Where to watch Dark Skies
2 Stars
Dark Skies is a solid little chiller for two-thirds of it’s running time. Then the third act torpedoes the story and leaves the viewer scratching their collective heads. Can anyone explain the final scene? Producer Jason Blum knows his way around the genre, which probably explains the on-the-level production vales and casting, even he must have realized the ending is a cop-out not a satisfying conclusion.
Daniel(Josh Hamilton) and Lacy Barrett (Keri Russell) are raising their sons, Jesse and Sammy in a picturesque house on an idyllic suburban street. Life is good for the family. That’s until a mysterious intruder begins to enter their home every night. At first the family suspects neighborhood pranksters but, as the nightly mischief continues they begin to suspect something more sinister. Enter, the ‘beings’, a race of alien invaders that live amongst us already.
Turns out that the Barrett family have been target by aliens, for reasons never made clear. J.K. Simmons appears in a cameo as an expert in the field of paranormal activities. His brief role could have been expanded to greater effect.
As is, Dark Skies is a moody sci-fi/horror flick with a couple of chill inducing moments. The ‘haunted house’ angle is turned on its ear by the addition of aliens instead of ghostly figures. However, the movie falls apart in the final twenty minutes, irrevocably crippling any momentum that had been building up.
Director: Scott Stewart
Stars: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, J.K. Simmons