The Darkest Hour (2011) is a science fiction thriller directed by Chris Gorak and produced by Timur Bekmambetov. The film presents a fresh take on the alien invasion genre, set against the backdrop of Moscow, Russia. With its unique concept of invisible, energy-consuming aliens, the movie combines survival horror with sci-fi elements.
The story begins with two young American entrepreneurs, Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella), traveling to Moscow to pitch their social networking app. Their trip takes a turn when their business contact, Skyler (Joel Kinnaman), betrays them, stealing their idea. To forget their troubles, Sean and Ben head to a nightclub, where they meet two tourists, Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) and Anne (Rachael Taylor).
Their night of fun quickly descends into chaos when strange electrical phenomena signal the arrival of an alien invasion. The aliens are invisible, appear as glowing energy when revealed, and vaporize humans on contact. The group, along with Skyler, seeks refuge in the nightclub’s basement.
When they emerge days later, they find Moscow eerily deserted, with the city’s population wiped out. The group begins to navigate the empty streets, encountering danger at every turn as the aliens hunt for survivors. They discover that the aliens are drawn to electrical currents, which makes the modern world an easy hunting ground for them. Using limited resources, they try to evade detection and piece together a way to fight back.
As the group learns more about the aliens’ weaknesses, they meet a group of Russian survivors, including an eccentric inventor who has created weapons to disrupt the aliens’ electromagnetic field. Together, they formulate a plan to reach a functioning submarine that promises escape and safety.
Tragedy strikes as the group suffers losses along the way, but Sean, Natalie, and the remaining survivors continue to fight back. The climax of the film sees Sean and Natalie using the experimental weapons to disable the aliens, offering hope for humanity’s survival.