The Darkest Hour

Name: The Darkest Hour
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror
Released: December 25, 2011
Duration: 89 min
Rating: 18
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Max Minghella, Olivia Thirlby

2011

METASCORE

Overwhelming dislike based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 188 Ratings

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5.2	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 188 Ratings

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The Darkest Hour

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Movie Details & Credits

Summit Entertainment | Release Date: December 25, 2011 | PG-13

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Max Minghella, Olivia Thirlby

Summary: The Darkest Hour is the story of five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. (Summit Entertainment)

Director: Chris Gorak

Genre(s): Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 89 min

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Critic Reviews

Joe Leydon

Dec 26, 2011

The Darkest Hour turns out to be a modestly inventive and involving variation on a standard-issue sci-fi doomsday scenario. Read full review

Mark Olsen

Dec 26, 2011

Capable and compelling performers like Hirsch and Thirlby seem left to their own devices to make some connection with the material. The idea of semi-invisible aliens, an unseen enemy, should mean the film has a lingering sense of paranoid abstraction (not unlike "Right at Your Door"), but Darkest Hour never gets beyond rote efficiency. Read full review

Keith Staskiewicz

Dec 29, 2011

You should be rooting for the humans, but you might as well be rooting for the blobs. Most likely, though, you'll just be rooting for the credits. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Dec 26, 2011

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. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Dec 28, 2011

This is exactly the sort of film I wasn't expecting from either Gorak or his producers. In many too-obvious ways this is just a formulaic riff on Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." Read full review

Boxoffice Magazine David Ehrlich

Dec 28, 2011

The Darkest Hour isn't just a dark horse contender for the year's biggest joke, it's the darkest. Read full review

Budd Wilkins

Dec 27, 2011

In a year-end season stacked deep with worthwhile films, what possible incentive could there be for submitting to The Darkest Hour's utter pointlessness? Read full review

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User Reviews

GenuineOpinion

Jan 2, 2012

Very good in concept. Poorly executed. I'm putting a 10 to balance the score. It wasn't AWFUL. At the same time, it wasn't AWESOME. There was definitely room for improvement.

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

Mr-K05

Apr 22, 2012

That movie has the perfect title The Darkest,so dark that is impossible to be seeing.Acting performances are lame,cast is even worse than any other,visual effects saves the day,but that's not enough for this movie it's a totally waste of money and time, i'd rather watch Saw

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

survivorfan989

Jan 7, 2013

What a great idea for a film! The concept is the best thing about this movie that covers quite a few genres. Having Moscow as the setting was also something new as I haven't seen many films shot there. The cast is likable as are the young actors playing the characters, lead by Emile Hirsch.What a great idea for a film! The concept is the best thing about this movie that covers quite a few genres. Having Moscow as the setting was also something new as I haven't seen many films shot there. The cast is likable as are the young actors playing the characters, lead by Emile Hirsch. It's not flawless and I can kind of see why the critics weren't huge fans of it, but I enjoyed it and thought it was a fresh new idea that was convicted very well! Overall it's well worth a look :)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Meth-dude

Dec 7, 2014

I had high expectation and the movie turns out to be one lame ass movie.The special effects were good and the story was original but the movie was bad executed and the acting was far from good.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LeZee

Jan 24, 2017

When the electric mist from the sky struck down.

This film came five years ago, but I watched it now. A US-Russian collaboration product that's entirely takes place in Moscow. This is an alien invasion theme, but slightly different than those similar films. It never gives the reason, justWhen the electric mist from the sky struck down.

This film came five years ago, but I watched it now. A US-Russian collaboration product that's entirely takes place in Moscow. This is an alien invasion theme, but slightly different than those similar films. It never gives the reason, just the destructions like apocalypse on its way. That means it is about the survival. A group of Americans who are in the Moscow for different reasons joins the hands after people started to turn into ashes with the contact of the strange electric mist that came from the sky. So what's their plan now and whether they get out of it safely or not focused on the remaining film.

Surely some people would enjoy it. It's not all bad if you are not expecting a masterpiece. I should have seen it in digital 3D for a better experience, even the normal watch is not that bad. The turns in the story were unpredictable, particularly the film characters, but the twist wasn't. They kept the open ending, and you know why is that. I liked the performances, not individually, but the overall everyone, including the Russians.

The film was also shorter, which means fast moving tale. The graphics were okay, especially those electric mist thing, but disappointed for not show the aliens other than for fractions of seconds during the fightbacks. Despite enjoyed watching it, I'm not in favour of it, because it's just one of those films that falls in the average category where the majority of those who watched it not happy for not detailing everything in the film.

4/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

xolve

Aug 20, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Promising film with an interesting premise, taxed by an unwanted, unconvincing and uninteresting ending. Some good scifi effects, and it was great that most of the characters died.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

jzme

Mar 18, 2012

I've only one advice. Don't watch this movie. Terrible script , acting & story line. I don't know why I spent 10 bucks on this movie in the cinema. Although I had a feeling that this movie will suck, I didn't know that it will be THIS bad. It's so bad I want to cry.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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86	#86 Most Discussed Movie of 2011
46	#46 Most Shared Movie of 2011