For quite some time now, I have a huge attraction to little blue lights. Tiny little blue LED’s embedded in a multitude of devices get me a little bit excited. From blu-ray players to phones, I love me some blue lights. Well…I used to, until a few hours ago.
Much has been made about Skyline, in particular the financial side of things, as the movie has had no studio moolah invested. Anyway, after lots of teaser’s, it’s finally landed and it’s directed by 2 rather talented visual fx directors, supervisors etc. Colin and Greg Strause or as they’re better known, The Brothers Strause. The aforementioned brothers have worked on everything from Avatar to 300 in the visual effects department and now they’ve broken free and grabbed some directorial credits to boot. Obviously, after years of being VFX dudes, they’ve learnt a thing or two and all this has been inputted into the big blue disaster that is Skyline.
The movie starts with blue lights descending on L.A.. Much like my own passion for blue lights (which is now rapidly fading) anyone who see’s these blue lights comes over all kinda funny and get’s a bizarre looking rash. Besides the urgent need for medical attention, they walk off into the light and subsequently get hoovered up by a large spaceship or whatnot.
Holed up in a penthouse, a group of successfullish 30 something's try and survive as the aliens go on a bit of a bedlam bender whilst doing their best Dyson impressions. 
I was really looking forward to Skyline. The directors have a great track record from a visual FX perspective, but when it comes to directing their uninspired and poorly performing cast it’s a big let down. The cast here are, for the best part unknowns. Not that, that makes a difference. But their onscreen performance leaves alot to be desired. It’s flat, bland, uninspired and for the mayhem that’s happening outside you’d think they’d be bit more upset and nervous. Some of the dialogue delivery is so bad, that it’s almost like a poor audition tape.
At times, the visual fx are good (the mass abduction hoover scene comes to mind), but nothing mindblowing, considering the other movies the Strause lads have been involved in. There’s not really a huge sense of scale with the alien ships and the editing of the set pieces isn’t great either. One cut just ploughs into the other. At other times, the effects themselves are also a let down, in particular the military jets, which look no more convincing that if a child drew them with crayons…shoved up their nose.
Is there anything going for the movie? Well, the action junkies may get a little bit of a fix on occasion and that’s it really. The words style over substance comes to mind watching this, but there’s very little style and absolutely zero substance. You have no idea why the aliens turned up on Earth, reigning down destruction and there’s more chance of making a connection with a family of badger’s than the actual actors. You have to give the Strause brothers credit for going this alone, but it just doesn’t work. The acting is poor, the movie is clunky and the story is non-existent and what is there, well it’s a yawn fest. As for the ending, it’s the worst ending I’ve seen this year. In essence, your better off watching the trailer. Skyline? More like Flatline!
