Dark Skies (2013)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  5 / 10

  Dark Skies is overcast with extraterrestrial clouds and spells of family unification. Not nearly as bad as most people will make this out to be. Extraterrestrial horror is something of a rarity these days. Blending the scepticism of alien existence and their mystifying reasoning to visit Earth should easily make for some eerie scares. Atleast it's far more inventive than the constant paranormal horrors of recent. A family start to experience strange events that lead them to question if extraterrestrial beings are terrorising them. Okay fine, it's not scary in the slightest. Rockett was an incredibly weak child actor (and somewhat irritated me). The third act crumbles into cliché oblivion. Certain questions remained unanswered. By no means am I claiming this to be a good film, because it's not. However, it's not even remotely bad. The story succeeds in conveying the fragility of a family that are experiencing the unexplainable, whilst also tepidly trampling into the hardship of adult life. It illustrated the stressful environment that the mother and father reside in and how daily life is taking a toll on them. Careers, financial woes, parenting and lack of intimacy. The narrative quietly dabbles into the psychological implications of this scenario, questioning their own sanity, but these are quickly diminished when "The Grays" are shown to us far too early. Russell alone, with all her acting credibility, saves the confused screenplay. Her onscreen chemistry with Hamilton made for a naturally developed relationship between the two of them that resulted in a believable family. Even a brief appearance from Simmons allowed more dramatic energy to flow through this thriller. A few mysterious scenes hold some tension, particularly early on where geometric shapes are spawned from an elaborate homemade construction, but alas fall flat and are rapidly forgotten about. The dramatic elements are there though, and really push this sci-fi thriller as far as it can. Just a shame that the premise itself was not executed to its maximum potential and settled for an atrocious predictable ending.

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