Film Review: Skylines

Talk about the little franchise that could, huh? I honestly don’t remember all that much from the critically maligned yet financially successful Skyline from 2010, but a lot of people, myself included, were surprised at just how enjoyable its 2017 follow-up Beyond Skyline was. One of the co-writers, Liam O’Donnell, took over as the writer and director, bringing not only a more action heavy approach compared to the standard alien invasion plot of the first, but also doubling down and expanding on the lore that was established. Beyond Skyline was a ton of fun, so it’s great to see Liam O’Donnell return with a new addition to the series.

Taking place 15 years after the invasion, we find the world has actually managed to peacefully co-exist with “the pilots,” the aliens from the previous films. However, a virus has begun spreading that threatens to revert the pilots back to their destructive nature, endangering the lives of people around the world. Meanwhile, Rose Corley (Lindsey Morgan), an alien/human hybrid who has the ability to use alien technology has been taken in by General Radford (Alexander Siddig), to join his team on a mission to the alien homeworld that could save humanity, though there appears to be more to it than meets the eye.

If that sounds like a lot to take in, don’t worry, the film thankfully provides a recap of the events of the last film, as well as providing some context for Rose as a character, establishing an incident in her past that has been haunting her. I would still recommend watching Beyond Skyline before this because it is the kind of film that assumed you are at least somewhat privy to the general details about what’s been going on, and how things work. But if you can’t the recap works perfectly fine in letting you know everything you need to know.

The film continues with the action route established in the previous film, with more of an Aliens influence this time around. It doesn’t take long before the action kicks into gear, but by the time our crew of soldiers led by Rose crash into the alien planet, things go down pretty quick. Once again, the action choreography is really solid. Not only is the gunplay terrific, but the hand-to-hand choreography is very well done, especially in how they have guys in big, bulky costumes doing so much physically. Cha-Lee Yoon is the stunt coordinator here as well as performing as one of the people on Radford’s crew, and it’s clear O’Donnell isn’t the kind of director to get in the way of his stunt team, allowing them to do the best they can do with the resources they have.

Speaking of, assuming this film is roughly around the same budget as the last two – around $20 million, the film is very well made, considering how ambitious it is. There are so many VFX shots, and there’s maybe only a small handful of shots where the VFX aren’t totally up to snuff, but for the most part, the team involved did a great job at incorporating those CG elements into the environments. It helps that there’s a surprisingly strong sense of art direction that went into the sets and costumes, giving it a very distinct visual identity, which you get a glimpse of during the blooper reel that plays over the credits (yes, they play the blooper reel during the credits, and it’s amazing).

The performances here are solid as well. Like the laughably overqualified cast in the last film, you got a very charismatic lead in Lindsey Morgan, who can handle the action well, and you got the likes of Rhona Mitra, Alexander Siddig, James Cosmo, and Jonathan Howard, all of whom have had plenty of years of experience in film and television. And with guys like stunt legend Daniel Bernhardt and Yayan Ruhian – who fans of The Raid will remember as the guy who plays Mad Dog – the film knows how to utilize the performers who are there just to throw fists, and it’s satisfying to see these guys at work here. I also want to give a shout out to Jeremy Fitzgerald, who plays Trent, Rose’s brother who is now inhabiting the body of an alien. He manages to use body language alone in creating a believable dynamic with Morgan, which is really fun.

I almost can’t believe there’s now three of these Skyline movies, and given the ending of this, it opens itself up for a fourth, and honestly, I would totally be on board for whatever Liam O’Donnell has in mind if that ever comes to fruition. Skylines, or as some places put it: Skylin3s, is a ton of fun, and I would say I like it about as much as I liked Beyond Skyline. Of course, anyone coming in expecting something transcendent here will not find it. The appeal of the series – or rather, just the last film – has been how it earnestly embraces its unabashedly dorky B-movie identity. It is an impressively assembled film, and I also like that it doesn’t feel the need to repeat what came before it; instead focusing on exploring a whole new story with mostly new characters while still delivering on the action that it promises. It’s a great way to approach a sequel, and while it might not look like it, Liam O’Donnell makes a lot of smart choices in his storytelling. There’s a very infectious spirit and enthusiasm for the sci-fi genre and the scrappy, DIY nature of pulling off big ideas like this on a relatively low budget that I can’t help but admire. If you were a fan of Beyond Skyline, this is definitely not one to miss. Also, more movies need to play their blooper reels during the credits!

Vertical Entertainment will release Skylines in select theaters, drive-ins, on demand and digital December 18th.