In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked Earth via our power supply.In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked Earth via our power supply.In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked Earth via our power supply.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Nikolay Efremov
- Sasha
- (as Nikolai Efremov)
Georgiy Gromov
- Boris
- (as Georgy Gromov)
Artur Smolyaninov
- Yuri
- (as Arthur Smoljaninov)
Anna Rudakova
- Tess
- (as Anna Roudakova)
Pyotr Fyodorov
- Anton Batkin
- (as Petr Fedorov)
Aleksandr Chernykh
- Bartender No. 2
- (as Alexsandr Chernyh)
Oleg Poddubnyy
- First Policeman
- (as Oleg Poddubny)
Vasiliy Fursenko
- Second Policeman
- (as Vasja Fursenko)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe involvement of Timur Bekmambetov as producer afforded the production the opportunity of using Russia as a backdrop instead of the usual USA locations. Bekmambetov owns a film production company in Moscow called Bazelevs where most of the movie was made.
- GoofsWhen the characters have to jump off the boat into the river, Sean and Natalie both jump in together holding hands. All the characters except Natalie emerge together and climb aboard the submarine. Somehow Natalie has managed to end up in the city, clearly more than a few kilometers away.
She probably swam there, and it wasn't as far as a few kilometers.
- Crazy creditsAll the opening credits briefly appear in Russian before translated into English.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Darkest Hour: Deleted and Extended Scenes (2012)
- SoundtracksMOCKBA (Moscow)
Written by Igor Pustelnik
Performed by Marselle
Featured review
Fun but formulaic sci-fi thriller that should have been more
This is a B-grade movie and you should go in expecting one. Certainly, it won't win over many critics. Still, there are some thrills in this apocalyptic sci-fi thriller. Even though, it leaves a middling aftertaste. Thankfully, it runs at a lean 89 minutes and doesn't waste too much time in exposition, which are sometimes cringe-worthy. For me, it does throw in a few interesting ideas, which prevent it from being just another cookie-cutter entry in the increasingly stale genre.
First, the aliens. Instead of taking on the snarly form we've seen in countless films, they are invisible to the human eye and exist in the form of microwave energy. The only way they can be detected is when they pass through an object powered by electricity. And they kill humans by turning them into ashes. Because the aliens can't be seen, the killings are unpredictable.
Second, I like the idea of transposing the American protagonists and the apocalypse to a foreign city, Moscow, instead of the trite New York City or Los Angeles. The stereotypes of Russian culture are played for laughs, though most of the jokes come across flat. However, you get to relish the many famous sights and landmarks such as The Red Square, in ruins.
In terms of characters, most of them are disposable. Even the leads, Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby and Max Minghella come across as likable at best, but not memorable. It doesn't help that they are given lame one-liners. I wish they had given the eccentric Russian electrician and his cacophony of gadgets more screen time.
The Darkest Hour has a great setup. Pity the makers didn't have the balls to strive beyond formula. Even if the ending sets it up for a sequel, I reckon its box office performance will convince the studio they need one.
First, the aliens. Instead of taking on the snarly form we've seen in countless films, they are invisible to the human eye and exist in the form of microwave energy. The only way they can be detected is when they pass through an object powered by electricity. And they kill humans by turning them into ashes. Because the aliens can't be seen, the killings are unpredictable.
Second, I like the idea of transposing the American protagonists and the apocalypse to a foreign city, Moscow, instead of the trite New York City or Los Angeles. The stereotypes of Russian culture are played for laughs, though most of the jokes come across flat. However, you get to relish the many famous sights and landmarks such as The Red Square, in ruins.
In terms of characters, most of them are disposable. Even the leads, Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby and Max Minghella come across as likable at best, but not memorable. It doesn't help that they are given lame one-liners. I wish they had given the eccentric Russian electrician and his cacophony of gadgets more screen time.
The Darkest Hour has a great setup. Pity the makers didn't have the balls to strive beyond formula. Even if the ending sets it up for a sequel, I reckon its box office performance will convince the studio they need one.
Helpful•2315
- moviexclusive
- Dec 28, 2011
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Darkest Hour 3D
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $21,443,494
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,993,519
- Dec 25, 2011
- Gross worldwide
- $64,626,786
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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