Skyline

A bit late this week, but another of my film reviews appeared in the Free Press last week. The difference was the word count was lowered from 300-350 words to just 150 words. I found this quite difficult as there’s really not a huge amount you can say in that space. Still, it’s a good job I wasn’t reviewing Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask) as the title would almost have taken up 10% of the word count itself!

Anyway, the review is below. I didn’t think much of the film, and I think I could have done better with the review too – it didn’t flow very well, which is perhaps something to do with the limited word count – I clearly need to learn to be pithy and concise in an eloquent way.

As an old-style alien invasion B-movie, Skyline enjoys the benefit of spectacular visuals, utilising computer-generated effects that would have been unthinkable on the same low budget just a few years ago.

The effects, however, remain the film’s high point. The human characters that populate the story are cardboard thin, fairly unpleasant, and so undeserving of our empathy that you find yourself siding with the marauding intruders.

The film itself feels derivative. You spend half the time thinking “There’s a bit from Independence Day, a bit from District 9” and so on. However, the filmmakers do nothing new with the genre, and the resulting film feels like watching a firework display in the company of thoroughly objectionable spectators.

If you want a thought-provoking, character-driven drama, steer away from Skyline. If, however, you want to turn your brain off for 90 minutes for some effects-laden schlock, then it’s diverting enough for a Friday night.

(152 words)

150 words is less than you might think!