SKYLINE (2010) **

I’m planning on watching Beyond Skyline in the near future, mostly because Iko Uwais is in it.  I don't want to be completely lost when that time comes, so I watched Skyline to get myself up to speed.  Sigh… the things I do for Iko Uwais.

I initially didn't want to see this because The Brothers Strause directed it.  If you don’t remember (and I wish I could), they’re the duo who directed the abysmal Alien vs. Predator:  Requiem.  Fortunately for me, Skyline is a heck of a lot better that that flick, although that's not saying much. 

Eric (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake) Balfour goes to visit his friend (Donald Faison) in L.A.  with his girlfriend (Scottie Thompson) in tow.  That night, blue lights rain down on the city and it doesn’t take the group long to realize they're in the midst of an alien invasion.  They do their best to survive as the aliens fly around and try to take over their minds and bodies.

Skyline plays sort of like a west coast version of War of the Worlds.  That’s right.  You guessed it.  This is another one of those Hide-from-the-Blue-Glowing-Tentacle-Alien-Robot movie. 

Most of the action is confined to one building which helps conceal the tiny budget.  I also liked that Faison’s character has two girlfriends and no one makes a big deal about their polyamorous relationship.  That’s about the only novel touch though. 

All of this is watchable, although it’s never engrossing.  You’ve seen it all before, and done better, I might add.  The aliens themselves are competently done, but like the movie itself, they’re derivative and forgettable. 

The Strause Brothers are in the FX business, so we know they have a handle the alien stuff.  When it comes to the characters, they pretty much drop the ball.  At least they’re more likable than the ones found in AVP:  R.  Then again, that covers just about every other movie on the planet.