Dark City 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Dark City 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 31, 2025

There are perhaps surprisingly few films that I'd say I don't "merely" love but also (as odd as this may sound) respect, and in that regard, Dark City would certainly make any short list I might be required to compile. This is a film that absolutely blew my mind when I first saw it theatrically years ago, and which has continued to impress with (many) repeated viewings through the years as it has been re-released in various home media formats (see my closing comments below in that regard). Alex Proyas' vision was a kind of crazy quilt pastiche with obvious tips o' bizarre oversized fedoras to Fritz Lang and Metropolis, while also being completely sui generis, even if it can be quite convincingly argued that subsequent entries like The Matrix co-opted large swaths of both content and style from Dark City, perhaps at least partially eclipsing it in the process.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given its visual virtuosity, Dark City had a very early release on 1080 Blu-ray at the veritable dawn of the format way back in 2008. Dustin Somner's Dark City Blu-ray review provides a wealth of plot information, a list of supplements and Dustin's reaction to the technical presentation. I will say Dustin's review was obviously written before the release of The Matrix, and I would only suggest that those who haven't seen this film yet and who have seen the Wachowski efforts just keep a running tab of the similarities between the two properties.

Dark City 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 disc, I am offering screenshots from Arrow's standalone 1080 release of Dark City as I think it actually provides a better representation of the look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. Because this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank. For those interested, there are several more 1080 screenshots to look at in the review of the 1080 release from Arrow.

Dark City is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with HVEC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfers in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the presentation(s):

Dark City has been restored by Arrow Films and is presented in tis original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with 5.1, 2.0 stereo, and a new Dolby Atmos audio mix (downmixed to 7.1 on the Blu-ray edition). ,br>
Both the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut are presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K / 16 bit resolution at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. A 2K master was sourced for the sections unique to the Director's Cut version.

The film was restored in 4K resolution and coulour graded at Duplitech.

This new restored master of Dark City has been approved by Director of Photography Darlusz Wolski.

All materials sourced for this new master were made available by Warner Bros.

The Atmos mix was produced by Arrow Films and completed at Deluxe Audio, London.

QC review was completed by Pixelogic.

This is an absolutely stunning account of one of the most visually splendiferous films of its (or perhaps any) era. Perhaps counter intuitively, or at least ironically given the film's title, I'd argue that both Arrow's 1080 and 4K version are noticeably brighter than the old New Line Cinema 1080 release from ages ago, but that is not a problem in any way, shape, or form. Instead, with a palette virtually bursting with bizarre grading choices and equally evocative lighting throughout any number of scenes, this 4K version in particular provides a robust reproduction of a huge (literal) gamut of hues while also offering consistently excellent detail levels, at least with regard to practical sets, props, costumes, and of course human beings. While absolutely none of the alien greens and teals permeating the visuals have been lost here (and I'd probably argue they've been enhanced courtesy of HDR / Dolby Vision), both Arrow's 1080 and 4K presentations have a slightly more yellow grading, something that actually may help give a semblance of naturalness to flesh tones even in oddly graded moments. While the cooler side of things if probably one of this film's most memorable contributions from a production design perspective, some of the warmer gradings, as in the introductory scenes with William Hurt, really have a gorgeous almost pink-rose tone in this version. Shadow detail is also noticeably improved when stacked up against the New Line release, and this 4K version provides at least a bit more in some of the weird Strangers material than even Arrow's 1080 version. Some of the vintage effects can't help but show their age, and that's probably more noticeable at the increased resolution this format offers.

Dark City 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dark City features an impressively immersive Dolby Atmos track that gives listeners a sense of ominous foreboding that offers both LFE and wafting overhead effects from the get go, with the bizarre washes of sound that open the movie. The almost alien bird calls clearly hover midair while the side and rear channels are filled with lower frequencies and the kind of chiming bell sounds. Over and over again this track delivers really superb surround activity, and the Atmos speakers are given prominence in several key moments where either flying (as in the Strangers) or quasi-vertiginous moments (as in some of John's moment of confusion) come into play. Even cloistered interior scenes can offer nicely discrete channelization of ambient environmental effects (listen to the some of the background clamor in the police station, for one example). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Dark City 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One - Director's Cut (1:51:49)

• Introduction by Alex Proyas (HD; 4:51) actually features Roger Ebert first, and is from 2008.


• Commentaries

Director Alex Proyas (2025)




Film Critics Craig Anderson, Bruce Isaacs and Herschel Isaacs (2025)




Director Alex Proyas (2008)




Screenwriters Lem Dobbs & David S. Goyer (2008)




Film Critic Roger Ebert

• Return to Dark City (HD; 58:55) is beautifully produced new piece with a ton of fantastic interviews with key crew and cast personnel.


• I'm as Much in the Dark as You Are (HD; 19:50) is a whimsical visual essay by Josh Nelson, who offers a laundry list of noir and noir adjacent titles that may be of interest.


• Rats in a Maze (HD; 14:33) is a somewhat more sober visual essay looking at the use of mazes in the film.


• Design & Storyboards (HD; 14:08) features some amazing artwork.

Disc Two - Theatrical Cut (1:40:32)

• Commentaries

Filmmakers Commentary (2008)




Film Critic Roger Ebert (2008)

• Memories of Shell Beach (HD; 43:26) is an archival making of featurette from 2008.


• The Architecture of Dreams (HD; 33:41) is a fascinating 2008 piece offering a quintet of perspectives about the film's meaning. Contributors include Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, Roger Ebert, Vivian Sobchak, Dana Polan and Rosemary Dinnage.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:23)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Fans have come to expect handsome packaging and fun non disc supplements with Arrow's limited editions, and they've provided both again with this release. This is another "Russian nesting doll" of sorts, with an O ring enclosing a slipbox, which itself holds a keepcase, booklet, and poster. The 60 page perfect bound collector's book is outstanding and features a wealth of great new writing. Limited edition packaging features a reversible sleeve, and the double sided fold out poster features the same two art choices. The keepcase houses three postcard sized reproduction art cards, a postcard from Shell Beach, and a business card for Dr. Schreber.

Dark City 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though I haven't been able to find it online as of the writing of this review (and would absolutely love it if some enterprising collector has it in their archive), I am absolutely positive I saw an old Siskel & Ebert episode where they were touting the amazingness of that newfangled technology DVD and how Ebert had contributed a commentary track to a newly released DVD of Dark City, a film that if I recall correctly Ebert perhaps understandably given his involvement in the bonus items singled out as particularly apt for this "exciting new" home entertainment medium, as it provided access to all sorts of background and other supplemental content, not to mention at the time at least generally speaking relatively better video and audio presentations. Unless the world ends in the meantime and/or I manage to find my own Shell Beach and disappear into the ether, this release is going to pretty easily make my Top 10 for this year. This is an unbelievably prescient film that has even more power and I daresay ingenuity for contemporary eyes than it did even back in the, well, Dark Ages when it was originally released. Technical merits are first rate and once again Arrow has aggregated both an impressive array of on disc supplements as well as fantastic writing and other non disc swag presented in some nicely designed packaging. Highly recommended.