Dark Skies is a sci-fi thriller about an ordinary family that beings to experience very unusual occurrences. Daniel (Josh Hamilton) and Lacy Barrett (Keri Russell) are a typical suburban couple, complete with two kids: a young teen, Jesse (Dakota Goyo,
Real Steel), and his little brother, Sammy (Kadan Rockett). Daniel is struggling to find a new job in the economic depression, while Lacy is a realtor. One evening, Lacy awakens to hearing noises coming from the kitchen area and enters the room, only to find food spread about and dishes arranged in odd ways. At first, they write it off to some sort of weird sleep-walking behavior by the kids, but as the disturbing events begin to escalate and grow more intricate, they become aware that something else must be involved. Before long, hundreds of birds are suicidally dive-bombing their house, their security alarm is going off without explanation and members of the family are blacking out and exhibiting frightening behavior. Cameras placed around the house don’t seem to catch much, so the couple turns to Edwin Pollard (J.K. Simmons,
Spider-man), a man well versed in alien abduction and activity. Could it be that aliens have targeted the family for something more sinister than simply disturbing them? Lacy and Daniel decide to fight off these forces by whatever means possible to protect their family, but how do you fight something you can’t see?
First off, I’m not sure why the film was entitled Dark Skies. Hearing it makes me think of an alien-based series by the same name from the late 90’s, but the two don’t appear to be related, aside from the shared alien theme. That being said, I did find Dark Skies to be disturbing and it was pretty good. It’s certainly not the best supernatural thriller I’ve seen by a long shot, but the acting was well done and the plot kept me interested and engaged, moreso than the trailer would lead one to believe. The viewer is never quite sure whether what they are seeing is reality or something going on in a dream, so it works well to keep you unsettled. Special features are sparse and include a handful of deleted and alternate scenes, plus commentary with several of the filmmakers.
Dark Skies is fine for a rental on a rainy night because it is a creepy film, but it’s not one I would necessarily want to view a second time, so it doesn’t really rate a purchase.
