The Darkest Hour

The Darkest Hour is a low-budget scifi flick with only one actor we know, Emile Hirsch, who has been very good in the few things we've seen him in (Into the Wild). I really don't know what the budget was on this film, but the minimal special effects throughout the film suggest that it is definitely low budget.

Ben and Sean show up in Moscow ready to show their brilliant software program to a Russian company only to find out that the company has brazenly stolen their idea. Ben is the brains behind the outfit, and the only reason Sean seems to be along is because of his chutzpah, a trait shown very well in the opening scene when Sean questions the flight attendant, as we all would like to, about why he has to shut off his cell phone.

Within hours of landing, however, the invasion begins by an almost invisible energy-sucking force. In their flight, they meet two women who join them, plus the same Russian copycat who, hours earlier, ended their business venture. The five try to stay alive while figuring out who and what the enemy is.

I enjoyed this for the most part. Much of the tale revolved around who they met and what could they add towards fighting the enemy. The viewer rather quickly determines that they're outmatched, and wonders how this could end well. And that's why we keep watching: to find out. Because, as time goes on, we begin to care about these characters, or at least some of them.

For those of you interested in true scifi, this is not one of those. You never really know a lot about the aliens and why they're here, although one or two sentences of dialogue give you some clues. We're here because it's an unusual set of circumstances for these characters, and it's interesting to see how they cope and what they do. What would you do?

It's not brilliant, it's not terribly witty, it's certainly not deep, but good acting and a constant pace in this action flick makes sure you're not bored. Thumb's up.