The Darkest Hour

3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (215 customer reviews)
The Darkest Hour is a tense apocalyptic thriller centering on the fight for survival waged by five youths who find themselves stranded in Moscow during an alien invasion. As the invisible extraterrestrials absorb all of Earth's energy and life forms, finding a means of escaping the unstoppable attackers becomes a ... seemingly impossible task.
  • Starring: Emile Hirsch,Max Minghella,Oiivia Thirlby
  • Directed by: Chris Gorak
  • Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes
  • Release year: 2011
  • Studio: Summit
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Product Details
Synopsis: The Darkest Hour is a tense apocalyptic thriller centering on the fight for survival waged by five youths who find themselves stranded in Moscow during an alien invasion. As the invisible extraterrestrials absorb all of Earth's energy and life forms, finding a means of escaping the unstoppable attackers becomes a seemingly impossible task.
Starring: Max Minghella,Oiivia Thirlby Emile Hirsch
Directed by: Chris Gorak
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes
Captions and Subtitles: Details
Release year: 2011
Studio: Summit
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some language
ASIN: B007FZVWFA
Rights & Requirements
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2011
  • MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some language
  • Production Company: Regency Enterprises, Summit Entertainment, Bazelevs Production, Jacobson Company, The, New Regency Pictures
  • Filming Locations: Academy of Science Plaza, Moscow, Russia | GUM Department Store, Moscow, Russia | Lenin Library, Moscow, Russia | Lenin Square, Moscow, Russia | Moscow, Russia

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Customer Reviews

I watched the whole movie and just could not enjoy it. Josh G  |  50 reviewers made a similar statement
The acting was good and not as fake as other movies on the same subject. Sue  |  36 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
148 of 175 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Missed the Boat December 27, 2011
Format:DVD
The Darkest Hour is the second feature film by former art director/production designer Chris Gorak and a production of Timur Bekmambetov who previously directed the satisfying action thriller Wanted in 2008. The film stars up-and-coming young actors Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Max Minghella (The Social Network) and Olivia Thrilby (Juno). The premise of the film follows two young adults (Hirsch, Minghella) who travel to Moscow, Russia for a business deal gone bad and in the process meet two young women at a club (Thrilby, Rachel Taylor). Unexpectedly, an clandestine invasion by an invisible alien species results in the destruction of Moscow and several cities around the globe. Hiding in a club cellar, the four travel the post-apocalyptic remains of Moscow in search for safety and rescue.

Similar to 2008's Cloverfield, The Darkest Hour places much of the burden on the shoulders of lesser known actors and actresses if they are even known at all. The characters are all in the early-20s and the screenplay emphasizes their personalities, which may be pleasing to the audience but in most cases will not be. It seems that the new credo for the American disaster film is the put young characters at the forefront of the story instead of strong leading men and women with established careers, possibly hoping for a young audience to spearhead the film's commercial success. What this leaves us with is a story built around a group of Social Network-pioneers looking to make a big deal in Russia only to be blindsided by the reality of the cutthroat business world. However, unfortunate it may be, one must question: Do we really care?

The biggest pitfall of a disaster film is to present storylines that emphasize the normal on-goings of ordinary characters. Everything should focus on the mystery, the thrill and the promise of the disaster. The Darkest Hour makes that mistake in an even bigger way than Cloverfield. Still, unlike The Social Network or Cloverfield, which featured well-to-do yuppie teens with the world at their disposal, these characters are a tad bit more likeable despite their youth. There is a sense of attachment to the characters, which is competently developed by the filmmakers. However, the story built around or at least built as a roadway to the alien invasion is not as strong as something like The X-Files. In other aspects, some of the film's plot devices seem cliched.

Nevertheless, the film does have an aura of unpredictability to it and tragedy is felt as even the most important and entertaining characters are susceptible to sudden death. And in spite of a lagging story, the film's visuals are not completely overdone. The visual effects of the film seem naturalistic and in their 3D film setting becomes in some way noteworthy. But the film's central flaw is that it isn't as a thrilling as the trailer made it out to be. The destruction sequences while something to look at aren't as awe-inspiring as one would hope them to be. As a location, Moscow seems less than special. It fails to present the compelling visuals that a New York or Paris production would have had.

The performances of the actors aren't of much note considering the material and dialogue handed to them wasn't clever or grand in any way. Some of the quotes in the film, especially the ones uttered by Emile Hirsch come off as trite. In the end, the visuals of the film remain striking to some degree and Tyler Bates' score is appropriately brooding but the film is highly flawed when it comes to its script, story and dialogue. Still, the film provides some thrills and some inspired visual moments. Unlike some other films that can be mentioned, the film at least has some sympathetic characters and it can be said that the main cast is trying.

In truth, this film is good popcorn entertainment but by going by the trailer, one expected more than that especially since it was one of the more anticipated science fiction films this year. And Although Bekmambetov delivered a satisfying film in 2008 with Wanted, that was nearly four years ago and I am quite doubtful that audiences will remember the Russian filmmaker or if dropping his name on the project will do anything to push the commercial success of the film forward. Hopefully, the upcoming Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter will restore confidence and awareness to the Bekmambetov name. With lesser known stars, there's nothing driving this film into monumental success and with near universal critical ire and a gross of $36 million on top of an estimated $30 million budget paints the picture that the filmmakers of The Darkest Hour truly missed the boat.
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56 of 66 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A guilty pleasure - and not bad February 17, 2012
Format:DVD
In this movie, four young Americans (including Emile Hirsch, from Speed Racer, and Max Minghella, from Art School Confidential, among others) get stranded in Moscow when an alien invasion (represented initially, intriguingly, as a lethal form of electromagnetic waves) attack Moscow, leaving almost everyone dead. Our friends hide in a sort of basement, and when a few days later, they emerge from inside, they find wholesale destruction, and the news that the aliens have attack planet wide, but also intriguing hints that there maybe other survivors. And soon enough, they find that some Russians have banded together to resist the invaders.

Produced by Kazakh filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (from the interesting Nightwatch franchise) this movie is nothing special but is surely an entertaining outing. Among the plus: the survivors escaping from the aliens in a desolate Moscow, including empty landmarks like The Kremlin and Moscow State University. Among the minus: some of the special effects are really cheesy.
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars surprisingly good April 13, 2012
Format:Amazon Instant Video
especially for what looks like a relatively low budget endeavor. casting was good, actors were likeable, dialog felt fresh, the pacing was crisp, and while it followed the usual structure (5 survivors becomes 4, then 3, then 2, etc) it offered a few surprises along the way. it made excellent use of the Moscow location, and the special effects were not as cheesy as you might expect. worth a rental.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
My best friend n i love love this movies and she told me to buy it because I would like it and she was right I loved it
Published 5 days ago by Chanise
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
Ordered by accident and found ourselves pleasantly surprised. Not much of a story line, but pretty decent graphics. Worth it.
Published 17 days ago by Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
Still really like this movie! I wanted to punch the blonde one in the face soooo many times but yeah:)
Published 27 days ago by Haley
4.0 out of 5 stars Effects Well Done
Although this is definitely a B movie, it really is done quite well. Like most Bs, you have to overlook some things; but the overall concept and effect is suspenseful and worth the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dr. Rocky J. Reuter
4.0 out of 5 stars Great 3D Fun for teenagers to adults who are Sci-Fi fans.
Great 3D Fun for teenagers to adults who are Sci-Fi fans. Great production values - OK plot and acting. Read more
Published 1 month ago by The Frugal Gearhead
1.0 out of 5 stars The waste of a hour.
What a waste of ones and zeros. This film was trash. Don't waste your money. I think I fell asleep. No wander I could not find it to rent. Should have read the reviews.
Published 1 month ago by ucmatt
1.0 out of 5 stars F grade
I do not like the darkes hour movie because it said G-d-amn too much that offended God too much. I gave an F grade. SUCK!
Published 1 month ago by polaroid seeker
5.0 out of 5 stars I may be silly but...
This movie really scared me. It was not the most intricate story ever, and yes, the story is the standard "Aliens do not like us and want to kill us" story. Read more
Published 2 months ago by JT
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my new favorites
This movie was so much better than I thought it'd be. I expected some decent b-movie on a scyfy channel level but this was one of the best thrillers I've seen in a while. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Joe Newman
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Movie
The whole sci-fi part of the movie was amazing. The graphics and effects were great too. Me and my kids enjoyed this movie very much.
Published 2 months ago by Stephanie Beasley
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