To watch “Skyline,” you almost need a guided checklist. Am I in the mood for Sci-fi? Does dialogue matter? Will great special effects make up for bad direction? If this, then that or due to this watch it only under these circumstances. This movie might be worth seeing but only if you check off the right boxes on your list.
My first introduction to this movie occurred at Comic-con. I spotted the large sign on a high rise and became curious. After scoring a decent seat in the main room, I had opted to stay put there throughout the day. I noticed the “Skyline” panel was in the afternoon and with the list of some enjoyable TV actors scheduled for the panel, it was as good a place as any to be on such a hot, crowded day.
Eric Balfour, Donald Faison, David Zayas, and the brothers Greg and Colin Strause could not have been lovelier. The group discussed the origins of the movie and how it was made. It seems that after seeing “Paranormal Activity,” the Strause brothers decided they would like to make a movie in a small setting. They reasoned that if they used their own special effects house and one brother’s condominium apartment, they could create something special on a very tiny budget. In fact, the only major expense for them was the two day helicopter rental to get all the skyline shots of Los Angeles. The cast giggled and joked about how much fun it was to basically live together in the condo throughout the shoot. The camaraderie was sincere, and I started to hope that the movie would be as good as the experience of making it.
The Strause brothers showed some footage and a clip, and I have to say, it looked pretty good at the time. My, what a difference it makes when you mix in dialogue. The Strausse brothers have a well respected special effects house at their disposal, and they spared no trick to make the invasion come alive. Though the looks of some of the aliens were reminiscent of past invasion movies (I saw “Independence Day,” “Matrix,” and even “Godzilla”-esque creatures populated the movie), they were still very well done. If you love good special effects, then that is one of two reasons to watch this movie. (*the second reason will be noted later)
Though the movie was cast with several of my favorite “vaguely familiar” TV actors, they could not save this movie from the one-two punch of terrible writing and bad direction. I know Eric Balfour and Donald Faison well enough from their body of work to know what they are capable of. I saw how excited they were to talk about this movie. But I still have to wonder how they could have read this script and not noticed how miserably awful the writing was. Was the story good? For the most part, yes. Were there giant plot holes? You betcha. But some better penned lines could have made a difference in making those plot holes less irksome.
This movie is difficult enough to sit through with the bad writing and directing but ultimately, the editing is the final, deathly blow. There are scenes that LITERALLY could have been cut 10-30 seconds earlier. I do not need to see someone speak and then look at someone for an answer, then cut to the person answering over and over and over. Pick up the pace! Exercise that cutting finger and give this movie a sense of urgency. One can not rely on the story alone to establish the immediacy of the situation. When the action in a movie starts in the first 30 seconds, how can it also still be guilty of taking too long? Your answer is evident in the editing of this movie.
Ultimately this movie feels like a student film working off of a first draft script with a really large effects budget. It is a shame too. The story is intriguing and though the end is a little bit corny, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see where it was going. For instance, I would really like to see the story of the ending told in comic form. It could be excellent or like the panel at Comic-con, it could just be an empty promise of something that can’t be delivered.
Avoid this movie. There are only two reasons to suffer through it: If you love special effects so much you will overlook everything else OR if this movie ends up on Rifftrax. A movie like this is built to make fun of with your buddies, and it would probably be the only way to make this movie a truly enjoyable experience.
My first introduction to this movie occurred at Comic-con. I spotted the large sign on a high rise and became curious. After scoring a decent seat in the main room, I had opted to stay put there throughout the day. I noticed the “Skyline” panel was in the afternoon and with the list of some enjoyable TV actors scheduled for the panel, it was as good a place as any to be on such a hot, crowded day.
Eric Balfour, Donald Faison, David Zayas, and the brothers Greg and Colin Strause could not have been lovelier. The group discussed the origins of the movie and how it was made. It seems that after seeing “Paranormal Activity,” the Strause brothers decided they would like to make a movie in a small setting. They reasoned that if they used their own special effects house and one brother’s condominium apartment, they could create something special on a very tiny budget. In fact, the only major expense for them was the two day helicopter rental to get all the skyline shots of Los Angeles. The cast giggled and joked about how much fun it was to basically live together in the condo throughout the shoot. The camaraderie was sincere, and I started to hope that the movie would be as good as the experience of making it.
The Strause brothers showed some footage and a clip, and I have to say, it looked pretty good at the time. My, what a difference it makes when you mix in dialogue. The Strausse brothers have a well respected special effects house at their disposal, and they spared no trick to make the invasion come alive. Though the looks of some of the aliens were reminiscent of past invasion movies (I saw “Independence Day,” “Matrix,” and even “Godzilla”-esque creatures populated the movie), they were still very well done. If you love good special effects, then that is one of two reasons to watch this movie. (*the second reason will be noted later)
Though the movie was cast with several of my favorite “vaguely familiar” TV actors, they could not save this movie from the one-two punch of terrible writing and bad direction. I know Eric Balfour and Donald Faison well enough from their body of work to know what they are capable of. I saw how excited they were to talk about this movie. But I still have to wonder how they could have read this script and not noticed how miserably awful the writing was. Was the story good? For the most part, yes. Were there giant plot holes? You betcha. But some better penned lines could have made a difference in making those plot holes less irksome.
This movie is difficult enough to sit through with the bad writing and directing but ultimately, the editing is the final, deathly blow. There are scenes that LITERALLY could have been cut 10-30 seconds earlier. I do not need to see someone speak and then look at someone for an answer, then cut to the person answering over and over and over. Pick up the pace! Exercise that cutting finger and give this movie a sense of urgency. One can not rely on the story alone to establish the immediacy of the situation. When the action in a movie starts in the first 30 seconds, how can it also still be guilty of taking too long? Your answer is evident in the editing of this movie.
Ultimately this movie feels like a student film working off of a first draft script with a really large effects budget. It is a shame too. The story is intriguing and though the end is a little bit corny, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see where it was going. For instance, I would really like to see the story of the ending told in comic form. It could be excellent or like the panel at Comic-con, it could just be an empty promise of something that can’t be delivered.
Avoid this movie. There are only two reasons to suffer through it: If you love special effects so much you will overlook everything else OR if this movie ends up on Rifftrax. A movie like this is built to make fun of with your buddies, and it would probably be the only way to make this movie a truly enjoyable experience.
That shot on the poster you posted is in the movie, and I could clearly tell the actors were not real, that they were completely CGI, thats when I said: wait for it on DVD.Thanks for the review!