Review No.51: The Darkest Hour

So as we approach the end of March it seems that I have managed to keep my average of seventeen films a month as I come across a blu-ray copy of sci-fi yarn The Darkest Hour. The film is set in Russia, not surprising seeing as it is produced by Night Watch director Timur Bekmambetov, where two young American lads journey to try and sell their website idea only to find out they've been usurped by a dodgy Swedish businessman. As they drown their sorrows at a Moscow bar they meet up with another American girl and her Australian pal just before flashy invisible aliens invade and destroy all of Moscow. From there the group of four along with the horrible Swede run about various Russian streets and shopping centres before the evil man is eventually killed off. The group eventually run into other survivors including a young teen, a crazy bearded man with a microwave gun and lots of bald men with big weapons defending their country. The group learn of a submarine collecting survivors so then have to make it there in time obviously not everybody makes it to be honest I couldn't care less.

The biggest problem with The Darkest Hour is the fact that it doesn't really flesh out any of the characters that we meet in our quartet. In fact the one that I cared about the most as the time went on was the teen girl who'd lost her parents it's a shame as the cast includes some of my favourite young actors including Olivia Thirlby and Emile Hirsh. Though what people remember about sci-fi films is the alien attacks they're nothing if the characters that are trying to escape them aren't interesting in the slightest. Some of the dialogue is also particularly shocking for example early on in the film when the boys are complaining that their idea has been stolen they are told by Swedish dickhead Skylar - welcome to Russia. As director Chris Gorak started out as a production designer at least he's made a conscious effort to make the aliens memorable with the expanding balls of light eventually swallowing up and obliterating the human race. That's the only thing though the only good point of a very boring alien film that is far too short to be engaging but the scariest thing in the whole film is that the last scene sets up for a sequel which is the last thing any of us want to see.

Verdict: Due to the production design alone this gets a very generous 4/10