The Darkest Hour

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.

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.

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.

In a world of mostly straight to video lower budget scifi movies or the hit and miss affairs of Sci-Fi original movies, The Darkest Hour was a real joy.

The ghost-like concept of the invaders was well conceived. Adding tension in droves, much like the original alien movie, with the what you can't see lets your mind be more creative. The lack of need for constant CGI of the aliens seemed to allow more budget and creativity on the other more subtle effects, creating a much more believable world. The floor of light bulbs effects, used similarly to the motion detectors in the Aliens movie, was cool.

It seems the film critics have again missed the point and glories of this movie. What they seemed to punish for I personally found to be the movies greatest achievements. Efficient, well conceived plot to me, seen as lacking to the critics. The not trying to save the whole world, ala Independence Day, but focusing on rag tag group of unprepared survivors worked, as it does in AMC's series The Walking Dead. The restrained use of 3D, meaning few objects flying out the screen or visual overdose leading to headache like the latest Transformers movie. The 3D effects added significantly to the sites of Moscow, giving a true sense of the size of Red Square and hence the immersion a 3D movie should give.

The Darkest Hour. Solid entertainment and great way to see Moscow without a 12hr flight. Ignore the critics and make up your own mind.