Skyline

Skyline is the latest in a string of alien invasion flicks that have been hitting our screens over the past few years and it brings nothing new to the genre. In fact, it almost makes a point to bring to nothing new and instead takes moments from the most iconic alien films instead. From Independence Day to District 9, and Alien to Cloverfield, Skyline is literally an hour and a half of watching those films be ripped off by new filmmakers.

A group of friends hung over in LA wake to see a bright light shining through their apartment window. Turns out, it's the glow of beams from an alien ship that is sucking humans up into the sky once they're transfixed on the light. Although they manage to avoid the initial onslaught, the next few days sees the group try and avoid the legion of alien creatures which roam the city searching for survivors with fresh brains.

Skyline is the directed by The Brothers Strause, who are the visual effects masters behind Avatar, The Day After Tomorrow, 300, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, 2012, Titanic and pretty much every other incredible effects-laden film of the past 15-years. So the effects in this are as impressive as you would expect; from the creatures to the alien ships, there's nothing to fault. The acting, however, is something else altogether. The only recognisable face is Donald Faison, who is famous for playing Turk on Scrubs. Buffy fanatics such as myself will recognsie Eric Balfour as the ill-fated Jesse, but that's it. Everyone else comes from a supporting cast and minor role background, and it shows thanks to some seriously telemovie-grade acting. The characters themselves are also shallow, annoying and painfully stupid which doesn't help add to the film's suspense when the whole time you're hoping the tentacled creature will capture them and relive us of their presence.

Skyline sucks in every sense of the word, that is, right up until the surprising last five minutes. Without giving anything away, the filmmakers are obviously gearing up for a sequel. They have done so by recreating a plot point from anime film Appleseed which, if executed properly, could make Skyline 2 a much better film than this. Here's hoping.