SKYLINE. Shame on you Strause brothers

The Strause brothers, Skyline directors, are special effects specialists who worked on mega-hits like Terminator 3, X-Men: The Last Stand, 300, Incredible Hulk, 2012, Avatar, Social Network, Iron Man 2, and later tinkered with Battle: Los Angeles. They didn’t fall short because they thoroughly understood the genre they started making their own films in. As we know, their cinematic debut in the form of the second Alien vs. Predator turned out to be, impossibly, even worse than the first Alien vs. Predator, and it currently holds a rating of 4.8/10 on IMDb. The brothers, signing themselves as The Brothers Strause, seemed to think they were the second coming of the Wachowski Brothers (now Sister & Sister), and undeterred by the failure of Requiem, they shot another “visionary” science fiction film. No one expected this production to be better than the Alien vs. Predator saga in Egyptian darkness. And no one was wrong; Skyline has an IMDb rating of 4.5/10.

The first thing that catches the eye during the viewing is the lack of interesting characters. Taking a cue from the brilliant Cloverfield, The Strause Brothers entrusted the main roles to relatively unknown actors. These actors played characters who were random, ordinary people thrown unexpectedly into extraordinary events, in the midst of which they found themselves. However, it’s impossible to feel even a thread of sympathy for characters so ordinary that they’re downright dull, and who throw lines at the screen that induce regular facepalms. Another film from which the Strauses borrowed a bit is District 9 – the directors thought that if they hung not one but several spaceships over the city, it would be even more amazing than in Blomkamp’s SF masterpiece. And to some extent, they were right, but only in the trailer. In the film, all shots showing spaceships seemed lackluster. It’s even worse in action scenes involving aliens and the military. The intended spectacular showdown between Earthlings and aliens looks like a poorly animated computer game, serving as an interlude between levels. It’s a shame that, in the case of a movie, we can’t click “next” to skip a weak scene.

The mighty cosmic creatures of Skyline, which had the potential for epic sequences, move and look like they were lifted from a Hallmark production. In fact, the whole film looks like a B-movie made for television or direct-to-DVD. I was just waiting for Michael Dudikoff and Steven Seagal to appear on the screen, who, having sensed the cheapness, would ask if they could play too. There are no interesting characters, no dramatic tension, and no breathtaking sequences. There’s only the unfulfilled promise of a spectacular science fiction film. And there’s one of the dumbest endings I’ve ever seen. The consternation caused by the final scene cannot be described in words – you have to see it for yourself, I recommend it! The answer to the question “what happened…” turns out to be quite simple. The low level of action scenes was camouflaged in the trailer by quick cuts, so that the fragments didn’t reveal the actual spectacle of Skyline. And although this deception among deceptions must be acknowledged as perfect.

Surprisingly, Skyline will be remembered by me not only negatively. This film has three small pluses (for which I give an additional point in the final rating), and although they are crushed by a massive onslaught of minuses, it’s worth remembering them. First of all, this clumsy film has a really good trailer. I’m telling you – beware of the TV commercial for Skyline, and don’t let yourself be fooled. Even after the screening, when I already knew what a disaster I had witnessed, I would be willing to believe again that this film is, colloquially speaking, awesome. The second plus is the mass “suction” of people. Some Blomkamp or Spielberg should take this genius scene and make a new film with it! The third plus is the great cinema poster depicting precisely that scene. I liked the poster so much that I went to the cinema staff and asked for a copy. Today it hangs on my wall, reminding me never to blindly trust a promotional campaign.