The Darkest Hour (in theaters 12/25), is fast approaching, and yet
despite the trailers and TV spots that have been appearing as of late, much of
the film's plot is still a mystery to the general public. That, of course, is a
good thing. Films are spoiled too often these days either by information-heavy
trailers or candid set photos. Thankfully, The
Darkest Hour—an alien invasion film directed by Chris Gorak (Right at Your Door) set in Moscow,
Russia—has been spared this invasion of movie privacy. Still, if you're
interested in knowing a bit more about the film than the trailer, or other
press materials have let on, we've decided to give you a bit of a synopsis.
Think of it as an appetizer before a big, juicy meal (or in this case, a big,
juicy bowl of borscht).
The Darkest Hour is as much of a fish-out-of-water adventure as it
is an alien invasion film. Budding Internet entrepreneurs Sean (Emile Hirsch)
and Ben (Max Minghella) travel to Moscow, Russia to meet with a Skyler (The Killing's Joel Kinnaman), a morally ambiguous
German business man, about their latest business venture. Along the way they
meet up with two American travelers (Rachael Taylor and Olivia Thrilby) for
some drunken revelry in Russia's hard-partying capital.
And then the aliens come.
Now, we're not talking the big-headed, bug-eyed aliens you've seen in countless other movies. Nope. The aliens in The Darkest Hour are harder to pin down look-wise than Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson combined. Essentially, they are energy-based beings that make their presence known by lighting up bulbs and other manipulating electrical objects. Without an electrical indication of their presence, these aliens are essentially invisible. That would be fine if these were amiable extraterrestrials (like, say, E.T. or Alf), but that's not the case. These creatures have the power to turn human beings into piles of ash; a power they are not particularly shy of putting to use.
Why have these electrically-charged beings decided to invade Earth? We'll leave that to you to find out. Remember, The Darkest Hour opens nationwide Christmas Day. We can't think of a more pleasant way to spend the holiday.
