and even his Batman trilogy in some sensation, which is interesting considering David S. Goyer had a hand in the latter and Dark City, co-writing with Lem Dobbs and Proyas himself.

While there is the theatrical and director’s cut included, you’re better off immersing into the director’s because it expands some smaller stories, and also since Proyas backs the version. While not every director’s cut improves the overall story, and we certainly know it can make some films worse, in this case it’s ideal and you won’t feel that any element slows down the pace or takes away from the narrative progression.

As previously mentioned, this is an all-new 4k restoration from the original 35mm camera negatives, and it’s presented in High Def (1080p), with audio options including the original DTS-HD MA 5.1, plus stereo 2.0, and 7.1 audio options for both cuts of the film. As well as some older archival features included, I loved the ‘Return to Dark City’ hour-long documentary that has insightful interviews with director Alex Proyas, producer Andrew Mason, production designers Patrick Tatopoulos and George Liddle, costume designer Liz Keough, storyboard artist Peter Pound, director of photography Dariusz Wolski, actor Rufus Sewell, hair and makeup artist Leslie Vanderwalt, and VFX creative director Peter Doyle. Each of them delves into their excited experience and involvement, and it’s a vital inclusion to offer some timeframe and retrospective views on how it all came together.

There’s also a ‘Rats in a Maze’ visual essay by film scholar Alexandra West, and another enjoyable visual essay, by film scholar Josh Nelson, on film noir and identity in Dark City named ‘I’m as Much in the Dark as You Are,’ that highlights the influences and inspiration on the film.

While I haven’t had the luck of the final edition, the special edition release also comes with a 60-page perfect bound collectors book featuring new writing by author Richard Kadrey, and film critics Sabina Stent, Virat Nehru, and Martyn Pedler, plus outstanding commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller, a double-sided fold-out poster, three postcard-sized reproduction art cards, a postcard from Shell Beach (which you’ll see in the film) and Dr. Schreber’s vital business card!

With a stellar cast that includes Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly and Richard O’Brien, Dark City is a gloriously ominous puzzle wrapped in secrets, filmed with all the essence of film noir, a modern thriller and German expressionism, and a celebration of cinematic senses worth every exploration.

Dark City Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray is available from Arrow Video to order now: https://amzn.to/4lmtB3Y