Blu-ray Movie Reviews

In the sci-fi thriller "Skyline", strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

I was a bit disappointed with the visual presentation of this one. While the special effects shots looked good the principal photography was lacking in sharpness and fine object detail. I don’t know if this was intentional or not, but the focus was soft enough that I even got up and checked the focus on my projector, just to be sure there wasn’t something wrong with my setup. That is rare. The color palette leans slightly toward blue but lacks the garish teal and orange cast we see so often. Contrast is also a bit disappointing with nighttime sequences looking a bit more grey and washed out than the better Blu-ray transfers out there. The DTS-HD Master Audi mix is HOT. The bottom end is quite a bit more pronounced than we typically see from sci-fi films, and that is saying something. Bass is driven to insane levels with very low response that almost overwhelms the rest of the mix. Surrounds are used aggressively and the sound design is pretty respectable and fun. Dialogue is mixed in nicely with the rest making for a fun, though slightly overcooked, experience.

Extras include a feature commentary with the film’s directors plus a look at the visual effects, which were definitely the highlight of this otherwise stinker. Some deleted scenes are also included.

The only thing really going for this film are its special effects and unfortunately they can’t even save it from being more than what I would expect from a disappointing direct to TV production. The story moves at a slow pace, the acting is poor and the story just never grabs you. A rental at best.