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THE DARKEST HOUR (2011)Movie Reviews
Science fiction thriller about five young people stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive after an alien attack. Cast:Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael TaylorDirector:Chris GorakRelease Date:December 25, 2011DVD Release:April 10, 2012From:Summit EntertainmentRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 29 min.
The Darkest Hour (2011) played to poor reviews. • Joel Brown wrote in the Boston Globe, "...a bunch of invisible flying alien electrical jellyfish thingies rain down from the sky to drink all the juice out of the world's power grid... or... something." • And Eric Eisenberg called the film for Cinema Blend, "...a terrible mix of incompetence and missed opportunity." More Reviews Below...
The Darkest Hour (2011) Positive Reviews (11 Reviews, reviews below)
Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly: WEAK(cg) "...surprisingly thrill-less... You should be rooting for the humans, but you might as well be rooting for the blobs. Most likely, though, you'll just be rooting for the credits."(See all of Keith Staskiewicz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 319 words, 12/30/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (3 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: POOR "If you're going to tease us with nothing but pinwheels of light for three-quarters of the film, you'd better have one heck of a reveal up your sleeve."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 12/27/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The idea of semi-invisible aliens, an unseen enemy, should mean the film has a lingering sense of paranoid abstraction... but it never gets beyond rote efficiency."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 12/27/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...dialogue and acting are laughable... it even lacks visual flair - strange for a film helmed by Chris Gorak, who's better known as an art director and production designer."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 12/29/11
KEY CITIES (1 Review)
Joel Brown, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "...a bunch of invisible flying alien electrical jellyfish thingies rain down from the sky to drink all the juice out of the world's power grid... or... something."(See all of Joel Brown's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 395 words, 12/27/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "...a terrible mix of incompetence and missed opportunity.... moves quickly and is predictable, filled with flat characters, and has zero tension."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 12/28/11
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: POOR(cg) "...a film utterly devoid of merit, a dreary sci-fi slog so tedious even its own actors seem bored.... They're in a film that tries to make a variation on static cling terrifying."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 12/27/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...dialogue and acting are laughable... it even lacks visual flair - strange for a film helmed by Chris Gorak, who's better known as an art director and production designer."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 12/29/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "You're caught in a strange city during a global disaster: not a bad jumping-off point.... But exploring this potentially intriguing notion never becomes a concern..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 01/13/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: POOR "If you're going to tease us with nothing but pinwheels of light for three-quarters of the film, you'd better have one heck of a reveal up your sleeve."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 12/27/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The idea of semi-invisible aliens, an unseen enemy, should mean the film has a lingering sense of paranoid abstraction... but it never gets beyond rote efficiency."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 12/27/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...modestly inventive and involving... the rote familiarity of scripter Jon Spaihts' premise is neatly counterbalanced by the exotic unfamiliarity of the pic's Moscow setting."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 12/25/11
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "...expects dramatic shots of a depopulated Red Square to make up for a flatlining screenplay and the absence of even a single compelling character."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 542 words, 12/25/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The idea of semi-invisible aliens, an unseen enemy, should mean the film has a lingering sense of paranoid abstraction... but it never gets beyond rote efficiency."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 12/27/11
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: POOR "If you're going to tease us with nothing but pinwheels of light for three-quarters of the film, you'd better have one heck of a reveal up your sleeve."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 12/27/11
20.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Darkest Hour (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 20.3 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.
The Darkest Hour (2011) (11 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Darkest Hour (2011)'s reviews cover 15.3% of potential readers (average is 68.0%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,307 words involume (average is 20,221 words). Length:The film's reviews average 482 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 3 Days After Release (Norm is 1.3 Release)
The Darkest Hour (2011)'s reviews on average broke 3 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.3 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 The Darkest Hour (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Darkest Hour (2011) (11 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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