Skyline

Within the first ten minutes of the new alien/sci-fi film "Skyline" I knew it was going to be a train wreck. Sadly this new action hodge-podge of ideas from other films started off weak, got weaker, and ended very weak. Because of this, this review will be short and not so sweet.

At the start of the film we are introduced to four characters named Jarrod (Eric Balfour), Elaine (Scottie Thompson), Candice (Brittany Daniel), and Terry (Donald Faison). Jarrod and Terry are meeting together in Los Angels to celebrate over a business deal. What business are they involved in? Beats me. In fact I was rather confused at what was happening at the beginning of "Skyline" due to the poor job the filmmakers do of explaining the story. Anyway, shortly after the party the aliens hit and everything goes down the drain. Hundreds of people are being abducted into the numerous space ships. The aliens achieve this by shining a bright blue light that, if looked at, will take control of the humans and pull them into their ships. Well the four characters begin a fight to survive and try to make it out of Los Angeles alive and remember...don't look at the light!

The biggest problem with "Skyline" is the plot. Like I said before, the film does not properly set up its characters and the story well enough before jumping into the action. Because of this I was utterly confused throughout the film. Also, the movie leaves many questions unanswered. The biggest question unanswered is, "Where are the aliens from?" The aliens appear from nowhere and, though the film is marketed as a alien film, come across as random, totally interrupting events going on at the start of the film. The final problem with the plot is that I felt like "Skyline" was simply a mash-up of other sci-fi films. Elements from films like "Independence Day," "Cloverfeild," and "District 9" were all over this movie...branding it totally unoriginal.

The few other things to say about the film include the fact that it had sub-par acting from a practically unknown cast, the dialogue was forgettable, and the ending was very disappointing. That is truly all I can find to say about "Skyline," a film that has nothing pleasing about it. I give it half a star out of four.

"Skyline" has a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action violence, some language, and brief sexual content.