Review: Darken (2012)

Roy Logan (John Johnson) is an average guy who works as a bouncer in a local bar and grill. But every night when he goes to sleep he has the same disturbing dream. In this dream he sees and feels himself dying -- always in the same way and the same place -- over and over and over again. Seeking a solution for this unusual problem, Roy consults Dr. Enrich Eisenhart, who among other things is a college professor, mystic, and student of the occult. Roy is told by the Doctor that he has been born with both a blessing and a curse: a phenomenon known as The Darken. Those who carry this stigma are marked by fate, destined to live until a predetermined time and place are reached. Those born to carry The Darken are given foreknowledge of their oncoming death -- usually in the form of dreams. Roy resists the idea but soon comes to learn that, not only is it a reality, but he has also been cast into a series of profound events concerning the struggle of good and evil. He encounters a young girl named Rhea (Whisper Nicole) who is being pursued by a very evil man who will stop at nothing to get her. But Rhea is no ordinary girl. Darken is written and directed by John Johnson. The acting is pretty decent and the camerawork and editing is good. The electronic soundtrack isn´t very good and is rather bad with one or two exceptions. The pacing is decent but with a running time of approx 105 minutes Darken is perhaps a bit too long in my opinion. There are some comic relief due to the absurdities taking place on screen. The action scenes are nicely executed. There is some cheaplooking gore but the visual fx looks pretty decent. There is some T & A and even a brief scene of full frontal nudity but sadly neither Whisper Nicole or Mariah Smith as Deena provides any of the nudity.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected onlinescreener provided by Brain Damage Films.
Rating: 2 out of 7. Darken is a decent and entertaining mix of action and fantasy and is worth checking out if you´re a fan of the genre.

/JL