Skyline Review

• 22nd Nov 2010

So Earth is being invaded again. Cue many a tentacled, slimy, growling thing fully capable of smashing cars and sucking the brains from your very head. Yes, one evening big, blue lights shoot down from the sky and upon gazing at such beauty us poor earthlings go like moths to the flame with no say in the matter.

This time we get to follow a rich ass group of “who cares” around a high-rise apartment (apparently belonging to one of the directors) as they try to formulate a plan of escape. Of course, not all goes to plan.

Eric Balfour is no stranger to genre work having put in a variety of decent support roles in film and television. Whilst looking like a lost pony, he does what he can with the character with probably the most issues in the film. Work, a pregnant girlfriend and now aliens intent on sucking his brains out, along with a rather nasty virus he’s managed to get infected with.

It seemed that the making of Skyline was, for the Strauss brothers to prove that Alien vs Predator 2 wasn’t their fault and that they were adept at handling a small budget and making something out of it that looked like it cost a lot more.  To this end they have both succeeded and failed.  They are indeed able to handle a budget and make it look bigger, but then they are effects experts and probably know a trick or two.  What they are not experts on however, is script writing and Skyline is proof that they cannot handle characters or story very well. They also can’t seem to handle originality either and that goes for both the story as well as the design.

As the film looks set to make a few bucks, there is already word of a sequel – God knows that odd ending points at one (and not a very interesting one at that). I just hope that with the little merit they have obtained from this venture that they go off and make a better film. Whether this is another small budget movie or even something much grander in the studio system, the last thing the brothers need to do is cower under their small hit and return it to the bank. Not if they ever want to make a name for themselves anyway.

Steven Hurst