Review of Dark Skies (2013) by Nesbitt10 — 24 May 2013

The ingredients are delivered without much style of flair, and the results of the movie makes for a pretty bland dish. Stewart does possesses talent--but he just hasn't created a satisfying film with it. In all three instances "Priest" (2011), "Legion" (2012) and now "Dark Skies." The potential for a compelling story line and terror is there--but not achieved to satisfaction.

In the Barrett household, something is seriously amiss. Is it that unemployed architect Daniel (Hamilton) is quietly panicked about finding a job while the mortgage bills pile up? That his marriage to Lacy (Keri Russell) is falling apart, turning their two sons (Dakota Goyo, Kadan Rockett) into stress cases? The wife is trying to pick up the financial slack of her laid-off architect husband (Josh Hamilton) by working as a real estate agent. Their two young sons start to notice odd things happening around the house. Things like snatching photos from frames--and eventually moving on in for their real goal--a child snatching. The audience has too much time to wonder why are the aliens here to bother playing tricks on this suburban family.The biggest problem with "Dark Skies" is that Stewart can never quite decide what story he is telling a slow-burn horror parable, or paranoid invasion flick? Whether to focus on this character or that one while struggling to string together scares. Regardless, the pacing is tedious and boring--and the action is almost non-existant. Though it is saved in part by the performances of Russell and Hamilton, with a effective supporting turn by J.K. Simmons. The clouded storytelling in "Dark Skies" keeps the film from becoming more than a bunch of disjointed moments, and eventually settles for a ridiculous conclusion.