Longtime visual-effects specialists turned directors Colin and Greg Strause (Aliens vs Predators: Requiem) present yet another familiar alien invasion that owes huge debts to Independence Day, Signs and, to a lesser extent, the found-footage feel of Cloverfield. But once all these elements get shoved into the juicer, all of the good pulpy elements gets ground out of it, leaving us with a decidedly flavorless strain.
The whole affair kicks off promisingly as the movie dives right into things, seemingly mid-attack, with anonymous folks heading into the bright lights of the beyond (certain death), but then we’re taken back in time, some 15 hours, so that we can meet this collection of C- and D-listers from television fame (the most widely recognizable is likely Donald Faison from Scrubs, but its not much of a spoiler to point out that he’s not little more than just a stereotypical minority in a horror-action film; guess what happens to him). The assorted aliens hover around in seek-and-destroy mode, intent on gathering any stray folks who failed to get spirited away initially, and it all takes place without the least bit of attention paid to developing a discernible personality or character for either the humans or the alien creatures.
Eric Balfour struggles mightily to provide a focal point (and to save face) for audiences seeking a hero, but Skyline is bleak and bleary, a laughably messy landscape just waiting to be leveled. Grade: D-
Opens Nov. 12. Check out theaters and show times, see the trailer and get theater details here.
