Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Alien invasion flick has lots of violence but little blood.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Darkest Hour
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 16 kid reviews
Kids say this movie features a compelling sci-fi premise with invisible aliens disintegrating people on touch, and while the acting is generally good, there are mixed feelings about its entertainment value and graphic content. Some viewers appreciated the positive character development and role models, but others criticized its pacing and violence, suggesting it may not be suitable for younger audiences due to language and intense scenes.
- strong premise
- good acting
- positive role models
- graphic content
- mixed reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Best friends and American dot-com entrepreneurs Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella) travel to Moscow looking to expand their website but find that a local lowlife (Joel Kinnaman) has stolen their idea. Later, at a cool nightclub, Sean and Ben meet fellow travelers Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) and Anne (Rachael Taylor). Just as the fun is about to begin, weird lights start descending from the sky. Unfortunately, they turn out to be killer, invisible aliens, aiming to turn the entire human race into ashes. The main characters survive the initial onslaught, but can they make their way to the American embassy and find help? Or does a deadlier fate await them?
Is It Any Good?
The Darkest Hour is hardly original at this point, and though many of its fellow alien invasion movies are terrible, this one has the "advantage" of being merely dull. The characters aren't deep or interesting, but at least they aren't irritating. The invisible aliens aren't scary, but at least they aren't cheap looking.
Chris Gorak -- a former art director on spectacular-looking films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fight Club, The Man Who Wasn't There, and Minority Report -- directs. Unfortunately, he provides nothing terribly interesting to look at, except for vacant Moscow city streets. Though the main characters are Caucasian Americans, some of their cultural displacement is used to good effect, and the heroes are generally polite to their Eastern hemisphere neighbors. It's too bad the movie isn't more daring or exotic -- or fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it justified in this case? Did the story leave any other options?
Is the movie scary? What's the scariest part of it? What would happen if the characters didn't have goals to strive for?
How well do the five main characters show teamwork? Which members are the weakest links, and why? Does the movie ultimately have positive role models and messages?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 25, 2011
- On DVD or streaming : April 10, 2012
- Cast : Emile Hirsch , Max Minghella , Olivia Thirlby
- Director : Chris Gorak
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Summit Entertainment
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sci-fi action violence and some language
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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