Skyline

An alien-invasion movie made by a bunch of skilled CGI artists, Skyline boasts impressive visuals of spaceships descending from the clouds and scooping folks up like minnows in a net, but otherwise this effort from sibling filmmakers Colin and Greg Strause is a bust. The script is a standard War of the Worlds rip-off crammed with cardboard characters and lame dialogue, in which a New York couple—Jarrod (Eric Balfour) and Elaine (Scottie Thompson)—travel to Los Angeles to visit old buddy and entertainment mogul Terry (Donald Faison). No sooner are the pair ensconced in his guestroom than huge ships appear in the night sky and use light rays to levitate and abduct most of the population. But the protagonists, along with a handful of others, are spared and hide out in the high-rise apartment complex. Of course, these human leftovers are picked off one by one as military action against the invaders proves ineffectual and the nasty extraterrestrials come hunting for survivors. Without revealing the ending, let's just say that H.G. Wells' nifty concluding twist is nowhere to be found in this dark film that plays like a late-night cable flick. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (the first by filmmakers Greg and Colin Strause; the second by co-writer/producer Liam O'Donnell and co-writer Joshua Cordes), two pre-visualization sequences (10 min.), deleted scenes (7 min.), alternate scenes (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an unremarkable thriller.] (F. Swietek)