Dark Skies

This predictably paranoid alien abduction thriller revolves around the middle-class Barrett family, who are struggling after moving to serene suburbia: Daniel (Josh Hamilton) has been laid off from his job as an architect, leaving Lacy (Keri Russell) to pay the mortgage and support the family as a real estate agent. As the threat of foreclosure looms, the family is beset by mysterious occurrences—photographs disappearing from their frames, false alarms triggering the security system, suicidal birds diving into the exterior walls, and the entire contents of their kitchen cupboards and refrigerator being precariously stacked up at night, reaching all the way to the ceiling. In addition, they experience inexplicable nose-bleeds, strange rashes, blackouts, and bizarre marks on their bodies. The stressed-out Barretts have two confused sons: 13-year-old Jesse (Dakota Goyo) and 6-year-old Sam (Kadan Rockett), the latter suffering from nightmares and talking about a “sandman” that appears by his bedside at night. Eventually, a paranormal expert (J.K. Simmons) arrives to explain the bizarre occurrences as visitations: “The invasion already happened. They're here.” Writer-director Scott Stewart's Dark Skies is a fairly conventional supernatural flick that is clearly influenced by Paranormal Activity, Poltergeist, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Unsettling and ominous, but also ultimately disappointing, this is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by writer-director Scott Stewart, producer Jason Blum, executive producer Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and editor Peter Gvozdas), alternate and deleted scenes (15 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a so-so chiller.] (S. Granger)