The basic set-up we’ve seen many times before. We’re introduced to an everyday family, battling money troubles and trying to make ends meet. It’s the lack of cash that fuels much of what the characters do, which lends Dark Skies an instant believability. This is all effectively set up, and Stewart clearly has the knack of the slow build. He’s got a low budget, certainly, but he ably makes the most of the house where much of the film is set, and while there’s always a sense of the familiar in what he’s doing, as it puts its pieces together, there’s a lot to like about Dark Skies. What Scott Stewart also has the knack of is injecting references to other movies. He’s clearly a fan of lots of horror films. So much so that he doesn’t so much tip his hat to them, as invite them round for beers and a curry. You can pretty much check them off as you watch the film, from Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity through to the work of Hitchcock and Kubrick. It’s not exactly subtle, and it becomes a distracting problem when he simply won’t stop doing it. Fun? Yes. Undermining the story he wants to tell? Sadly, that’s the case too. There are bright sparks. There’s a very welcome, wonderfully resigned cameo appearance from J K Simmons, and some of the effects work is well done. We never felt the jumps that Stewart peppers in, but one or two people we’ve spoken to found them far more successful. You might too. Sadly, though, with Dark Skies, it’s not just a case of seen it all before. For much of its tale, we’ve seen it all recently as well, in spire of the film’s efforts to throw in one or two subversions. A couple of sparks, then, but Dark Skies ultimately never catches light. Keri Russell really is excellent, though. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.