The Darkest Hour

Introduction 

Childhood friends and software designers Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella) head to Moscow to do a presentation for their brand new buzzin' social network phone app that combines meeting people with socialising in the Russian capital's best social hot spots.  Sadly, they arrive at the meeting to already find it in full flow.  

Their supposed partner, Swedish numpty Skyler (Joel Kinnaman), has taken advantage of their trusting nature and naïve business sense by not making him sign a non-disclosure agreement, and has sold the application to the Russians as his own work.  The boys are rightly appalled but it's Russia and no one cares, leading to the two being ejected by security. 

Drowning their sorrows, the two hook up with visiting Americans Anne (Rachael Taylor) and Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) who are in Moscow and already using said phone app.  Things take a couple of further dives when first Skyler turns up with his hot girlfriend and then an electro magnetic pulse knocks out all electronics and electrics. 

Wandering outside, the group see strange but masses beautiful lights descending all over Moscow.  Initial awe turns to horror when it turns out that these lights are both hostile and deadly, obliterating anyone they grab - including Skyler's girlfriend, a sacrifice Skyler makes to save his own neck. 

After hiding for a while, the group of five survivors emerge to discover everyone around them is dead and head out to try and find fellow survivors, although the outlook seems bleak as it turns out that this is a global attack rather than just a localised one… 

Visual 

Available in 1080P 3D, but I just watched the normal blu-ray as I've not really gotten into this 3D malarkey yet.  The picture is very sharp though and really shows off some quite stunning Moscow scenery as well as some good initial creature effects, that is spoiled slightly later on when they appear to become invisible and the Predator-like vision we get from the alien's perspective isn't as good.  Still, the fx for the death by alien are pretty good… 

Extras 

There are supposed to be 5 deleted/extended scenes on the disc but I couldn't see any on mine, which looked like a retail disc sans case rather than the more usual silver review discs we get.  Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough… 

Overall 

A funny thing happened on the way to this review.  Not really funny, just bizarre.  My Sony blu-ray player struggled to recognise this disc and did the same with the replacement initially, spinning endlessly and seemed to blow up my telly.  It can't have really but it was a stunning coincidence.  Luckily I thought to try the disc again when I got my replacement telly, a nice cheap 40" 1080P from Asda, and it worked.  Not sure why it changed its mind, but it did. 

The film itself looks very good and starts off promisingly, and by this I mean the initial appearance of the aliens rather than the plot to get Americans to Moscow.  Sadly this potential is lost in the main as you never get to see the aliens in that form again and it really just turns into a chase movie and your characters start to die off one by one.  Some admittedly are surprising in a minor way, to me at least, but it quite predictable.  As predictable as the aliens reasons for invading Earth with an environmental message that sort of feels hammered on, especially as it's made by a Russian resistance fighter who rides a horse whilst wearing mocked up armour and carrying a Kalashnikov.  Still, despite his lack of scientific credentials, this seems to be taken as gospel.

It's not a bad film at all, it's well made and works well for what it is so long as you don't go into this with raised expectations. If you do this, you may not be disappointed and actually might enjoy this while it lasts. I did.