Dark SkiesMovie Reviews

So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 51 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Clark Collis

    While there are some scares along the way, Stewart foolishly gives away the whole kit and caboodle plot-wise with an opening quotation from Arthur C. Clarke. Read full review

  • 63
    New York Post | Sara Stewart

    Mostly, though, it all ends up feeling like a lost, minor episode of “The X-Files:” A little scary, a little silly and catnip for those who want to believe. Read full review

  • 60
    Total Film |

    As a shocker, Scott Stewart’s (Priest) film is solid, but it’s the thoroughly depressing backdrop that you’ll take away. Read full review

  • 60
    Time Out New York |

    The real mystery of Dark Skies isn’t who’s pulling the paranormal pranks — it’s lanky visitors from above, not vengeful spirits from beyond — but why Dimension is treating this reasonably effective potboiler like something that should be hidden away at Area 51. Read full review

  • 50
    Movie Nation | Roger Moore

    It’s a passably chilling bit of nonsense that builds on the past, the tropes of the genre, and relies on them for the odd jolt and the occasional ironic laugh. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Approaching the first half of the film fairly conventionally, Stewart then misses the opportunity to capitalize on shifting to more full-on genre mode. Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    The pacing is so tedious and the action so unexciting that it's a real thrill when J.K. Simmons shows up as a wry alien expert — and a huge disappointment when he disappears a few minutes later. Read full review

  • 38
    Slant Magazine | Calum Marsh

    Scott Stewart's Dark Skies is the definitive horror film for the Tea Party era. Read full review

  • 38
    The Globe and Mail (Toronto) |

    The characters are reluctant to believe in the face of overwhelming evidence, mostly because writer-director Scott Stewart doesn’t want to play his hand too early. By the time the movie is over, it’s easy to see why he kept his cards close to his chest. He’s not really holding anything. Read full review

  • 38
    Chicago Sun-Times |

    Dark Skies is a bore that even the most forgiving genre buffs will find difficult to defend or endure. Read full review

View more reviews for Dark Skies on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Subtle but dull alien invasion movie has scares, edgy stuff.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Dark Skies is an alien invasion movie that, while not great, is at least subtler and more character-oriented than many in the genre; the focus is on solving problems rather than killing monsters. But it still has plenty of scary scenes, including a few jump-shock moments and some nightmare-like imagery (including blood, guns, and death). Most of the movie's content issues surround a secondary character, an older teen who hangs around with the 13-year-old main character: He introduces bad language ("s--t," "p---y," etc.), porn (a very tame but still inappropriate videotape), and drugs (it's suggested that teens have smoked pot). Overall, the movie feels like a throwback to moody 1970s and 1980s-era films, but it doesn't have much substance.
  • Families can talk about Dark Skies' violence. How much is actually shown? How much is threatened, but not shown? Which is scarier, and why? What's the difference between the simple jump-shocks and the more nightmarish imagery?
  • What's the relationship among the four family members like? What mistakes do they make? What do they do right?
  • What makes alien invasion movies so popular? How does this one compare to others you've seen?
The good stuff
  • message true1 Positive messages: Overall the movie has a rather hopeless message, but it does show a family working well to love and support one another, despite a few arguments and pitfalls.
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: The characters are realistically flawed and not particularly heroic or extraordinary, and none of them really learns any lessons, but the four family members do show love and support for one another.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Frequent scary scenes range from simple jump-shocks to more elaborate, creepy nightmare imagery (a child with no eyes and bloody sockets, etc.). One of the most shocking has a boy entering a kitchen to see his father holding a rifle, his mother dead, and the walls spattered with blood (it's a hallucination). In one sequence, hundreds of birds slam up against a window and a house, leaving little spots of blood. A grown man starts a fight with a teen boy; the boy's father intervenes, punching the man in the face. A woman bangs her head repeatedly against a glass door. A man's nose bleeds. Guns are fired. Scary creatures are briefly shown. Some arguing and yelling.
  • sex false3 Sexy stuff: Young teens watch a so-called "adult video," wherein a man calls a woman a "bad girl," kisses her, and fondles her breast through her clothing (no nudity shown). A boy tries to repeat what he saw in the video, fondling a teen girl's breast. She yells at him but then gives him a little kiss anyway. A married couple kisses and is intimate with each other (no nudity shown).
  • language false3 Language: Most of the strong language is said by an older teen, a "bad influence" secondary character who hangs around with the main character. His language includes "s--t," "bitch," "jock," "t-tties," "ass," and "p---y." The main 13-year-old character says "don't be a d--k." The father says "hell" in front of his youngest son. In another scene, he whispers "what the f--k" under his breath (it's not audible). Other words include "damn" and "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation).
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: Apple iPhones are used and shown throughout the movie.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: A "bad influence" teen invites the 13-year-old main character and two girls to smoke pot. He slams the paraphernalia on a table and says, "light 'em up." In the next shot, the teens are acting high, but viewers never actually see them smoking. A main adult character is seen smoking a cigarette, and other adults are shown drinking wine with dinner.
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