THE DARKEST HOUR

THE DARKEST HOUR

Well folks, the 2012 Olympic Games are nearly here and preparations are in full swing! The only reason I may watch any of ‘the games’ on TV is in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the extra-terrestrial attack promised by conspiracy theorists a few years back. I’m serious! They reckoned this was it – the pivotal (Western Government sponsored) event that would unite the planet under a police state ‘New World Order’. With every passing day this scenario seems highly unlikely, BUT, if there WERE to be an alien attack... who is to say it would be as blatant as flying saucers over the White House? And how typical of the human ego to assume that, if aliens visited us, they would be here for the people...? If they were here for our electricity (and not our blood), rest assured it would be THE DARKEST HOUR...

Our story begins with Ben and Sean, two software developers in their mid-twenties who are on the verge of the BIG one! The American pair descends on Moscow with the intentions of sealing a deal which would see them pocket $10 million overnight for the rights to their innovative GPS app for globetrotters. There is just the one problem - those pesky Russians have unscrupulously pirated their idea for a fraction of the price!

Their ruthless "welcome to Moscow" leads the dynamic duo to a trendy nightclub where they do the honourable thing and douse themselves with copious amounts of local vodka! Moscow is a big city, but the boys find out it’s a small world as not only do Anne and Natalie, the two American hotties they were semi stalking, turn up, but also Skyler, the Scandinavian city slicker who scuppered their deal.

Before the vodka fuelled high jinks can really get going the club suffers a power cut. Upon the patrons exiting the club (all a little to civilly given the rivers of vodka they all seemed to be downing!) to a surreal scene. The drain of electricity from the local power grid coincides with some bizarre ethereal apparitions floating down from the skies... Our five protagonists watch in horror as a local policeman literally disintegrates into dust (pixels!) when he dares trying to touch one of these things..

They flee to the basement of the establishment to escape the panic. When they emerge, 4 days later (still looking incredibly handsome / sexy!) will they discover order has been maintained.. Or will the Earths few remaining inhabitants be left to try an overcome.. THE DARKEST HOUR?

For me there was a defining moment within the 90 minute runtime that really captured the essence of this innocuous Sci Fi romp. It was not a particular scene or line of dialogue. It was the end credits as the list of names in the Special FX team could have filled a small phonebook!

The nub of a BLU RAY of this ilk doesn’t lie in the intricacies of the plot nor in the Oscar winning performances. It lays in the all-out adrenaline rush of action that strives to woo your eyesight (in the movie’s 3d guise anyway) while giving your eardrums a right old hammering!

Simply put, if you are looking for a swift Sci Fi flick to demo your 3D Television and exert the capabilities of the speakers and sub-woofer in your living room, THE DARKEST HOUR is a fun way to achieve those goals.

I appreciate there is a growing number of 3D titles out there and must confess my newfound Blu Ray addiction has largely been limited to atmospheric vintage Horror classics. With that in mind, TDH was a rousing way to remind me why a lot of folk got into contemporary Home Cinema in the first place.

Whether the whole ‘3D’ thing is a fad or not that will be scoffed at in a few short years remains to be seen. Regardless of that reservation, my personal positive experiences of the 3D film experience lie in its more ambient moments. For that reason alone, I enjoyed the opening scenes of TDH. The graceful descent from the luminous entities, featured in the initial 20 minutes of the movie, literally bordered on being hypnotic. Ok the scene only lasted a few seconds but it served to grab the attention of a stalwart Horror aficionado to sustain some interest in a rapidly paced Sci Fi tale. The expeditious pace hurried the viewer through the (sensible) hour and a half run time but did pay the price of a few ridiculous assumptions in the narrative. Listen, the movie is rated "12" which makes it one of the few titles on SGM that could be filed under "Family". As such, be prepared to watch geeks promoted to saviours; hermits get elevated to world saving inventors and humans succumb to CGI ridden deaths completely devoid of gore!

I am not trying to suggest 13 year olds are too stupid not to spot these short comings. I am just saying they are possibly little more forgiving then us oldies!

Naturally the disc has a 2D option which, while obviously robbing the viewer of a third visual dimension, doesn’t in any way detract from the audio. As planes crash, sub woofers rumble, and as bodies turn to dust, speakers shriek!

As for the story itself, it contained enough elements of originality to raise the movie above banality, but had one too many clichés to be considered a classic.

In summary, TDH may well entertain the kids and (if turned up to 11) will definitely annoy the neighbours!

Review by Marc Lissenburg


 
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Region 2/B
Rated 18
Extras :
see main review
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