By Sigh. Well, still waiting for that great contemporary giant monster movie.
Skyline is a film that passed by my radar extremely briefly earlier this year. On the way out of Piranha 3D (awesome), I noticed its poster hanging between stupid romantic comedy #4093 and stupid action film #8097. My interest was piqued by the mysterious monstery imagery, but I stopped paying attention when I saw that it was from the directors of the Alien vs. Predator sequel. Alas, Skyline is in fact stupid sci-fi movie #3278.
Sigh. Well, still waiting for that great contemporary giant monster movie.
Skyline is a film that passed by my radar extremely briefly earlier this year. On the way out of Piranha 3D (awesome), I noticed its poster hanging between stupid romantic comedy #4093 and stupid action film #8097. My interest was piqued by the mysterious monstery imagery, but I stopped paying attention when I saw that it was from the directors of the Alien vs. Predator sequel. Alas, Skyline is in fact stupid sci-fi movie #3278.{{page_break}}
My hopes began to raise a bit when I heard that the trailer showed promise for fans of crazy giant creatures (i.e. me), but after viewing the film this morning I can confirm that it has very little to offer anyone except the most die-hard of special effects buffs and sci-fi junkies. It's a tale as old as time: annoying bratty rich kids find their incessant yammering interrupted by alien invasion. The central premise is extremely similar to Cloverfield, though its characters feel deeply relatable and layered when compared to Skyline's vapid jerks. These jerks are the main thing keeping this film from being any good. Without a doubt, Skyline features some of the worst main characters I've come across in some time.
The film opens with a pleasantly enigmatic sequence in which our sleeping characters are woken up by an alien blue glow. The scene is a solid introduction, but just as I was beginning to get interested, I was met with a “15 hours earlier” message. Instead of getting right to business, Skyline unwisely spends the next half hour or so familiarizing us with its motley crew of shallow, rich ninnies and their asinine problems. By the time the invasion finally resumed, I had pretty much checked out. Of all the people I could be spending the apocalypse with, why does it have to be these schmucks?
The two male leads are effects artists, much like the two filmmakers behind Skyline are when they aren't directing. What does this say about the way they see themselves? Either they genuinely intended for these characters to be relatable, figuring that the semi-autobiographical angle may help, or they view themselves as hollow yuppies who live meaninglessly excessive lives. In any case, they still come off better than the women do.
Up until the last few scenes, Skyline's women are predominantly portrayed as castrating shrews. I'm not necessarily saying that the film is purposely misogynistic (more likely the writing is just lazy), but when all your female characters are nagging harpies and your evil brain-sucking aliens have mouths shaped like vaginas, you invite this sort of reading. A vague sense of homophobia also seeps in during a scene in which attendees of a party cheer and laugh as they spy on the gay snogging of a neighbor. This bit only exists to set up the use of a telescope later on, so it's baffling that the film deemed it necessary to include this awkward moment.
The effects are good, particularly when giant ghouls begin attacking the city. As a showcase for the effects skills of the filmmakers, Skyline is indeed functional and even impressive. There even was a short time, a battle against the monsters in a parking garage, where I was genuinely compelled and entertained. This was very brief, and mostly due to how pleased I was to finally see the human characters directly interacting with the creatures. Before and after that, we mostly have our cast of dingbats standing around and spectating at CG images in the distance. I also found the ending stunning in its audacious stupidity. It is in this final sequence that the film goes completely off the deep end with its absurdity, and there's something bold about how ludicrous it becomes. Supposedly that there will be a sequel, and I dearly hope that it will pick up where this ridiculousness leaves off.
During much of the drive home, my girlfriend and I attempted to figure out if this film is better or worse than Independence Day (which, in case you haven't viewed it lately, is also awful). On one hand, Skyline is mercifully an hour shorter. It also isn't inundated with countless pointless subplots and forced sentimentality. Unfortunately, though, it's lacking in practical visual effects and the godlike charm of Jeff Goldblum. Looks like the jury's out on this one, but know this: if you really must see Skyline, watch it on DVD so you can fast-forward to the (few) good monster-based moments.
Overall Score: 5.20 – Bad. (5s are movies that either failed at reaching the goals it set out to do, or didn’t set out to do anything special and still had many flaws. Some will enjoy 5s, but unless you’re a fan of this genre, you shouldn’t see it, and might not even want to rent it.)
Appealing visual effects and creature design can't save Skyline from its own unbearable characters and shabby writing.
Tom Fronczak:
Overall Score: 5.40 — Even though the very end of the movie also isn’t logical at all, it was still fun to see, which pretty much sums up the entire movie, and will probably also sum up the next movie if they decide to make a sequel. Rent it at best, avoid it at worst. You can read his full review here!