The Darkest Hour

The bleak days of winter aren’t getting any brighter with the release of The Darkest Hour. Aliens in this movie are sucking the light and life out of metropolises around the world. Falling gently from the sky, they initially look like the floating lanterns in Tangled. But once they make contact with humans, these intruders become invisible and turn the residents into piles of ash.

Among the few survivors who manage to escape is a group of young adults hiding out in the basement of a Moscow nightclub. When they finally resurface days later they discover a deserted and desolate city. But finding their way to the U.S. Embassy becomes difficult for Sean (Emile Hirsch), Ben (Max Minghella), Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) and Anne (Rachael Taylor) who have to outwit the extraterrestrial assailants that have taken over the town.

Following the alien formula flawlessly, the film lays out the protocol for avoiding the attackers and uncovering their weakness. Unfortunately the rules change with almost every interaction making it impossible to predict how the events will turn out. Although the violence is bloodless and sexual content is limited, the script contains frequent scatological slang, terms of Deity and moderate profanities.

This intergalactic invasion, set in the Russian capital, is pure popcorn fare for older teens and adults, so audiences shouldn’t expect anything enlightening in this dark tale.