Skyline - A DVD Review
I remember seeing these trailers and thinking, "Damn! I wanna see this one!". And before you could say, "War of the genres" the trailers for Battle: Los Angeles started hitting. And that was it. I forgot about Skyline and like a Pavlovian dog distracted I put my money on B:LA. Apparently so did everyone else. Unfortunately Skylines' loss in momentum was followed by (or perhaps B:LA should be thankful for) the critics total dismissal of Skyline as derivative, storyless dreck with only decent sfx.
Well, let me put this as I see it: I saw both films. SkyL was released first, B:LA was second. They are two completely different films. Where SkyL (I'm just tired of typing the entire name every two seconds!) was an 'invasion/what do we do' film, B:LA was a 'How do we solve this with military tactics' film. Two different approaches. I liked them both, but I'm reviewing SkyL here, but I think the comparison is valid given they both hyped at the same time and one overtook the others audience, but I think theres audience enough for both. I also brought it up because of the critics' reactions to each film which I think has a lot to do with the marketing dates and releases. SkyL was brutalised by critics, B:LA was only soundly slapped on the wrist. I think they both have strengths and weaknesses and I'll try telling you about Skylines' now.
The Poop:
Skyline (directed by the Brothers Strause; newbies) sees Jarrod (Eric Balfour; Six Feet Under), and Elaine (Scottie Thompson; Star Trek 2009) as a couple visiting a friend in L.A. After a night of partying they find the city of angels is under attack by an alien force. The aliens trap humans by capturing their gaze in a beautiful white light (like dying?) and then suck them up to their spaceships to harvest their brains. Why? Apparently it's not important. Elaine is pregnant and doesn't want to run for it over the water, but Jarrod does. Should they? Shouldn't they? That doesn't matter either. So you might ask; do they or don't they? Do they run? Do they escape? Do they make it or do they succumb? IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! The thing is we're supposed to just turn off our brains and go along for the ride. In fact, that's the best advice I can give you; just shut off and enjoy. What did they say in the 60's? Tune in, turn on, drop out. And guess what? Sometimes that's enough for an action flick!
The Review:
The story was bare minimum, the acting was just fine, the action was pretty darned good and the special effects were way better then expected! Yes, it was very derivative: I felt heavy shades of the recent War of the Worlds remake during; and yes it was aimless in that it had no real story, but I think it was trying to be visceral and guide by the action, which I think it did just fine.
Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather see an alien invasion movie give me WAY more bang, but if I have to settle and I've seen them all and I want a mindless alien flick then I'd be hard-pressed to find one this good. And hey, if you can't get into it, (and I find it hard to believe you can't just let go for an hour-and-a-half!) then you'd be surprised how fast it flings by. I enjoyed it!
I recommend Skyline for those who want to enjoy a matinee B-movie invasion flick without having to be embarrassed if someone catches you watching.
It's out now on DVD and Blu-ray. (why is the 'r' lower-case?)
Well, let me put this as I see it: I saw both films. SkyL was released first, B:LA was second. They are two completely different films. Where SkyL (I'm just tired of typing the entire name every two seconds!) was an 'invasion/what do we do' film, B:LA was a 'How do we solve this with military tactics' film. Two different approaches. I liked them both, but I'm reviewing SkyL here, but I think the comparison is valid given they both hyped at the same time and one overtook the others audience, but I think theres audience enough for both. I also brought it up because of the critics' reactions to each film which I think has a lot to do with the marketing dates and releases. SkyL was brutalised by critics, B:LA was only soundly slapped on the wrist. I think they both have strengths and weaknesses and I'll try telling you about Skylines' now.
The Poop:
Skyline (directed by the Brothers Strause; newbies) sees Jarrod (Eric Balfour; Six Feet Under), and Elaine (Scottie Thompson; Star Trek 2009) as a couple visiting a friend in L.A. After a night of partying they find the city of angels is under attack by an alien force. The aliens trap humans by capturing their gaze in a beautiful white light (like dying?) and then suck them up to their spaceships to harvest their brains. Why? Apparently it's not important. Elaine is pregnant and doesn't want to run for it over the water, but Jarrod does. Should they? Shouldn't they? That doesn't matter either. So you might ask; do they or don't they? Do they run? Do they escape? Do they make it or do they succumb? IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! The thing is we're supposed to just turn off our brains and go along for the ride. In fact, that's the best advice I can give you; just shut off and enjoy. What did they say in the 60's? Tune in, turn on, drop out. And guess what? Sometimes that's enough for an action flick!
The Review:
The story was bare minimum, the acting was just fine, the action was pretty darned good and the special effects were way better then expected! Yes, it was very derivative: I felt heavy shades of the recent War of the Worlds remake during; and yes it was aimless in that it had no real story, but I think it was trying to be visceral and guide by the action, which I think it did just fine.
Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather see an alien invasion movie give me WAY more bang, but if I have to settle and I've seen them all and I want a mindless alien flick then I'd be hard-pressed to find one this good. And hey, if you can't get into it, (and I find it hard to believe you can't just let go for an hour-and-a-half!) then you'd be surprised how fast it flings by. I enjoyed it!
I recommend Skyline for those who want to enjoy a matinee B-movie invasion flick without having to be embarrassed if someone catches you watching.
It's out now on DVD and Blu-ray. (why is the 'r' lower-case?)
posted by johnnykocktail at 2:39 am
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