Skyline

As though taking cue from Ellen Ripley in Aliens,the scriptwriters Joshua Cordes and Liam ODonnell toss in an unwanted pregnancy that only serves to make the storyline even more baffling.

S kyline is an American alien invasion science-fiction thriller directed and produced by the Brothers Strause.

Jarrod and his girlfriend Elaine travel to LA to celebrate the birthday of Jarrods friend Terry. In hindsight Terrys penthouse party pad proves an excellent perch from which to watch an alien invasion. Just before dawn,the sleepover party guests is woken by an eerie blue glow streaming in through the blinds. One of them makes the mistake of looking into the light and is sucked up into the belly of a giant hovering spacecraft.

So begins another end-of-the-world tale,with a great deal of yelling and running around by a small band of characters. As the invaders scour the city outside looking for stragglers not beamed up in the initial abduction,a handful of survivors run up,down,even sideways a couple of times,looking for escape. But they have nowhere to go and neither does the movie.

The film ends with a promise of Skyline 2 and Jarrod and Elaine now aliens,will have their place in the next invasion.

Skyline is neither a clever District 9 clone nor a War Of The Worlds/Independence Day mash. Its a wannabe epic,but make no mistake: this is strictly B-movie fare,with some occasional inspired imagery and effects. The brothers Strause,Colin and Greg,special effects artistes who worked on Avatar,Iron Man 2,The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and 300 as well as helming Aliens vs. Predator Requiem,have produced this film independently. It appears that they have clearly exhausted most of their modest budget and their creativity; they showcase a handful of set pieces created by their own SFX house,Hydraulx.

As though taking cue from Ellen Ripley in Aliens,the scriptwriters Joshua Cordes and Liam ODonnell toss in an unwanted pregnancy that only serves to make the storyline even more baffling will Jarrod and Elaine spew baby aliens?

Other than the hulking,tentacled alien ships shooting out pulses of light to mesmerise their human prey before sweeping them up in squirming clouds,Skyline is a joyless slog through indecipherable action.

RATING:

One star for effects.