The Darkest Hour (2011)

All Critics (60) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (7) | Rotten (51) | DVD (5)

There's literally nothing here that works: the SFX are limp, the acting is dire and director Chris Gorak seems to be fighting a losing battle with the concept of narrative logic.

January 10, 2012 Full Review

Tom Huddleston

Time Out

Top Critic

It's clear from early on that these characters are as indistinct and lazily rendered as the floating blobs chasing them.

December 28, 2011 Full Review | Comment (1)

Keith Staskiewicz

Entertainment Weekly

Top Critic

If these dimwits represent the hope of humanity, bring on the alien overlords.

December 27, 2011 Full Review

Alonso Duralde

The Wrap

Top Critic

"Darkest Hour'' doesn't have even as much character as those Discover commercials.

December 27, 2011 Full Review | Comments (2)

Joel Brown

Boston Globe

Top Critic

What's the point of going all the way to Moscow if the shots you come back with end up looking like cheap green-screen process work?

December 27, 2011 Full Review | Comments (2)

Mark Olsen

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

Really, how slovenly is it to use invisible aliens? If you're going to tease us with nothing but pinwheels of light for three-quarters of the film, you'd better have one heck of a reveal up your sleeve.

December 26, 2011 Full Review | Comments (4)

Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Top Critic

Did Olivia Thirlby and Emile Hirsch make this so they could visit Russia on somebody else's dime?

December 31, 2012 Full Review

Roger Moore

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Just dumb enough to feel like the product of intelligent grown ups who wanted to make something they'd have dug as widdle kids.

August 22, 2012 Full Review

William Bibbiani

CraveOnline

It's true mindless trash, but it's fun mindless trash... I'm not ashamed to say I wouldn't watch a sequel.

April 18, 2012 Full Review

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

Once again it's time for the end of the world. But, "The Darkest Hour" fails to see the light and we're stuck with yet another mediocre sci-fi movie.

April 18, 2012 Full Review

Paul Chambers

CNNRadio

Uninspiring and insipid, this contemporary take on the zombie genre sees a group of gorgeous twenty somethings trapped in Moscow trying desperately to get away from an endless attack launched by nasty id-like blobs of energy.

April 3, 2012 Full Review

Simon Weaving

Screenwize

So bad that Russian and American relations may break down and reignite the Cold War.

March 8, 2012 Full Review | Comments (4)

Cameron Williams

The Popcorn Junkie

One accusation commonly levelled at films like Transformers is that they're big on budget but light on ideas. The Darkest Hour falls short on both fronts.

March 4, 2012 Full Review

Charlie Lyne

Ultra Culture

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February 17, 2012 Full Review | Comments (2)

Joseph Proimakis

Movies for the Masses

This mindless mess could have just as easily been set in Los Angeles or New York. Or London. Or ideally, nowhere.

January 24, 2012 Full Review

Tom Clift

Moviedex

The title of this teen disaster-by-numbers affair could not be more apt - as a collective omen for all those involved

January 24, 2012 Full Review

Ed Gibbs

The Sun Herald

It's refreshing to see someplace besides Manhattan, Tokyo or L.A. getting the destruction-from-space treatment.

January 20, 2012 Full Review

Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

The setting in deserted Moscow is the biggest point of difference about this ho-hum end of the world scenario. Also invisible is the tension to give this apocalyptic sci-fi action thriller scares and impetus.

January 17, 2012 Full Review

Louise Keller

Urban Cinefile

The most alarming moment is the revelation that there might be a sequel.

January 15, 2012 Full Review

Philip French

Observer [UK]

It is as though they got half way through making the film and had the budget catastrophically slashed.

January 14, 2012 Full Review

Shaun Munro

What Culture

In what might prove to be one of the most egregious examples of concept far outstripping execution, The Darkest Hour ends up as this year's Skyline: aliens+paper-thin screenplay=cinematic snooze.

January 13, 2012 Full Review

James White

SFX Magazine

Cool though this might seem as a post-apocalyptic fashion accessory, it's fatally ill-thought-through...

January 13, 2012 Full Review

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph

Our planet is ravaged by aliens in yet another sci-fi calamity so bad you'll be cheering on the invaders.

January 12, 2012 Full Review

David Edwards

Daily Mirror [UK]

Invisible invaders!... Surely, then, we're in for an inspired, imaginative story and engaging, fascinating characters -- you know, to make up for the cheapness... Nope...

January 12, 2012 Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

Very cheap and silly-looking.

January 12, 2012 Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

Sadly lacks the stylish imagination that co-producer Timur Bekmambetov brought to his supernatural epics Night Watch and Day Watch.

January 12, 2012 Full Review

Jeremy Aspinall

Radio Times

• 1. Ben: I saw it on Shark Week.
  – Submitted by Bob R (6 months ago)
• 1. Boris: Welcome to Russia sucka.
  – Submitted by Joe M (17 months ago)
• 1. Sean: Team work makes the dream work.
  – Submitted by Debbie D (17 months ago)
• 1. Ben: Wait, let me put down the only effective weapon to attend to a lady in distress.
  – Submitted by Chee C (17 months ago)
• 1. Sean: This is how it starts.
  – Submitted by Samantha M (17 months ago)
• 1. Ben: Those are great burgers Walter.
  – Submitted by Fred B (18 months ago)

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