The Darkest Hour (I) (2011)

In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked Earth via our power supply.

Director:

Chris Gorak

Writers:

Jon Spaihts (screenplay), Leslie Bohem (story),

Stars:

Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emile Hirsch	...	Sean
Olivia Thirlby	...	Natalie
Max Minghella	...	Ben
Rachael Taylor	...	Anne
Joel Kinnaman	...	Skyler
Veronika Vernadskaya	...	Vika
Dato Bakhtadze	...	Sergei
Yuriy Kutsenko	...	Matvei (as Gosha Kutsenko)
Nikolay Efremov	...	Sasha (as Nikolai Efremov)
Georgiy Gromov	...	Boris (as Georgy Gromov)
Artur Smolyaninov	...	Yuri (as Arthur Smoljaninov)
Anna Rudakova	...	Tess (as Anna Roudakova)
Pyotr Fyodorov	...	Anton Batkin (as Petr Fedorov)
Ivan Gromov	...	Bartender No. 1
Aleksandr Chernykh	...	Bartender No. 2 (as Alexsandr Chernyh)

Storyline

The American software designers Sean and Ben travel to Moscow to sell their software to investors. However, their Swedish partner Skyler pulls a fast one on Sean and Ben, and they are out of the business. They go to a nightclub, where they meet American Natalie and Australian Anne and they flirt with the girls and see Skyler in the club. Out of the blue, the population is surprised by lights, which they mistake for natural phenomena. But soon, they learn that the lights are aliens invading Earth and using power supply to annihilate mankind. Sean, Ben, Natalie, Anne and Skyler hide in the kitchen and when they leave the place, they seek out survivors on the street. Are they the last people on Earth?

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Plot Keywords:

alien | nightclub | aurora borealis | bricking up a window | abandoned car | 

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Taglines:

Survive The Holidays

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [es]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

25 December 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

La última noche de la humanidad

Filming Locations:

Academy of Science Plaza, Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,000,000 (USA) (23 December 2011)

Gross:

$21,426,805 (USA) (24 February 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summit Entertainment, Regency Enterprises, Bazelevs Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Not screened in advance for North American critics.

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Goofs

The radio that the group finds in the US embassy works because it was protected from the EMP strike inside the bird cage which acted like a Faraday cage. A Faraday cage blocks EM waves, including microwaves. The radio should not have worked in the bird cage or in Sergei's apartment.

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Quotes

Russian Flight Attendant: Sir, could you please turn that off? It can interfere with the plane's navigation systems.
Sean: Do you really believe that? Because people have been talking outside, you know, the flight attendant social circle of trust, and word is that nobody really believes that.
Ben: Excuse my friend. He was dropped on his head as a child.
Sean: No. If these were really that bad, the wouldn't let you bring them on the plane, flat out. If you agree with me, don't unfold your arms.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Prometheus: Part 1 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"The Uprising"
Performed by Pilot Hill
Courtesy of Red Parade Music

User Reviews

enjoyable sci-fi!

This was a bit of fun to watch, nothing special, like an above average sci-fi channel flick, but fun to watch nonetheless. Hasn't been a box office hit or getting much in the way of good reviews, but if basic alien invasion is your cup of tea, you will probably enjoy it too. I liked the aliens, not your usual lot, and the Moscow sets. The cast gave decent performances as well. I would have liked to see more of the invaders and would have liked a few more battle scenes, and could have enjoyed it just as well without the 3D effects. All things considered, I will add it to my collection when it's available on disc. Catch this during a matinée if you must, but you'll probably like it a whole lot more on a theater's big screen than waiting for HBO.