Skyline

This may be the first time that I am outright recommending anyone to avoid this movie. A friend asked me how much of a trainwreck it was, and I replied that it wasn't even as spectacular as a train wreck, it was more like a train that derails but stops a few feet away: not exciting or newsworthy at all.

This is the plot of the movie: A couple, Jarrod and Elaine go to visit Jarrod's best friend Terry in LA. During their stay, Elaine finds out she's pregnant, Jarrod has an anger management problem, and Terry is cheating on his girlfriend Candice. But none of that matters because then Aliens come and they have to avoid abduction, even though the rest of LA has been abducted.

That's it. And if you feel that that plot synopsis is a bit lacking, then you definitely don't want to waste your time on this movie. The cast is made up entirely of unknowns, and while having unknown actors doesn't necessarily mean that the acting sucks, having shitty actors definitely does, and this film is rife with them. Not once did I feel moved by the plight of any of the characters in this movie, not because their predicament wasn't frightening, but because not a single actor could portray the feelings of fear, loss, or hopelessness that one would feel during a globe-wide abduction. The acting is such that you can tell that's exactly what these people are trying to do - act.

Further to the lack of an actual plot, there's a severe lack of dialogue, and again, although a lengthy script doesn't necessitate a good movie, the seeming lack of one in Skyline just detracts from the already low quality of the film. For the bit of dialogue that IS uttered in the movie, I have to say that it's all very cliche and for the most part, inconsequential. "You have to stay strong" is literally a line of dialogue in the movie and at that point my brain melted. Also the script features a lot of dialogue between characters that is and remains unresolved by the end of the movie - such as the reason for Jarrod to be in LA, his anger management, the infidelity of Terry, and Eliane's pregnancy. All this dialogue happens within the first half of the movie, and by the end, the only thing that is touched on again is Elaine's pregnancy, and only by the virtue of her being spared because she IS pregnant. The movie ends in a way that screams "SEQUEL?" to the audience - with the question mark not because it's ambiguous, but because it's a cheap cliffhanger ending designed to draw viewers into supporting a sequel.

The best thing that I can say about this movie is that it is a good vehicle for any pro-cg lobbyists, as the entire movie relies heavily on CG to move it along. As for the rest of it, it remains a plot-less, inconsequential and quite boring movie, with atrocious acting, and a desperate bid for a sequel as an ending. Whoever made this movie should be ashamed to call themselves a film maker. Definitely don't waste your time watching this movie, and if you want to watch it even after reading this, you've been warned.