User reviews

While maybe not much better than what the ratings and reviews say, at the very least 'The Darkest Hour' has the fun factor going for it. There is not much for a plot: your typical alien invasion, where a group of survivors have to try and survive the attack while in Moscow.

Wait, Moscow?

One of the things I liked here was that there IS originality. Instead of another American city, or even Tokyo/London, this time around we watch Moscow under attack. Instead of having to see the characters running and hiding around the same New York for the nth time, we are presented an 'unknown' scenario that has a lot of charm going for it.

Another plus is the aliens themselves. Not your typical armor-wearing soldiers or 'greys', but in here they have a very original design (bodyless masses of light). It is sad to hear the clichèd excuse for their invasion, but they are very interesting to see.

Despite these flairs of originality, overall the film suffers from the typical B-movie sci-fi problems. The blandness of the cast and some logic-defying situations/developments (every Russian they meet speak perfect English, for example) are downsides, but the straight-forward plot, lack of an overly pretentious message and non-boring development more than compensate.

Overall, this is far from a great film but it is a fun straight-forward B-movie with some welcome flashes of originality. It more than succeeds on entertaining, as long as you don't over-blow your expectations.

The idea behind the darkest hour was original. It is nice to finally see something that hasn't been recycled from another movie, game, book, etc. That being said the main problems in the movie come from a rather dull open story. It leaves you with many unanswered questions. There are also many flaws in different aspects of the movie. Being an avid movie goer I give this a 6 out of 10 because of the original idea. But it could have been way better had they developed script better. The other flaw was the lack of graphics. They clearly spent very little on special effects. I feel that this should have been a TV movie. Not something to go see in the theater.

This is a B-grade movie and you should go in expecting one. Certainly, it won't win over many critics. Still, there are some thrills in this apocalyptic sci-fi thriller. Even though, it leaves a middling aftertaste. Thankfully, it runs at a lean 89 minutes and doesn't waste too much time in exposition, which are sometimes cringe-worthy. For me, it does throw in a few interesting ideas, which prevent it from being just another cookie-cutter entry in the increasingly stale genre.

First, the aliens. Instead of taking on the snarly form we've seen in countless films, they are invisible to the human eye and exist in the form of microwave energy. The only way they can be detected is when they pass through an object powered by electricity. And they kill humans by turning them into ashes. Because the aliens can't be seen, the killings are unpredictable.

Second, I like the idea of transposing the American protagonists and the apocalypse to a foreign city, Moscow, instead of the trite New York City or Los Angeles. The stereotypes of Russian culture are played for laughs, though most of the jokes come across flat. However, you get to relish the many famous sights and landmarks such as The Red Square, in ruins.

In terms of characters, most of them are disposable. Even the leads, Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby and Max Minghella come across as likable at best, but not memorable. It doesn't help that they are given lame one-liners. I wish they had given the eccentric Russian electrician and his cacophony of gadgets more screen time.

The Darkest Hour has a great setup. Pity the makers didn't have the balls to strive beyond formula. Even if the ending sets it up for a sequel, I reckon its box office performance will convince the studio they need one.

The trailer to The Darkest Hour will make you feel like you just have to watch this movie. Clips around Moscow, a group of friends hanging out at a club, but then comes the twist when you see invisible creatures just absorbing humans. The incredibly tense music, short clips of fight scenes, and voice over of one of the characters that seem to know everything about these invisible aliens are very intimidating. You also get a very, very clear picture of what this movie is about, and I wanted to watch it. I wanted to watch it so bad, it was the main focus of my birthday party.

But my heart sank when I checked IMDb, and they rated it 5.1 out of 10. Alright, it's an okay mark, so then I checked rottentomatoes.com. It is embarrassing to say that viewers rated the movie 29%, and the critics rated it a flopping 14%. Also, watching and reading several movie reviews, one review mentioned how only kids under the age of 25 would like it, got my hopes bunked down even further.

The Darkest hour (directed by Chris Gorak) is about two best friends Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella), two young social network developers visiting Moscow hoping that a Russian company will go on board with their website which helps tourists find "hot clubs" around the world. When they enter the boardroom, they find out that Skyler (Joel Kinnaman), their Swedish associate who speaks Russian, has stolen their idea and claimed "it's business".

Sean and Ben are then escorted by security guards outside the building after Sean throws a fit. The two go to a popular night-club called Zvezda, where they see Skyler. Ben finds out that an American, Natalie (Olivia Thrilby) and her Australian friend Anne (Rachael Taylor), who use his app, are there too and they quickly become friends. Just as they are about to take a group photo, all power goes out! OH NO! HOW UNPREDICTABLE.

Everybody in the club exits to see what's going on and yellow lights are falling slowly from the sky. One comes nearby, but it's invisible, only releasing small glimpses of yellow light. A nearby policeman approaches the invisible alien, and is turned to dust. Everybody starts running and extras get killed, but of course, our five main characters live and find a safe place to hide, which just so happens to be the cellar where the club stores all their food. They then go out once their food stock runs empty and try to go to the American embassy. Really, what were they thinking they were going to find?

The rest of the movie is them running away from these invisible enemies, trying to find other survivors, couple of people die and the ending is predictable.

There aren't that many flaws in the movie. I liked all the action scenes and how intense some scenes were. Sean, who in the beginning comes off as a slack and a bit dumb, was able to find out how to detect these invisible aliens, and how to hide from them.

The one thing that puzzled me, was that everybody was on a boat in the river, but the building next to it comes down on them so they were all forced into the water. But Natalie, who wasn't there after everybody came up from the water, ends up what seems like miles stranded on a bus. HOW DID SHE GET THERE? I mean seriously, did she fly over the building? No. She was holding hands with Sean and jumped into the water. I hate it when directors make horrible choices just to remove a character in a surprising way.

The young actors did well with the material, but the script. Oh the script. Don't get me wrong, the idea of the story is amazing, but some of the action seemed, random. Like it the screenwriter just didn't bother to plan it out well. I guess you can say the effects were cool, but I don't think it's hard to create invisible aliens.

The movie was enjoyable! Like I said earlier, the action was great, the overall idea was very, very, very cool and exciting. I may not have seen the movie Skyline (2011), but there are many comparisons to it because of the similar plot.

So should you watch it? Yes! Go ahead! I liked it, despite the incredibly low ratings other critics gave it. It's a great action movie for tweens and teens (not kids because the beginning's got some mild language). It's a great action movie, but it is pretty similar to other sci-fi thriller action movies out there.

Just got back from a screening of The Darkest Hour and honestly this film was better than I anticipated. I confess, I hadn't wanted to go at all but my friend insisted and so to keep the peace I went. Granted, the beginning is a uneven and it was unclear where the story was going but once it clicks in the thing moves right along. You are never sure who is going to die next and that helps keep the suspense level high. The acting is serviceable and the location is a refreshing change from the usual New York/Chicago skylines. It's frankly more interesting to watch the tale unfold against the dinginess of contemporary Moscow, and with Russian soldiers instead of Americans. Moreover, the special effects are simple, but effective.

In essence, invisible beings are here to steal our electricity and only insulators (e.g. glass or Faraday Cages) enable us to be hide from them. Because they are ruthless and utterly determined, there is no hope for negotiation, no chance for peace. Early on it is made clear either we win or we will be exterminated.

I liked everything about the movie, even though the alien invasion genre has gotten a bit tired of late. I was never bored and was always in suspense as to what would happen next. At 89 minutes, this joint Russian-American production probably could have taken more time with its story and characters, and not be in such a hurry to kill them off. Since the background is so different, maybe they could have shown us more of the city or used the locations more effectively.

Yet for all the obvious complaints one can make, the move works if you let it. I believe viewers will find it worth their while. Take it for what it is, and I honestly think you will have a good time at The Darkest Hour.

Well what can I say, a good storyline ruined by budgetary constraints. It seems these days that the latest way of reducing the post-production expense is to shoot an invisible alien at night. The acting was just above amateur, in fact I have seen many amateur performances that would make this production look like a school project. The ending was such that it was either left open to pave the way for a sequel or because they totally ran out of money at one hour and twenty-five minutes. The film ends where the story really begins, such a same not to have realised the true potential of the screenplay. The concept of the aliens was unusual and I must say fairly original, however one has to suspend any knowledge of physics in order to make them believable. Aliens that seem to be of pure electrical energy explode with a shower of solid matter when killed, which makes no sense whatsoever. Please, someone with a real skill for production and direction do a remake, Stephen Spielberg are you listening?

This was a bit of fun to watch, nothing special, like an above average sci-fi channel flick, but fun to watch nonetheless. Hasn't been a box office hit or getting much in the way of good reviews, but if basic alien invasion is your cup of tea, you will probably enjoy it too. I liked the aliens, not your usual lot, and the Moscow sets. The cast gave decent performances as well. I would have liked to see more of the invaders and would have liked a few more battle scenes, and could have enjoyed it just as well without the 3D effects. All things considered, I will add it to my collection when it's available on disc. Catch this during a matinée if you must, but you'll probably like it a whole lot more on a theater's big screen than waiting for HBO.

I would rate this film one star and that would be generous. The characters were one dimensional and you knew who was going to get killed a mile off. The special effects were on the level of a made-for-TV-movie on the sci-fi channel. The 3D was needless because there was nothing enhanced since the special effects and the aliens were practically non-existent. I would advise to save your money and time and stay home and watch a good sci-fi DVD. This movie would have appealed to children from 10-15 years old, with absolutely no knowledge of what constituents a good movie experience, plot or special effects. When it was finally over, I wished that I could have gotten my time and/or money back.

I don't know why critics panned this movie so much. Did they expect a different movie than what they saw? After seeing the trailer, this looked like a fun movie so I gave it a shot and was not disappointed. It was pretty much like I thought it was going to be. Sure the whole alien invaders thing has been done a lot, and this sticks to the formula to a certain extent (minus the annoying deus ex machina plot device), but it was original enough to set it apart.

The acting, while not Oscar worthy, was definitely fine for this genre of movie. The setting (deserted Moscow after the invasion) was well done, and the effects (apart from the opening airplane shot) were pretty good too. There was just enough suspense and action to keep things interesting, and while I didn't feel a deep bond with the characters, I still rooted for them to survive.

All in all, this was a pretty fun movie, and throughout it I keep wondering to myself why there were so many bad reviews because I was definitely liking it.

Don't listen to the "critics" who are too full of themselves and don't get this kind of movie; judge for yourself. If after seeing the trailer you think you'll enjoy the movie, you probably will (if you go into it unbiased). I definitely did.

I don't understand why such a low rating for this movie. That is why I gave it a higher rating.

The acting is decent. The concept was somewhat original. And, I have seen numerous sci-fi and horror movies and this one kept my attention. Unlike many other movies.

The movie takes place in Moscow with 4 Americans trying to survive an alien invasion. Nice change from all other invasions only occurring in America.

How they go about surviving is the interesting part with one technique (while they are in the apartment of Sergei) that is a reality for a real life apocalyptic event. Most people would not realize this unless they were into science, but for those that are it is cool to see it used in the movie. And, for those who are not aware of it should Google it. You might find it interesting.

I am glad that I ignored the low rating and watched the movie. Was not disappointed.

Rating I would give it is: 6.5 out of 10.

This isn't going to take much time. THE DARKEST HOUR is extremely bad, it's terrible. It's a poorly written, poorly acted, poorly directed sci-fi film with unexceptional VFX, that sucked its way into theaters only because it's produced by Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch, Wanted).. I've seen B-sci-fi films that are better than this. What an excruciating way to spend the holidays, in a theater watching a time-waster like THE DARKEST HOUR. It's a collection of dreadful dialogue and talents like Joel Kinnaman who can be of more use elsewhere, in other gigs. I admit the concept is interesting, like what those alien sparks are actually made up of and how those floating sparks of energy decimate its victims, there also are scenes worth noting because they intend on making the characters selfless and heroic but you don't really feel that emotionally because the script is far from good enough to even think about reaching that emotional believable strength, the speeches are unbearable, the 3D is pointless. The thrills or the sequences that are meant to be suspenseful are neither new nor creative. And I can't help but feel that the entire film is nothing but a weak attempt to promote tourism for Moscow. The young key actors: Emile Hirsch, Max Minghella, Olivia Thirlby, have a few critically acclaimed films on their resumes, like Into The Wild, The Social Network, and Juno respectively, and so seeing them in this poor excuse for a sci-fi action/thriller is just painful to watch.

I really wish Hollywood would stop depicting women as scared little sheep that need to be held by men when things get rough. Or how they need to hang onto each other and cuddle and cry and carry-on and run holding hands while the men just walk around looking stoic and act calm in a situation such as an alien invasion. It takes away from any kind of authenticity of this ridiculous movie. I'm sad the actresses In this movie didn't argue more with the director about depicting themselves in a stronger light. Watching them cry and scream and hold onto one another doesn't truly set well with me. If you want to see woman as wimpy and frail, watch this show.

This movie SUCKS! It's that simple... Bad acting, stupid plot, horrible CGI!

I have to write more to get this to post!

Things I wish I had done rather than watch this movie.

Go to the gym. Write a book. Read a book. Learn to play an instrument!

You get the point!

Yes you read right, the movie begins (no spoilers this all happens within the first 10 minutes, and the movies bad anyways) with two young men trying to promote/sell their website/business idea to a bunch of business men in Russia. They get undercut by a suave yet arrogant 'douche bag' character played by Joel Kinnaman. Crushed by defeat they go to a local bar and meet not only two girls that come from America and have been following their 'blog' but the suave 'douche bag'. This could of been an interesting dynamic as the two struggle with their friendship to try and reclaim what was their's, in an unknown and strange location BUT NO.

The movie turns to utter crap, totally leaving behind any character relations or interactions that had been setup in the first 20 minutes almost like two movies badly glued together. The aliens power seems SO inconstant in one scene an alien is wiping hundreds of people at a time, and through out the movie scenes depict them as unintelligent and weak out smarted by a couple of stupid teenagers, a Russian riding a horse and a 10 year old girl. Who i can only guess is in this movie because they need another reason to make the movie 10 or 20 minutes longer or just because the directors through their arms in the air and said "f#%$ it".

So to summaries PLEASE PLEASE don't pay money to see this movie to not support this in any way if you are curious or just want to see how to make a bad movie get this through other less legal means.

Gotta say, very disappointed in this movie... it was a waste of 1.5hrs of my life that I won't get back... granted there has been many wasted hours of my life with me being the cause, but this movie lacked any really good special effects, storyline lame, acting even lamer... save your 9 bucks and wait for it to come out on DVD, and then only watch it when someone else pays for it.... I've seen better movies on the SyFy and Space channels - this was definitely a movie that should have aired on these channels... right now I can even think of any movie that was as bad as this... 2012 with John Cusak comes to mind, bad acting, bad story lines, but at least this movie had awesome special effects... 'Darkest Hour' sucked on so many levels, I could probably go on about it for several pages, but that would just annoy anyone reading this revue... though my long drawn out monologue of this movie, would be preferably to actually sitting to watch it... at the very least my monologue would be shorter than the crap fest that is 'The Darkest Hour'.

I was very skeptical to spend money on a movie with a 4.9 IMDb Rating but in the end of the day I went with my guts which never let me down. I saw the trailers back in summer 2011 and was already excited.

So what is the problem with this movie? Why does it have such bad reviews? The environment has a lot to with it. The movie is set in Moscow, the most actors are Russian and the 2 supposedly American girls are occasionally speaking with a British accent. This is probably a bit too much for a "patriot". The next point would be the acting, it is not that good and the special effects range from brilliant to not so brilliant but then again this is a 30 Million Budget movie, they city of Moscow went through hoops to make it happen by closing down main roads and entire quarters. The scenes when humans are getting killed are extremely well done an innovative and the whole plot is very exciting and doesn't give much time to breath.

If you aren't ignorant to let another country but the USA be the good guys for once you will simply love that movie, if your heroes must kiss the love interest in front of an American flag then forget about it.

Great movie, not so great actors but all in all enjoyable and 8 points for a new idea of an Alien Invasion.

I went in there not expecting much after reading 'alien invasion film' I instantly rolled my eyes and went again? The type of pandemic/end-of-world scenario is not original at all but the way it's executed and played out is! The film purposely avoids clichés that are always seen in these types of films and brings a new and genuinely interesting change to the genre. While I hadn't seen a single trailer for it and it was only showing at the latest time each day (a spot usually reserved for lesser films) this movie easily surpasses all other films out at the moment. I was definitely not expecting it to be as interesting and enjoyable as it was and would recommend anyone to go and see it.