Dark Skies Movie Review
Aliens are in your head, at least according to the latest alien abduction flick Dark Skies, which promotes itself as being from the producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious in a desperate attempt to hide the fact the movie is actually from the director of Priest and Legion. Despite feeling all too familiar at times, Dark Skies holds its own - at least until its terribly abrupt and unsatisfying ending.
Dark Skies stars Keri Russell as Lacy Barrett, who is married to bland loser Daniel (Josh Hamilton) and lives in a nice home because that's what loving families in the movies do. One day, Lacy begins to notice strange things like dishes and food being stacked to the ceiling, which would scare the f**k out of most people but doesn't seem to faze her. Never mind that her youngest son Sam is talking with an invisible friend named the Sandman, which should be a sign to any mother who has ever watched a horror movie.
Soon, the rest of the family is experiencing bad dreams, headaches, nosebleeds and the desire to bang their heads against windows.
Dark Skies is a moderately effective thriller at times, by no means outstanding but effective nonetheless. The movie largely plays like a glossier version of the original Paranormal Activity, only without the found footage gimmick and a real eye for building suspense. The characters begin to sleepwalk, which is still sort of creepy, and they even resort to setting up cameras in their house to figure out exactly what the hell is causing the chaos. There are parts that work, and parts that don't, but I've seen much worse.
Until the ending. The last few minutes are a mess, and it's clear that writer/director Scott Stewart was unsure how to wrap things up. Amazingly, Stewart manages to conclude Dark Skies in the least satisfying way possible. It is incredible how just a few minutes can ruin a movie, but without a strong conclusion, Dark Skies is just another forgettable thriller.
And that's exactly what Dark Skies is.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.