Just got out to see Skyline. Frankly I was a little hesitant since on our FaceBook page our members were less than impressed. Regardless I decided to take one for the team and go checkout the film and report back with my findings. Skyline is an action packed, popcorn munching sci-fi flick of apocalyptic doom and human destruction and to this film fan… it was pretty darn fun.
Directed by the Brothers Strauss they first came on the scene with UNDEAD an Australian zombie flick with a sci-fi twist that they seem to have incorporated some plot points into SKYLINE only minus the zombies and with a clearly much larger budget. The Brothers Strauss have had one other big break and that was DayBreakers which was at best ‘ok’ but Skyline is exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to mainstream sci-fi fans.
The best comparison I can make is its Independence Day meets The Matrix meets just about any movie Michael Bay has done. Skyline is the kind of movie Michael Bay would make if he had any ability to tell a story and did not only know how to focus on blowing sh*t up and flashing allot of hot ass in our general direction… ala Megan Fox ( and her new replacement in Transformers Dark Side of the Moon ). Skyline demonstrates that when studios stop turning to A list name actors and directors they can really produce something imaginative and creative.
The Brothers Strauss have proven themselves as capable of handling a big budget hollywood movie and I for one hope this opens the doors for other more talented small time directors like Alex Ferrari [ Red Princess Blues Review ] who is a genius with special fx and sci-fi-fantasy imagery and Toby Wilkins who despite the debacle of the Grudge 3 has proven to be one of the most talented up and coming directors in the horror / scifi genre. [ Splinter Review ]
I am not going to give away any of the plot of Skyline so you won’t learn much about the story from this review but the general premise is an alien race has come to earth and is intent on destroying mankind. Or so it seems! Packed full of action, a small dynamic of interesting characters and a good script Skyline is one of the better mainstream sci-fi movies I have seen. Die hard sci-fi fans who liked District 9 and the like of MOON will have a hard time finding much to love in Skyline but if you liked Independence Day or as noted enjoy some Michael Bay from time to time Skyline will be sure to entertain you.
Because it had an original story, a strong cast and an interesting twist ending that isn’t your cliché Hollywood ending I am giving Skyline 7 out of 10. See it if you meet the demographic, skip it if you’re sick of mainstream Hollywood. As a point of reference I can tolerate Michael Bay, loved Independence Day for its silliness and loved District 9. I didn’t love every moment of Skyline but I enjoyed the heck out of it as a whole. A fun waste of 90 minutes!
PS. Whether or not you liked Skyline you should checkout Lukes 5 Best Alien Invasion Movies editorial. Its a great list and you are guaranteed to find at least one or two movies to watch off the list
