Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
DARK SKIES (2013)Movie Reviews
Horror thriller about a young suburban family whose peaceful home unravels when they are targeted by a terrifying and deadly force. Cast:J.K. Simmons, Keri Russell, Dakota Goyo, Josh Hamilton, Michael Patrick McGill, Annie Thurman, Trevor St. John, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Josh Wingate, L.J. Benet, Ariana Guido, Jake Brennan, Marion Kerr, Ron Ostrow, Jessica BordenDirector:Scott Charles StewartRelease Date:February 22, 2013DVD Release:May 28, 2013From:The Weinstein CompanyRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 38 min
Dark Skies (2013) opened to fair reviews. • Jeffrey M. Anderson wrote for Common Sense Media, "...it all adds up to very little. The story is oddly pessimistic. Nothing is learned, no victory is achieved, and even the expected 'twist' ending is curiously dull." More Reviews Below...
Dark Skies (2013) Positive Reviews (22 Reviews, reviews below)
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...you haven't quite got an earth-shaker, but definitely a decent scarifying effort that doesn't abjure convention entirely but goes out on a few gratifying limbs."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 512 words, 02/19/13
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media: WEAK(cg) "...it all adds up to very little. The story is oddly pessimistic. Nothing is learned, no victory is achieved, and even the expected 'twist' ending is curiously dull.... Age 14."(See all of Jeffrey M. Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 02/21/13
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...certainly parades textbook genre trappings.... There's even surveillance footage.... But those elements are employed with consummate dexterity."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 305 words, 02/23/13
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "It's not that this is so awful you need to be warned away from it. It's just that it's so bland you might as well find something better to do."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 371 words, 02/23/13
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The film hits a freak-out groove in its final third, gaining a steady momentum.... clouded storytelling keeps it from becoming more than a bunch of disjointed moments."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 02/23/13
Sara Stewart, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...delivers some genuinely creepy moments... it all ends up feeling like a lost, minor episode of 'The X-Files:' A little scary, a little silly, catnip for those who want to believe."(See all of Sara Stewart's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 02/22/13
Peter Sobczynski, Chicago Sun-Times: WEAK(cg) "The ostensible shocks are pedestrian, the story and characters are not particularly interesting and too much screen time is dedicated to subplots that go nowhere..."(See all of Peter Sobczynski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 930 words, 02/23/13
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...offers passable home-invasion horror of the 'Close Encounters' variety, right down to the screws that loosen themselves..."(See all of Alan Scherstuhl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 270 words, 02/27/13
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "...treats classics like 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 'The Exorcist,' 'The Birds' and a touch of 'The Amityville Horror' like an all-you-can-eat buffet."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 02/23/13
Adam Nayman, Toronto Globe & Mail: WEAK(cg) "...a series of palpably false scares and cribs scenes and plot beats from similar movies... utterly superficial... it's hard to imagine anybody getting the message."(See all of Adam Nayman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 556 words, 02/22/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Bird strikes! Nosebleeds! Characters staring into the middle distance with their mouths wide open in a creepy way! What could it all mean?"(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 02/28/13
Ethan Gilsdorf, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...smart... the sound design, distorting wind chimes with radio static, keeps the tone destabilizing.... The director has the courage not to end on a happy note."(See all of Ethan Gilsdorf's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 02/25/13
Roger Moore, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...standard issue... a passably chilling bit of nonsense that builds on the past, the tropes of the genre, and relies on them for the odd jolt and the occasional ironic laugh."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 02/23/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...offers passable home-invasion horror of the 'Close Encounters' variety, right down to the screws that loosen themselves..."(See all of Alan Scherstuhl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 270 words, 02/27/13
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "...the problem is that it fails in execution.... How many more times do I have to see a stoic youngster draw a crude crayon drawing of their spooky invisible friend?"(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 02/23/13
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "What it lacks in originality, it almost makes up for with strong performances from the Family Under Siege: Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton as Lacy and Daniel Barrett..."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 02/28/13
Scott Tobias, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...director Scott Stewart, whose previous features include the dismal 'Legion' and 'Priest,' gets a small edge from his portrait of a hard-luck family on the brink."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 02/22/13
Jesse Hassenger, Pop Matters: MODERATE(cg) "...surprisingly believable in its treatment of the human characters and their environment... undermined by an overbearing score and well-worn imagery."(See all of Jesse Hassenger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 02/27/13
Calum Marsh, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...poorly constructed, lacking the finesse and artistry of the models its design follows.... the definitive horror film for the Tea Party era. That's scarier than the aliens..."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 627 words, 02/22/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Bird strikes! Nosebleeds! Characters staring into the middle distance with their mouths wide open in a creepy way! What could it all mean?"(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 02/28/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...certainly parades textbook genre trappings.... There's even surveillance footage.... But those elements are employed with consummate dexterity."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 305 words, 02/23/13
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The film hits a freak-out groove in its final third, gaining a steady momentum.... clouded storytelling keeps it from becoming more than a bunch of disjointed moments."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 02/23/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...solid genre entertainment... just enough above average to make one wish it had one memorable spark of conceptual inspiration up its sleeve."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 02/22/13
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...rather tame... noticeably devalues the effectiveness of the alien-abduction subgenre with overly deliberate pacing, miscued suspense and fairly predictable plotting."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 02/22/13
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The film hits a freak-out groove in its final third, gaining a steady momentum.... clouded storytelling keeps it from becoming more than a bunch of disjointed moments."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 02/23/13
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...certainly parades textbook genre trappings.... There's even surveillance footage.... But those elements are employed with consummate dexterity."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 305 words, 02/23/13
11.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Dark Skies (2013)'s reviews are separated by an average 11.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Dark Skies (2013) (22 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Dark Skies (2013)'s reviews cover 21.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,287 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 468 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 24.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Dark Skies (2013)'s reviews on average broke 24.2 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Dark Skies (2013)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Dark Skies (2013) (22 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
