23rd Dec2020

‘Skylines’ VOD Review

by Paul Metcalf

Stars: Lindsey Morgan, Rhona Mitra, Alexander Siddig, James Cosmo, Daniel Bernhardt, Jonathan Howard, Yayan Ruhian, Ieva Andrejevaite, Samantha Jean, Giedre Mockeliunaite, Jeremy Fitzgerald | Written by Liam O’Donnell, Matthew E. Chausse | Directed by Liam O’Donnell

When I started watching Skylines, I’ll admit the first thing that surprised me was that this is in fact the third movie. Thankfully with the recap given, this didn’t stop me from enjoying what was to come…

With the friendly alien hybrids now living on Earth, danger looms as a new virus starts to turn them against humans. Captain Rose Corley (Lindsey Morgan) finds herself coerced into leading an elite team of mercenaries on a mission to alien home world in order to try to save what is left of humanity.

The first thing I liked about Skylines is the fact there are plenty of familiar faces who are dependable at providing strong performances. This includes Rhona Mitra, Alexander Siddig, and most notably for me James Cosmo who is one of those actors who always brings quality.

Add to that is also a good cast of people who bring good fighting and stunt skills. For fans of The Raid the fact that Yayan Ruhian makes an appearance. While he doesn’t have much to do, when he does though, he kicks major ass.

When it comes to the action on the alien world, the story we are presented with does feel like a well trodden path for this type of movie. This isn’t a bad thing though, because of the fun way the action is presented. There is a feel of movies such as Aliens and The Descent here as the heroes do battle against hordes of creatures, but where Aliens and The Descent have more of an oppressing tone to them, Skylines is very much about the action.

While battle goes on out in space, one area of the film that is slightly lacking is a focus on events on Earth. We do get updates on what is happening, and the battle to find a way to fight the virus, but it is clear the main focus is on events in space. I will admit I’d have liked to have seen more of the events on Earth, but at a runtime of almost two hours it is understandable that choices had to be made.

It is fair to say that Skylines is a movie that doesn’t always hit the mark, but for the most part it is fun and it provides the entertainment that it’s target audience will no doubt enjoy. There are plenty of fights and big action sequences and as already noted, the focus is very much on fun.

At a time when a lot is going on in the world and we need a good escape from reality for a few hours, Skylines is one of those movies that delivers.

**** 4/5

Skylines has been released in selected cinemas in the UK, and on Demand now. Check out our review of the film from its Frightfest screening right here.
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Review originally posted on PissedOffGeek