Yet another 2011 alien invasion film (there have been at least eight that feature aliens or depict their invasion of Earth), The Darkest Hour is a tidy little thriller set in Russia that intelligently predicts what a actual invasion might entail. It is told from the perspective of young Americans in a foreign land, which heightens the palpable sense of homelessness when all power is disrupted and civilization as we know it comes crashing to a halt.
The aspect that really hooked me is how the survivors (who hole up during the first minutes of the human massacre) quickly learn to spot the signs of the invisible invaders, or else crumble into dust at their touch. Chris Gorak’s film speaks well of the need for scientific education; it is the people who remember their science lessons who will survive such an invasion, and eventually retaliate against the bad beasties. Another aspect I really enjoyed was how the Russian guys who survived teamed up to fight the invisible aliens, using a mixture of audacity, deception and rocket launchers.
Like most of these movies, the film doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny, perhaps more so before the aliens even arrive. Yet the young, hip Americans (Emile Hirsch, Max Minghella, Olivia Thirlby) are engaging characters who we can and do root for during this calamity. They keep their wits about them, stick together, and refuse to stop trying to survive, hoping against hope that the human race still has a future.
I didn’t care much for the design of the aliens, which are seen when their temporal “shields” are disrupted. They look pretty ridiculous, and cartoonishly mean, and it’s hard to see how they can get anything done with the shield mechanism whirling so closely around them. Apart from this, however, the manner in which the invasion takes place makes perfect sense, with them wiping out humanity so that they can reap the Earth of its mineral resources. It is that cold, calculated strategy, I think, that makes the invasion so realistic — and frightening.
The film also sets itself up for a sequel, and perhaps more. With a middling box office performance, continuation will probably not occur, but the premise certainly allows for it. The biggest problem would be the title. The Darkest Hour 2? One would hope not. ✰ ✰ ✰. 3 Jan. 2012.