'The Dark' review: South American critters

"The Dark" is nothing more than a mostly enjoyable nature doc dressed up to look like "Ghost Hunters," replete with a found footage vibe that occasionally -- intentionally? -- evokes "The Blair Witch Project." Which is to say, "The Dark" can be a bit silly at times.

"The night will never be ours," the announcer declares ominously, channeling Edgar Allan Poe, maybe, or at least "Scooby-Doo." "It will always belong to the creatures of the dark!"

But it turns out these creatures aren't all that scary and -- in fact -- kind of cute, like that kinkajou, a charming, harmless, huggable vertebrate that pilfers food from howler monkeys.

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Lights pierce the dark but don't find all that much (most animals are asleep), but when they do, weary field producers erupt with joy. Their enthusiasm is both nerdy and infectious.

Certainly there is much beauty out there in the field -- pumas stalking their prey, jaguars on a lonely beach -- but it's usually too dark to see any of it.