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Skyline (2010)

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Overall Rating 45%
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Ranked #1,744
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Connections: Skyline

Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth. --IMDb
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Review by bluemeanie
Added: November 16, 2010
There wouldn't have been anything too terribly wrong with "Skyline" if it had premiered on the SyFy Channel or gone straight to video. It would actually have been slightly above average for a SyFy original film. But a wide theatrical release make absolutely zero sense whatsoever. The film is just B-movie material through and through, a jumbled and tossed about premise with a rotten pay-off and the same damned action sequences over and over again, one after the other. It's like The Brothers Strause only had one original idea for the entire film and they tried desperately to stretch that idea into a ninety-minute motion picture. The end result is one of the lamest attempts at science fiction horror mainstream movie-goers will likely have ever seen.

The premise is simple enough -- aliens invade and a small group of survivors must find a way to stick it out. We've got Jarrod (Eric Balfour) and Elaine (Scottie Thompson) who are in L.A. visiting Jarrod's best friend, Terry (Donald Faison) and his two girlfriends, Candice (Brittany Daniel) and Denise (Crystal Reed). The aliens invade and their entire weekend is tossed to the dogs. Terry works as a special effects tycoon, odd considering this film has some of the lamest mainstream effects I have seen in a very long time. Maybe if Terry (who makes enough money in special effects to live in what looks like a retirement home) would have spent time on the effects for "Skyline", maybe it would have looked like something better than an Asylum release.

Only one action sequence takes place in this film and it takes place several times. One or more of the characters will find themselves in a ridiculous outside situation and the aliens are always right there as if they are waiting for them or something. Yet these people keep venturing outside. The age-old debate of 'should we stay inside or go outside' takes place numerous times and -- anytime someone goes outside -- they die. We're supposed to side with the hero who wants to get them all to a boat on the marina and sail away to freedom (yeah, right) but we can't help but side with the doorman turned hero (David Zayas) who thinks they should stay inside. Judging by what they and we are seeing outside, going out there seems like the dumbest idea ever.

The only slightly interesting idea in this film is the premise behind what the alien creatures actually 'do' with us humans once we have been abducted. I liked the end sequence inside the actual ship and wish the film had had more of that and less of the scared people in an apartment looking through a telescope. We're given zero explanation about the alien invasion other than it's happening and we're never given any insight into what the aliens want or how they operate. "Independence Day" is an example of a far better alien invasion film that at least gives us some more information about the creatures instead of just throwing it at us and asking us to figure it out for ourselves. I am all for letting me think for myself, but this was ridiculous.

So this was a just your typical, average science fiction film that should have bypassed theatres altogether. It's not worthy of a theatrical release but would have made a fine addition to the SyFy slate of features. I have to think the special effects would have been just as good if not better. "Skyline" is a waste of time but still offers some mild popcorn entertainment from time to time. Definitely wait for the DVD release. 5/10.
benloveshorror #1: benloveshorror - added November 17, 2010 at 1:48am
It's funny that you mentioned SyFy, because I was thinking all along that this looked like more of a SyFy original movie, than something that would be released in theaters. Plus it stars a few actors who haven't been in a theatrical movie in years, as their movies have been either going straight to DVD. I'm talking about Eric Balfour and Brittany Daniel.
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