Dark Light is a 2019 sci-fi/thriller movie about a woman and her daughter moving into a house and finding that they might not be alone in it. Dark Light (2019) movie review
This movie is terrible. Everything about it, the direction, the characters, the acting, the dialogue, and even “action is more in line with 80’s low budget movies that are considered bad and boring. So anyway the movie starts with a woman moving into an old house and finding out that she might not be alone, which tries to confirm by running out to a corn field brandishing a knife as well as playing hide and seek with her daughter after suspecting something is out there that could harm them. It’s bad, every decision by her is terrible.
On top of this we have OK acting but it gets a little hamy when we introduce other characters, especially the police officer, who literally is there to go against the main character (I think her name is Annie). Speaking of dialogue, there are many scenes in the movie where all they talk about is exposition and main plots of the movie. It is not subtle, but straight up there to get out as much information. For example, one character would say things like “you should be put away…” and the other would say “like my mother?” and the other would say “yes”. It’s like pounding the viewer in the head with stuff that he/she doesn’t care about. The main caracter is really boring, clumsy and overall has a facial expression commonly known as resting bitch face.
Here are just SOME of the cliches they crammed into this movie:
- Characters move to a new house for a fresh start. Giant check!
- The main character has a mental condition. Check.
- Movie introduces a character only to kill him/her right away. Double check!
- Significant others or police don’t believe the main character (mental condition doesn’t help). Triple check!
- Crashed vehicle and main character escaping. Uh-huh!
- As soon as another character sees the creature, he/she dies. Yep!
- Creatures living with humans for a long time and are now discovered by the main character. You got it!
- Main character is buying guns but not knowing how to use them properly. Also check!
- Conspiracy theorist living close by who can tell the main character every detail of the creatures. Quadruple goddamn check!
- “Exciting” ending that is not worth sitting through the rest of the movie (seriously, the creatures are introduced in the last 30 min of the movie and the movie is 90 min). You better believe it!
The creatures themselves, while mostly practical, are so stiff looking and forgettable that the only thing you will remember is the giant flashlight on their head. Their mouth is forever stuck in an open snarling position. Also (and this is a spoiler), there is a scene where a character gets attacked and the main character (WHO IS HOLDING A SHOTGUN!!!!!) just looks at the creature and doesn’t do anything. Her daughter has ZERO emotions seeing the character getting killed. She showed affection earlier in the movie. Continuity matter, people.
The action is terrible, the characters are terrible and boring, and the overall direction and feel of the movie is extremely boring. If you have a sci-fi movie that is boring, you get a bored audience. This is the type of movie you will enjoy either drunk or high (whatever gets you in a different state of mind – I am not judging). In the first 20 min, I was so bored that I had to fast forward multiple times to see anything exciting only to be met with boring dialogue, accusation, crying, and improper handling of firearms.
Thanks for reading my Dark Light (2019) movie review
