Post by Mr.HoRrOr on Dec 29, 2011 17:46:24 GMT -5
Plot:A group of kids struggle to survive after an alien invasion strikes Russia.
Cast:
Olivia Thirlby
Emile Hirsch
Joel Kinnaman
Rachael Taylor
Max Minghella
My Thoughts:Interesting scifi/invasion film!
Review:Between movies like "Skyline", "Attack The Block", and "Super 8". The prototypical "what is it?" movie seems to have made a strong comeback. Films where some invading force, or species of extraterrestrial lands on Earth. And wreaks havoc. Before the military is called in to blow it up. But not before a group of random strangers band together to try and take it down first. Chris Gorak's "The Darkest Hour" plays out in the exact same fashion.
Only this time, events are set in Moscow Russia. And the aliens are a new breed. The movie begins when two Americans head to Moscow to close a business deal. Once they get there, they find out that their contact has set up terms with another clientel. And has thus, stolen their million dollar idea. The two then decide to drown their sorrows later that night at a local nightclub. While there, they run into the guy who double-crossed them. A slight confrontation ensues.
But bigger issues are at hand when the power goes out. And a plethora of alien lifeforms begin attacking the club patrons. Soon, a fight for survival begins. Between the two Americans abroad, and a slowly widening group of other survivors. Their foes? An alien race that uses electrical power as a key instrument in their vicious assault. Going into this film, I really had no faith in it being good in the slightest. The trailers and previews just never really stoked me for this film.
But after seeing the movie, I was pretty impressed with what the filmmakers attempted to do with this movie. For one, the characters were a diverse group of people. Thrown together by this random scenario. So that made for lots of interesting character drama. Also, the backdrop to all of this being Moscow Russia, instead of a major American city. Added a whole new, fresh dimension to the already quickly-getting-stale plot of evil aliens attacking earth.
Lastly, the aliens themselves were very intriguing as villains. Keeping them unseen probably helped the films budget. But mostly, it helped the movie more than anything. The aliens travel around using invisibility shields. Which are powered by electricity. Thus, this gives them the ability to surprise attack anyone or anything they choose. However, they can be slightly seen upon approach. Kind of like a golden-colored mist or sand that blows through the air. But at the same time, cannot be seen well enough to be avoided by their targets.
And even more sinister to their method of attack. The only sounds they usually make, are when they're powering up their weapons. Which are sort of like lashing devices that upon contact with a human, shred and atomize their entire body. A pretty menacing device indeed. The special effects are solid enough to make these scenes look pretty cool when they unfold. And when the filmmakers try and pull them off. But the one thing this movie could've done without was "alien vision". Every movie involving evil space-invaders.
Always tries to give the viewer a look at the people involved through the alien point of view. This time around, that wasn't very well done. Not at all. It looked more like a cheesy video game beyond anything else. The initial alien attack on the nightclub is very effective mostly due to the special effects, and scenes of panic and chaos. But the film saves some cool moments for the middle and end parts as well.
Including a period in time where the group, led by Emilie Hirsch's character...hole up inside of an apartment with a guy who has apparently figured out a device that busts the aliens shields. Simultaneously stunning them so they be shot and or blown up by gun or rocketfire. And the finale of the movie comes out strong with some high drama, suspense, and an interesting sequence involving a speeding bus. Overall as a scifi/horror picture. "The Darkest Hour" isn't very good at being performance driven. And it's very light and thin storywise in many areas.
But the script opens up some intriguing questions. And creates a very sinister and interesting villain with the unseen space monsters. When you combine all of that, into a movie that was dumped into cinemas on Christmas weekend. With a hardly well-known cast. Where it was expected to crash and burn by design...it's not that bad of a picture.
Atleast it makes you think about a few things. And some of the visual effects (most notably one scene involving Rachael Taylor's character)...are very well done. "The Darkest Hour" certainly puts style above substance. But the well-crafted and scripted alien menace, provides just enough substance on their own to make the movie just about worth the $10 ticket price.
Positives:The aliens were very cool. In their method of attack and overall mystique. Some good character drama here and there. And a strong ending.
Negatives:Not enough explained about the aliens. The "alien vision" was extremely annoying and poorly designed. The movie needed some more meat in a few story areas also.
Overall:Two and a half stars out of four.