Combining science fiction with horror has always tended to be a mixed bag, with genre-bending mashups equally capable of delivering greatness as they are garbage. Depending on who you ask, though, Dark Skies can be placed in either camp.
Writer and director Scott Stewart had established an unwanted reputation for helming widely-panned high concept fantasies through the dismal Priest and diabolical Legion, but by his standards Dark Skies was a relative critical success after landing a Rotten Tomatoes score of 41 percent, which is about as backhanded as compliments get.
However, a combination of the infallible Blumhouse branding an intriguing central conceit propelled the film to almost $28 million at the box office, which doesn’t sound like a lot until you realize the $3.5 million budget made it an eminently profitable enterprise. It’s been almost a decade since it released, and yet Redditors can’t agree whether it’s an underrated gem or a steaming cinematic turd.
The story finds a family unit residing in quiet cul-de-sac that’s as boring and uninteresting as you’d imagine, before a string of extraterrestrial events begin unfolding that plunge the central clan into a battle against alien invaders with a nefarious agenda. One person’s trash can always be another’s treasure, and the consensus appears to make Dark Skies a firm part of that conversation.
Even the comments on the aforementioned thread find users describing it as either one of the worst movies they’ve ever seen or a strikingly atmospheric treat, so we’re no closer to settling on where the truth really lies.
Published: Apr 17, 2023 02:54 am