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Dark Skies writer director Scott Stewart has a solid cast, an interesting premise, and some admirable ambitions, but he can't figure out what to do with any of them, and the result is a dull, muddled effort that will bore all but the most devoted horror buffs.
All Critics (90) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (53) | DVD (4)
Alien abductions are a truly terrifying idea, and building an alien abduction movie on the template of "Poltergeist" is a great idea. But "Poltergeist" had one thing "Dark Skies" is sorely in need of: follow-through. Dec 4, 2018 | Rating: C | Full Review…
Alien abductions are a truly terrifying idea, and building an alien abduction movie on the template of "Poltergeist" is a great idea. But "Poltergeist" had one thing "Dark Skies" is sorely in need of: follow-through.
Drew Taylor
An old-fashioned scary movie; a sci-fi horror that is a workmanlike piece of film-making, with some effective shocks, cheerfully borrowing from other sources, most obviously Spielberg. Apr 4, 2013 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
An old-fashioned scary movie; a sci-fi horror that is a workmanlike piece of film-making, with some effective shocks, cheerfully borrowing from other sources, most obviously Spielberg.
Peter Bradshaw
Time and again, Stewart squanders the opportunity to do anything remotely interesting or worthwhile ... Apr 4, 2013 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…
Time and again, Stewart squanders the opportunity to do anything remotely interesting or worthwhile ...
Tom Huddleston
There's little to fear from this rather tame genre outing. Feb 25, 2013 | Full Review…
There's little to fear from this rather tame genre outing.
Justin Lowe
Dark Skies is sort of supernatural, but it's really more super natural....[it's] about the fragility of family, a muted meditation on how precious it is. Feb 25, 2013 | Full Review…
Dark Skies is sort of supernatural, but it's really more super natural....[it's] about the fragility of family, a muted meditation on how precious it is.
Stephanie Zacharek
Stewart has some lofty ambitions, some of which he almost fulfills. Feb 24, 2013 | Full Review…
Stewart has some lofty ambitions, some of which he almost fulfills.
Alan Scherstuhl
Dark Skies works best when it leans on this nerve. It's tapping into a low-level fear, but one that's extremely relatable, and therefore more able to get under one's skin than a typical boogeyman. Dec 4, 2018 | Rating: 6/10 | Full Review…
Dark Skies works best when it leans on this nerve. It's tapping into a low-level fear, but one that's extremely relatable, and therefore more able to get under one's skin than a typical boogeyman.
Marisa LaScala
Alas, several decades of Majestic 12 conspiracy theories work to undermine the novelty and Stewart's best efforts. Fun, nonetheless. Dec 4, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Alas, several decades of Majestic 12 conspiracy theories work to undermine the novelty and Stewart's best efforts. Fun, nonetheless.
Tara Brady
Russell and Hamilton convince as the initially skeptical parents who come under suspicion from neighbors, but are eclipsed by the subtle performance of Dakota Goyo as their troubled eldest son. Dec 4, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Russell and Hamilton convince as the initially skeptical parents who come under suspicion from neighbors, but are eclipsed by the subtle performance of Dakota Goyo as their troubled eldest son.
Terry Staunton
There's a definite bittersweet tone to the end of Dark Skies and it's a bold departure from the endings from such films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Poltergeist or even Signs, but Stewart didn't quite bring it all the way home. Dec 4, 2018 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…
There's a definite bittersweet tone to the end of Dark Skies and it's a bold departure from the endings from such films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Poltergeist or even Signs, but Stewart didn't quite bring it all the way home.
Dave Trumbore
Unfortunately, for a supposedly scary movie, the only thing from above that may chill you when you leave the theater is rain. Dec 4, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…
Unfortunately, for a supposedly scary movie, the only thing from above that may chill you when you leave the theater is rain.
David Crow
Dark Skies is utterly generic, down to a meaningless title lifted from the 1996 X-Files knock-off TV series. Dec 4, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Dark Skies is utterly generic, down to a meaningless title lifted from the 1996 X-Files knock-off TV series.
Kim Newman
An average horror movie that manages to build an effective mystery and tension better than anyone would expect, even if it doesn't offer anything original about abduction phenomenon that we haven't seen before in better works - say, The X-Files. Still, I find the ending satisfying.
Super Reviewer
Genuinely creepy at the end, though starts out quite lame and even dull.
This movies goes into the "I was pleasantly surprised" category. The trailer was a yawner and the apparent premise initially screamed "overdone!" A family is creeped out by a a bunch of weird, unexplainable things happening in their suburban home. While this movie is not original as a whole, there are surprisingly original and creepy scenes to entertain even the most jaded horror fan. While at first it feels like a "made-for-TV" movie, the performances start growing on you and as you finally get an idea of what is really going on, you're hooked. Compared to Director Scott Stewart's previous outings, "Legion" and "Priest," this is the best of the bunch, and frankly, the best of the most recent suburban, lamely titled fright-flicks (like "Possession").
This movies goes into the "I was pleasantly surprised" category for those movies that are better-than-you-expected. The trailer was a yawner and the apparent premise initially screamed "overdone!" (Family is creeped out by a a bunch of weird, unexplainable things happening in their suburban home.) While this movie is not original in any way as a whole, there are surprisingly original and creepy scenes to entertain even the most jaded horror fan. While at first it feels like a "made-for-TV" movie, the performances start growing on you and as you finally get an idea of what is really going on, you're hooked. Compared to Director Scott Stewart's previous outings, "Legion" and "Priest," this is the best of the bunch, and frankly, the best of the most recent suburban, lamely titled fright-flicks like "Possession."
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