Darkest City Remixed By Jorge

zeroxdash aug 10 2010

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

Video is a bit low quality, dialogue is muffled. Still watchable though. Very well edited, both video and audio - seamless throughout.

Pace is a lot higher than in the original early on due to cutting and reordering of scenes - about 23 minutes has been cut in total - although I'm a little unclear on why some things were moved. Additionally, some of the clues have been removed, and the edit increase the mystery surrounding the Strangers by showing less of them early on. It's also important to note that this edit removes the awful narration from the beginning - before the Extended Cut did it one year later.

I personally preferred the slower pace of the DC, which fits better with the noir mood of the film, whilst this one feels more like a thriller at times. The slower build up and suspense in the original made the reveal more cathartic, whilst the impact is somewhat lessened in my opinion by moving through events a little quicker and spending less time on character development. This isn't completely Jorge's fault as the TC had 11 minutes less material than the DC released in 2008. Additionally, I don't feel the rescores matched the mood of the film.

All in all, if you found Dark City boring or too slow, then this edit will redeem it for you, whilst if you enjoyed the slower pace of the noir-esque Director's Cut, I'd stick with that version. Either way, don't watch the Theatrical Cut!

So, how do you get to Shell Beach and when was the last time you saw daylight?

I think I may only be able to answer one of those questions. But now is not the time for spoilers...Let's get on with the review!



It's one of those films you have to be in the mood to watch. I had already seen the Director's Cut earlier this year, but admittedly I just wasn't in the mood and I had to stop and start a few times. Before then I had watched the original version and that was over a decade ago, which I enjoyed. But I suppose time and Dark City can both play tricks with your mind.

With Darkest City, I arrived half-hoping half-expecting that it would be a perfect blend of both the original and the directors cut. I can't tell you if that was really the case, but I did find the edit a lot easier to watch on this occasion. As others have said, scenes have been moved around and it must help with the flow of the film. Without spoiling the plot for anyone, the twists and shocks in the film stand out a little more in this, so I think the editing did improve on the film. I also noticed Richard O'Brien's presence a lot more here too. He does a brilliant job.

Another previous reviewer said the music was distracting. I disagree and I couldn't find any fault with the audio at all. The visuals look superb, which is pretty decent for an edit that'll be 15 years old in April!

Overall I don't think this influential cult sci-fic mystery will ever be a top favourite of mine, but it's a solid film and I would watch it again in another few years. I recommend it to others to give it a viewing, even if it's just to watch Richard O'Brien.

dwightfry78 oct 17 2010

This was at the same time a great edit and a disappointment. A great edit because it delivered a way more enjoyable version of the movie than the original (granted, it’s been a while since I saw that, but I remember it being a great idea buried behind excessive bloat and cliches, plus giving me a literal headache because of the nonstop overloud score, both of which problems were considerably toned down in Jorge’s version) and because the editing is totally invisible regarding video, audio, and narrative rhythm, no one would say this was not a theatrical release! But a disappointment because Jorge has us used to brilliantly conceived dark endings, so it was a letdown to find out this kept the original’s Hollywood conclusion. Now, I see this edit is rather old so maybe Jorge had yet to reach his most creative self, but this screamed for a Brazil type of ending, [SPOILER]cutting right from the injection to the sunny coda, skipping the whole literal deus-ex-machina, the boom-bang climax, the Raven-like duel between John and Unmasked Vader, and all that. [/SPOILER] Maybe Jorge would consider a 2.0 version? This is too good an edit to be marred by a goofy blockbuster-type finale.

Video quality was pretty good yet far from perfect, showing some blocking and interlaced bits here and there. Audio was fine, I don’t have a proper home cinema but there doesn’t seem to be any flaws. No DVD extras.

Overall this gets an 8/10. Fine, but falling short of the standards Jorge would later achieve.

Istvan6 May 24 2010

*This rating was given before reviews were required*