Dark Skies

Starring: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, Kadan Rockett, J.K. Simmons
Directed by: Scott Stewart
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A family struggles to comprehend a series of strange events that befall them. They soon suspect the source is not of this world, and that they have sinister intentions.

Review:

Tim: Where the hell have all the alien abduction movies been? That's what I thought of as I got ready to watch Dark Skies. I love alien movies in general, but the alien abduction sub-genre is one that can be mined much more for good, scary films. There's something inherently frightening about extraterrestrial beings with advanced technology bent on experimenting with your family. How do you stop something so powerful? I was really excited about seeing this film. While it has some flaws, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable film and it made me yearn for more and more of these kinds of films.

I love that this film took the approach of making the story research-heavy. Now, you could put "research" in quote marks for the skeptics out there. I tend to be more of a believer, and this film depicts many events that real-life alleged alien abductees experienced. Sure, they are expanded on for dramatic purposes, but we see strange animal experiences, lost time, unexplained illnesses, bizarre markings on the body, and ultimately, frightening encounters with extraterrestrials. This film was at least grounded in what true believers have documented. That made the whole film more frightening- yes, the whole thing can be looked upon as nonsense, but if you're open to the belief that aliens are here, this movie depicts what it might be like to be harassed by them.

The film does a good job of establishing the main characters and giving us a reason to care about them. Keri Russell was a great choice for the lead role, as she seems intelligent and grounded, so that if she eventually believes in aliens, we can too (without associating with a weirdo). Russell just seems like a normal person, which is exactly what you needed in this role. I thought Josh Hamilton gave a good performance, but his character was a little too unlikable until the end. I do appreciate that their relationship was depicted in a realistic light. They fought, they struggled with money like many families, and that conflict brought us closer to them. When the father (Extremely minor spoiler) gets a job offer, I actually felt excited for him and for the family. The two kids are quite good, too. I really liked Dakota Goyo in Real Steel, and he gives another good performance here. Kadan Rockett is adorable, and it broke my heart to see how the aliens affected him. He was a terrific casting choice. I also loved seeing J.K. Simmons in a small, thankless, but important role. His weariness in the face of the extraordinary spoke volumes.

The film did a very good job of creating some very creepy sequences. The objects piled up in the home was a good kick-start, but the missing pictures, the odd markings or bruising, the tendency for characters to stare into the sky with their mouths agape, and the other strange phenomenon all were quite frightening to watch. I love the few moments in the film where we actually got to see the aliens. We only got short flashes, but they were quite unsettling.

The film's conclusion was a little weak. The whole movie is a build up towards this final confrontation with the alien menace, and while we get some decent scares, it all felt forced. Up to the end, the movie felt like it took as believable and realistic approach as you could take to an alien abduction movie. However, the writers knew the audience was going to be expect a big scare, and Hollywood crept in. I enjoyed several moments of the climax (one or two are fairly memorable and scary), but as a whole, it was a decent, not a particularly strong conclusion.

While flawed, Dark Skies reminded me of how much film alien abduction movies can be. This film didn't set the box office on fire, so we may not get a series of similar films, but at this point, this was a refreshing change of pace. This is a film that I very, very much enjoyed.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Fire in the Sky, Communion