TRAILERS

Must Watch: First Trailer for Sci-Fi 'The Darkest Hour' Invades Online

by
August 3, 2011
Source: Apple

The Darkest Hour

"They can see us, but we can't see them." Summit has debuted the first official trailer for sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour, directed by Chris Gorak (Right at Your Door), starring Emile Hirsch, Joel Kinnaman, Olivia Thirlby and Rachael Taylor. We've been teasing the reveal of this trailer with plenty of concept art, but finally get to take a look at this and it looks awesome. It's a fresh twist on alien invasion thrillers, as the extraterrestrials really are electrical forces, and the things they can do with that are just, well, awesome. This has slight a District 9 feel (the weaponry) but I think it looks great, there's never enough original sci-fi!

Watch the official trailer for Chris Gorak's The Darkest Hour, in high def via Apple:

You can also now download The Darkest Hour trailer in High Defintion on Apple

Directed by Chris Gorak (Right at Your Door), produced by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and written by Jon Spaihts (Ridley Scott's Prometheus), the film is about five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer) leads the cast including Olivia Thirlby (Juno), Max Minghella (The Social Network), Rachael Taylor (Transformers) and Joel Kinnaman. Summit Entertainment is bringing Chris Gorak's The Darkest Hour to theaters on December 23rd, Christmas weekend, this winter.

Find more posts: Hype, Opinions, To Watch, Trailer

99 Comments

1

Looks pretty slick! I'm there!

Spider on Aug 3, 2011

2

lame. Invisible aliens... whoopie. 

Brandon Smith on Aug 3, 2011

3

This doesn't look very good at all. I suddenly feel very nervous about prometheus.

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

4

Excuse my ignorance, but what does this have to do with Prometheus?

Laurent on Aug 3, 2011

5

He's referring to the screenwriter, Jon Spaihts, who is credited for the major script groundwork on Ridley Scott's Prometheus before Damon Lindelof came in and updated the screenplay.

Alex Billington on Aug 3, 2011

6

 Thanks.

Laurent on Aug 3, 2011

7

I have absolutely no doubt that Ridley scott knows what hes doing. From what ive seen at Comic con, it sure will deliver. 

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

8

Yea, I completely agree with you on that.

Alex Billington on Aug 4, 2011

9

I hope so. I haven't seen anything other than that still shot they released a little while back.

Anonymous on Aug 5, 2011

10

Since this film deals with supernatural/alien forces, wouldn't that make you excited about prometheus?? Kind of a ass-backwards statement if you ask me

Nick Sears on Aug 3, 2011

11

I'm glad that they state the aliens' motives earlier on that way it doesn't come as a silly and unbelievable twist in the third act. 

Buvalo on Aug 3, 2011

12

Eh.

Cody1255 on Aug 3, 2011

13

Be still Cody.

Jeff Goldblum on Aug 5, 2011

14

Meh.. For now it just looks like something M. Night Charlatan would direct.

Davide Coppola on Aug 3, 2011

15

Have not laughed so hard in ages, great comment

Loser on Aug 3, 2011

16

After Skyline and Battle LA I can't get myself to be excited for alien invasion movies anymore :-(.

Neuromancer on Aug 3, 2011

17

Agreed.

Film-Book.com on Aug 3, 2011

18

that's not fair to battle:LA. skyline was HORRIBLY done.......and the story was pitiful. i know it's trendy to  hate on B:LA but i thought it was pretty good. i liked following a squad the way they did. i think they did a good job of capturing the tension/intensity of the situation. the enviroments were good  and i liked the aliens too - they were badass ( i like the aliens on TVs "falling skies" too.... the skitters are very menacing).  it had 2 parts where i thought the talking got too cheesy but overall it was a good watch (for me).

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

19

I actually liked Battle LA too, it was one of the last movies to surprise me. I won't remember it for years to come, but it was good fun at the movies.

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

20

well, i won't remember it like "shawshank redemption".......but i still like it. i got good price for it on blu; so, i'll watch it every now and then.

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

21

I enjoyed B LA too

Dueceswild222 on Aug 4, 2011

22

are you hoping for #2 to be made? i am. i want to see that battle for the city.

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

23

I would definitely agree with you and say Skyline is downright horrible while Battle LA is better. But to me Battle LA was a let down, it felt too much like a long, high budget army propaganda. That said, there were some elements I did enjoy nonetheless. Really liked seeing the aliens use hand gestures just like the human squad did, for example. But in the end I was still disappointed. Eventhough I'm not all that excited, I'll still see The Darkest Hour at one point in time and maybe it will change my opinion 🙂

Neuromancer on Aug 4, 2011

24

i'm lost on anyone who says this was "military propaganda" of ANY kind. how the soldiers were portrayed is just how they are! i wasn't left disappointed at all - after that end, i'd hope for #2 to be made and show the battle to take back the city!

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

25

I don't think anyone dislikes it because the propaganda lies about how the army is but rather that the "heroic"-ness and army aspect of it all are contantly "shoved" in your face. Atleast that's how I felt anyway heh, especially the heroic part. edit: wow, we're kinda really going off-topic I guess :p

Neuromancer on Aug 4, 2011

26

I get what your saying, and now that you talked about i think i might have felt the same while watching the movie. But I think a lot of american "war movies" whant to give you that idea, that the American army is great. If they made a depressing army movie people wouldn't like it, as simple as that. I'll give you an example, I love Jarhead, think it's a great movie by a great director, but most people didn't like it. And it didn't have lots of shooting and action and it lacked that heroic feeling. Did any of you guys like Jarhead?

Anonymous on Aug 5, 2011

27

well, ricardo - i didn't dislike jarhead. it was just an "ok" movie for me. i thought the story was a little convoluted. as far as war movies - it isn't just americans that do this. i've seen some ware movies made by russians, japanese, germans and koreans (maybe more -this is off the top of my head) and they ALL do this to some extent. there are exceptions.........platoon springs to mind. it was an outstanding movie and yet the military was far from being "gloirified". in any way.

Anonymous on Aug 5, 2011

28

if that's how you felt - then that's how you felt.......i'm not trying to say you're wrong - i just didn't get that from it.

Anonymous on Aug 5, 2011

29

Agree, for what it was (on the intersection of ID4 and Black Hawk Down somewhere) I think it was very well done with some great action in some parts.

Robert L. Tuva on Aug 4, 2011

30

i couldn't agree more, robert!

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

31

Hmm, doubt it will get a big opening in the US. Sure, it has a little 'District 9' vibe but it looks a tad under-budgeted and to the mainstream, it will just look like a movie in which the survivors fight electricity.

MithunOnThe.Net on Aug 3, 2011

32

The Alien POV doesnt sit well tbh:P Maybe. VFX need polishing.. Maybe it's just a crap trailer?:P

CookieMonster on Aug 3, 2011

33

Looks ok, but the concept art was beautiful, with the different colors of electricity, compared to the the one shade of orange we see in the trailer. I at least hope that will change when it finally comes out.

Tye1119 on Aug 3, 2011

34

Eh, the visuals look okay, but overall, I wouldn't say it's a lot to get excited about.

Freemanmensa on Aug 3, 2011

35

Well...no need to see the movie, cause I just saw the whole thing

Moviekidmike on Aug 3, 2011

36

Come on, again? I don't think so... this barely shows anything! You could always say that about MOST trailers, but this one has a good variety of scenes and I really have no idea where the story will start and end. Do YOU?

Alex Billington on Aug 3, 2011

37

If you saw the whole thing how do they get them in the end?

Ricardo Marques on Aug 3, 2011

38

Nah not really. If you want to see a trailer that gives away everything, watch the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trailer.

DesinaCoda on Aug 3, 2011

39

Hey bro, you wanna know what gives away everything in Rise of the Planet of the Apes? The Planet of the Apes.... I will give you a hint, the apes win. But seriously, do you just go to a movie to see a beginning, middle, and end story, no matter how short? If only more people were like you, filmmakers could save shit loads as appparently they only have to give a couple of minutes footage and people think they have seen the whole thing.

Sam Doyle on Aug 3, 2011

40

If the aliens work with electricity, why don't they dump a bucket of water on top of them?

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

41

Doesn't water conduct electricity? Wouldn't that just make it worse?

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

42

I think it's more likely that it would shortcircuted them

Anonymous on Aug 5, 2011

43

This looks like crap, you should've posted the battleship trailer, now that looks like a good sci-fi movie

Qwqeqw on Aug 3, 2011

44

Um, they did post the Battleship trailer: https://www.firstshowing.net/2011/watch-first-official-trailer-for-peter-bergs-cheesy-battleship-movie/ And no, it doesn't.

The Shoes Dude on Aug 3, 2011

45

It looks disposable.

Film-Book.com on Aug 3, 2011

46

They both look like crap

Tester on Aug 3, 2011

47

aha, best joke on this thread so far!

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

48

As already mentioned above, we did post the Battleship trailer and no one seemed to like that trailer. I think this one looks a LOT better, it has an original concept behind it, and isn't based on a frickin' boardgame!

Alex Billington on Aug 4, 2011

49

Shit.  Just plain shit... sorry.

Unknown on Aug 3, 2011

50

Looks like fun. I'll probably wait until it comes out on video though.

DesinaCoda on Aug 3, 2011

51

Emile Hirsch, what have you done with your career, buddy?

JL on Aug 3, 2011

52

he's not that old - he's got 2 excellent movies with "milk" and "into the wild".

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

53

Don't forget he was in Lords of Dogtown.  I know, he's still got lots of time make his mark.  I was just saying how he seemed to be on a roll with good indie dramas, and then he goes and does this.  Granted, I haven't seen it, but it doesn't look very interesting.  "Into the Wild" was pretty great.  It was sad, but I love stories like that based on true events.  Plus, they did such a great job with it.  Sean Penn is a pretty good director, yeah?

JL on Aug 3, 2011

54

yea, i remember he was in LoD but i didn't think people  connect him with it when they think of his best pictures. i LOVED ItW. milk was a great movie too. i like penn as a director........he hasn't had a clunker yet.

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

55

Haven't seen "MILK" yet.  I'm a bit apprehensive.  Let me start by saying i'm not a homophobe.  One of my friends in high school was a mixed up kid who was always effeminate but declared himself "straight" and then "bi-sexual" and eventually settled on homosexual.  It made me uncomfortable at first, but I didn't stop being friends with him and he never hit on me, so no big deal.  But I'll admit that movies with, not just homosexual themes, but scenes of an overtly homosexual nature, do make me uncomfortable.  I watched both "Brokeback Mountain" and "Mysterious Skin", the latter of which was a good movie despite the uncomfortable subject matter, and the former of which just didn't strike me as being a quality movie apart from the performances of Ledger and Williams.  Perhaps one day I'll give "MILK" a try.

JL on Aug 4, 2011

56

hated brokeback mountain........and it had nothing to do with the subject matter - i just didn't like the movie and thought it was over-hyped in every way. i've never seen (or heard of) mysterious skin. i'll have to check it out.

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

57

Wait a second....if the aliens can kill someone with the samllest touch and turn them to dust....why are they dragging people around?

Chris Luostari on Aug 3, 2011

58

I was wondering the same thing...

TheEffectsLookHorrible on Aug 3, 2011

59

Sometimes they just don't feel like killing in front of all those people and want to to that in privacy, geez, just give them some space!

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

60

I love it...can't wait.

Michael McRorey on Aug 3, 2011

61

Putting it on my must see list. Hooray for originality!

Lamar on Aug 3, 2011

62

I can usually dig on some alien apocalypse story line, but something fell flat for me in this trailer.  I'm not saying the movie will be horrible, but it just gives me a 'rent me' vibe.   It comes off more like Skyline with cheaper effects.  Maybe I'm just too cynical in my old age. 

Sethamus on Aug 3, 2011

63

The Director did a very good job with the apocalyptic and very small budget, Right At Your Door.  I'm willing to give him another shot with this.  What worries me is Timur Bekmambetov, who is very much style over substance, imo.  I hope he doesn't have too much of an influence.

BinaryBob101 on Aug 3, 2011

64

 i loved "right at your door" - the ending was so appropriate.

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

65

That was some class A irony, right?  What a great low budget indie.  Back when I was browsing the video stores, before netflix got me, I saw that on the shelf and decided to give it a try.  So glad I did.

JL on Aug 3, 2011

66

I didn't even make the connection to Right At Your Door.  Blast it all, I'm almost forced to give this movie a chance based on him alone.

Sethamus on Aug 3, 2011

67

See guys, you should give the dude a chance.  I had a similar feeling that Rupert Wyatt (Please get The Escapist on rental) would do great things on Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, and it seems as though I was right there too. Some of the new wave of creatives coming through are absolute gems.

BinaryBob101 on Aug 4, 2011

68

i liked what i saw. it may not be a classic, but it looks like a fun watch.

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

69

Interesting concepts. I'm usually a bit iffy about movies with younger actors, I guess it's a stigma I've developed from watching half-a**ed slasher flicks growing up. But Timur Bekmambetov's is attached to it and it has that signature dark-edge look the NIGHTWATCH movies are known for. I'd like to see more!

Icefilm on Aug 3, 2011

70

Who you gonna call?

M.K. Nielsen on Aug 3, 2011

71

Holy proton packs Batman! Don't cross the streams!

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

72

wow all that action and they couldn't even muster a physical alien life form just some invisible electric crap

Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011

73

Because in a city like Moscow, of course it would be a group of American tourists that were the only ones that could possibly have the ability to figure out how to combat a new type of enemy. They would definitely be better at that than the Russian military right? Because America, f*&k yeah! I know this might not be the case in the full movie, but it's the ridiculous impression that that trailer gave off. That a sci-fi movie set in Moscow even needs English speaking characters at all is kind of lame, but inferring that they could do something the locals or the Russian military can't (if that really is the case) comes off as incredibly arrogant.

Shikaka on Aug 3, 2011

74

this looks like fun, and its a cool concept, I think I like invisible aliens MUCH BETTER than some "been there, seen that" CGI alien from one of the many shoot em up video games..in this day and age where ANYTHING can be done with fx, its cool to see this approach. and again, it looks like fun. 

lando on Aug 3, 2011

75

awww alien invasion movie!! they havent done one of those since like last week!!

Croniccris on Aug 3, 2011

76

Interesting. I like different takes sometimes in genres. Anyhow what's with all the alien invasion movies of late? Warnings? Preparing the global psyche?

Johnny Neat on Aug 3, 2011

77

Invisible aliens? This looks terrible. Looks like a really bad SyFy movie. Might download it.

MACRO on Aug 4, 2011

78

It looks interesting. At first I thought "meh" but it grew on me. May be fun to watch and Moscow is a very good setting for a change.

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

79

"This has slight a District 9 feel (the weaponry)...." I'm....I'm sorry, what? This looks/feels way too safe and the people disintegrating into ash got pretty old pretty darn fast for my liking.

Tyler Danger on Aug 4, 2011

80

What part of this was original? 

Bigfootwillgetyou57 on Aug 4, 2011

81

Looks interesting, but you just know they aren't gonna know how to end it properly.  Great concept, but n one ever thinks about how to wrap it up. 

tommyturner on Aug 4, 2011

82

That's a HUGE problem in today's films isn't it? There are so many movies with a great premise and setting but then they just can't make the ending work and live up to the expectations...

Anonymous on Aug 5, 2011

83

 What about District 9?

Laurent on Aug 10, 2011

84

I liked that movie but it didn't stay with me after I left the theatre. To be honest, I don't even remember exactly how it ends (although I have an idea)

Anonymous on Aug 11, 2011

85

Looks like something I might like to see.

whfastus on Aug 4, 2011

86

Stupid. 

Brandon on Aug 4, 2011

87

Why'd they have to kill the dog... 🙁

Chad on Aug 4, 2011

88

New age proton packs?

Itance7 on Aug 4, 2011

89

Did anyone else think Ghostbusters? lol

Christian Wamsley on Aug 4, 2011

90

does this look like a combo of "vanishing of 7th street" + " skyline" what ya'll think who is with me

han solo on Aug 4, 2011

91

The alien concept looks really cool. Lots of potential for great suspense. I'm just wondering if the whole it invisible you cant see them effect will get old halfway into the movie.

john s on Aug 4, 2011

92

Damn aliens killed the dog! 🙁

David Banner on Aug 4, 2011

93

the disintegration effect is really cool, love to know how they developed it

han solo on Aug 4, 2011

94

sooo.. lets make a movie about an orange light that kills people and runs on electricity. Call it an alien and put some great fx, film it in Moscow and no one will even think how stupid the premise is. as the great GOB would say: C'MON! 

konstantinos terzis on Aug 4, 2011

95

I prefer regular substantial aliens. Good luck with that.

Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011

96

I was wondering why it was set in Russia, but with Timur Bekmambetov involved it makes sense, I love what he does and was kindo wondering where he was. Will check this oot.

Crapola on Aug 5, 2011

97

*fart sounnds*

Anon on Aug 5, 2011

98

In the end, they're calling Christopher Lambert as Raiden to kick the aliens tooshies

Bignose on Aug 9, 2011

99

When does it come iTunes?

Avenue Leader on Feb 6, 2012

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