Dark Skies is a lame-ass alien-abduction thriller
Starring Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton. Rated 14A. Now playing.
The makers of Dark Skies used a quote from legendary sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke to open their new alien-abduction thriller. It reads: "Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
Oh really? Isn't the possibility that we are alone in the universe a lot more terrifying than the possibility that we aren't? I mean, who's gonna zoom in in supercool spaceships and save the world when the ice caps finally melt away and stuff?
Whether you believe we're alone or not, though, here's something you cannot doubt: any quote that uses the adjective "terrifying" doesn't belong within a billion light years of a lame-ass flick like Dark Skies.
Written and directed by Scott Stewart—whose previous films include the overblown biblical action-horror flicks Legion and Priest—Dark Skies stars Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton as married couple Lacy and Daniel Barrett, who are living a normal suburban life with their kids Sam and Jesse (Kadan Rockett and Dakota Goyo). Times are tight financially—architect Daniel can't find a job and the mortage is overdue—but apart from the fact that they might need to cancel the cable, they manage to scrape by on Lacy's real-estate sales.
Budgetary worries start taking a backseat to home-safety concerns when Lacy wakes up in the middle of the night to find that the fridge has been ransacked and the groceries strewn all over the kitchen floor. "What kind of animal eats the lettuce and leaves the bacon?," she ponders, while Daniel decides that the money saved by cancelling the alarm-monitoring service wasn't really worth it.
More bizarre, Poltergeist-type incidents keep occuring at the Barrett house, but rarely in a way that gets the viewer involved. One memorable moment occurs when a bird flies into a bedroom window, spatters blood on the glass, then dies on the roof. That's quite effective. But then hundreds more birds are shown plastering the entire house. That's overkill.
After Lacy googles "mass bird deaths" she comes across a lowkey alien expert (J.K. Simmons) who tediously informs the stressed-out parents that "the invasion already happened", that they've been implanted with microchips, and that they can expect the imminent extraterrestrial abduction of a family member. Kicked into survival mode, Daniel buys a shotgun, Lacy arms herself with a butcher knife, and the stage is set for a Fourth of July showdown that is ridiculous enough to keep even the most ardent pro-alien believers from ever bothering to watch the skies again.
Comments
9 Comments
A concerned citizen
Mar 1, 2013 at 12:17am
does anyone like any movie that comes out anymore they could spend a million dollars on special effects and people like u still will say "Nope it sucked."
Denise
Mar 29, 2013 at 4:05pm
"Oh really? Isn't the possibility that we are alone in the universe a lot more terrifying than the possibility that we aren't? I mean, who's gonna zoom in in supercool spaceships and save the world when the ice caps finally melt away and stuff?"
Get your point but if aliens come its because we have failed as a species to look after this planet, why do you think they left us alone for so long, 'no interference is the law' when they interfere then we are in serious trouble, we will be rightly taken over because we have failed, that is the biggest shame we will have to live with. Plus side, all the people in power who have systematically f*** up this world will have to answer for what they have done, bad news is the rest of us will have to live by whatever means they see fit!
Edward
May 9, 2013 at 2:33am
While I agree that Dark Skies was a typical alien abduction thriller, I don't think it was lame at all. I personally loved the movie. Of course, I'm a seventeen year old American teenager who has nothing better to do than watch blurry CGI aliens terrorize a suburban family on a 45-foot screen, but hey, they found a target market. Also, the horror may have been advanced by the fact that my brother and I were the only two people in a huge dark theater, which may also say something about how the film was received by anybody but us, but nevertheless, that makes at least two people who enjoyed the film.
TRE DUNX
May 27, 2013 at 12:31pm
THIS MOVIE had GREAT SUSPENSE & PLOT LINE!
If you didnt like it, its probably because youre TOO negative of a person..
or you built yourself up for something you didnt see
(YOU let YOURSELF down)
It takes a great mind to appreciate art.
99% OF MODERN MOVIES SUCK
(Fast & Furious 6, Hangover 3 for example)
but this movie WAS TRULY OUTSTANDING and DEFINITELY WORTH WATCHING.
(Disregard the negative reviews)
These people wouldnt appreciate a good work of art if it slapped them in the face.
(Low I.q's will do that to people)
Nick
Oct 21, 2013 at 3:54pm
Your review was the only garbage I saw.
Bisesh
Mar 19, 2014 at 3:07am
The only thing that is lame here is ur review...........
James
Nov 24, 2014 at 4:58am
Dark Skies was the best movie about aliens *EVER*!
koko
Jan 13, 2015 at 5:55pm
Dark skies is one of the BEST alien movies I've seen. Next to my all time favorite...... SIGNS!!!!
Hitoshi
Feb 1, 2015 at 11:37am
Very good movie