Movie Review: Skyline

A review by Cumi

A movie by Brothers Strause. Yes another pair of brothers that’s fast gaining prominence amongst dynamic siblings such as the Wachowski Brothers, Coen Brothers, Hughes Brothers and Pang Brothers. Who are the Brothers Strause? Well, if you watched Avatar, Fast & the Furious, Fantastic Four, Alien vs Predator: Requiem and 300, then you’ve seen their work. Their list of action sci-fi movie credentials list goes on and on.

PLOT:

In Skyline, strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame.  Once outdoors, a terrifying extraterrestrial force begins to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.  In a matter of hours, we will all be gone.

Jarrod (ERIC BALFOUR of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Elaine’s (SCOTTIE THOMPSON of Star Trek) trip to Southern California was supposed to be a simple weekend away to visit Jarrod’s best friend, Terry (DONALD FAISON of television’s Scrubs), and Terry’s girlfriend, Candice (BRITTANY DANIEL of Club Dredd), for his birthday.

But when sunrise arrives two hours early in the form of a haunting light from an unknown source, life as they know it is finished.  As they watch in terror from Terry’s penthouse windows, people across the city are drawn outside and swallowed into massive alien ships that have blotted out the L.A. skyline.

Now, it will take every survival instinct they have to elude capture from the thousands of monstrous creatures that are sweeping the city and searching for all humans in their path.  From tankers to drones and hydra-like extraterrestrials, the aliens are inescapable and seemingly indestructible.  In the sci-fi thriller Skyline, the end of the world has come…and it’s just outside your window.

So how did Skyline fair? It’s an epic sci-fi film that’s sure to create a franchise.

If i must give representations.. The movie is a cross between War of the Worlds, Avatar, Transformers and all the dooms day movies, minus the over-the-top acting, action and romance of Michael Bay and James Cameron. You could say it leans a little towards the rawness of District 9 but yet retains its Hollywood appeal. There isn’t a super macho hero or buxom actress to stir your loins, just your regular actors and actresses that perform and look reasonably well plus the amazing visual effects imagery that’s the hallmark of the Brothers Strause.

OK Bradder.. (a Malaysian pun for ‘ Brother’ )… is it worth the ticket purchase or the pirated dvd? Ticket purchase-lah because you gotta see the special effects, feel the earth move to have some fun and receive the shock factor.

A movie with a good ending. Don’t miss it.

Thank you to Nusantara Edaran Filem Sdn Bhd for the invite to preview this show. (All photos courtesy of Nusantara Edaran Filem)